Rotavirus is a virus that infects the lining of the intestines. Although not typically known by its name, most parents recognize rotavirus by its symptoms — high fever, persistent and severe vomiting, and diarrhea.
By 5 years of age nearly all children have been infected with rotavirus. The first rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, is made from a strain of rotavirus that was originally isolated from a calf. Human rotavirus proteins responsible for evoking protective antibodies, but incapable of causing disease, were also added.
This combination of a calf rotavirus, which can't cause disease in children, with human rotavirus proteins, which protect against disease, allows babies to develop immunity without getting sick.
The second rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, is made from one type of rotavirus originally isolated from a person and weakened in the lab. Studies of more than , infants showed that the vaccine did not cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever, irritability or poor feeding.
The Rotashield vaccine was made using a strain of rotavirus originally isolated from a monkey and is no longer available in the U. The current rotavirus vaccines have also been found to be rare causes of intestinal blockage intussusception affecting about 1 in , children, usually occurring within a week after getting the first or second dose of vaccine.
Of interest, natural rotavirus is also a rare cause of intussusception. Because both current rotavirus vaccines prevent rotavirus — and therefore prevent a rare form of intestinal blockage — the question became which was rarer, intestinal blockage caused by the vaccine or by natural infection.
The question can be answered by looking at what happened to the rate of intestinal blockage once vaccination started to replace natural infection. Most recent evidence shows that the incidence of intestinal blockage of infants in the United States has not increased because of rotavirus vaccines. The first rotavirus vaccine, known as RotaShield, was approved for use in ; however, less than one year later it was removed from the market because of an increased risk of a rare form of intestinal blockage, called intussusception.
Intussusception is an uncommon, yet painful, intestinal blockage that occurs when the intestine folds into itself. Children get it at ages 2 and 4 months, and again at 6 months, depending on the brand of vaccine used. The rotavirus vaccines are live attenuated vaccines, which means they contain a weakened form of the virus.
Rotavirus can cause severe diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration. Some kids who get it need care in a hospital. Besides protecting children who get the vaccine, immunization can help stop the spread of rotavirus in a community. Check with your doctor to see if you can give either acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain or fever, and to find out the right dose.
If your child has vomiting or diarrhea, give small amounts of fluid often and watch for signs of dehydration , such as less urine pee than usual. Rarely, some kids will develop intussusception within a week of getting the first or second dose of the vaccine. Rotavirus vaccination is available routinely on the NHS as part of the childhood vaccination programme for babies aged 8 weeks and 12 weeks.
Your baby needs 2 rotavirus vaccinations at least 4 weeks apart to be fully protected. If they miss the 1st dose, they can have it at up to 15 weeks. If they miss the 2nd dose, they can have it at up to 24 weeks. This helps your baby build up immunity, so that the next time they come into contact with rotavirus they will not get the infection.
The rotavirus vaccine is very effective and gives good protection against rotavirus infection. Since its introduction into the vaccination programme, the rotavirus vaccine has significantly reduced the number of children who have diarrhoea and vomiting, and reduced the number of severe rotavirus infections. There's a lot of evidence showing that the rotavirus vaccine is safe. The brand name of the vaccine used in the UK is Rotarix.
This vaccine has been used in many countries for more than 10 years. Read the patient information leaflet PIL for Rotarix on the electronic medicines compendium website.
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