Key result
Rotavirus vaccine coverage over 70% linked to fewer severe gastroenteritis cases and hospitalizations in young children.
Why the study?
In Japan, rotavirus vaccines were introduced but not used for universal vaccination as of 2018, leaving the impact on severe rotavirus gastroenteritis across eras to be assessed.
Does the introduction of rotavirus vaccine reduce the incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis and hospitalizations in children younger than three years of age?
Observational
Yes
Does the introduction of rotavirus vaccine reduce the incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis and hospitalizations in children younger than three years of age?
High coverage of rotavirus vaccination significantly reduces the incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis and related hospitalizations in children under three years of age.
Supports high rotavirus vaccine coverage to curb pediatric hospitalizations; leaves open need for RCTs to confirm causality and generalizability.
In Japan, rotavirus (RV) vaccines have already been introduced but not used for universal vaccination as of 2018. Therefore, we identified cases of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in children younger than three years of age and investigated the occurrence of infection before and after the introduction of RV vaccines. An ecological study through prospective surveillance was conducted in four pediatric clinics in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, during the 2011 to 2018 RVGE epidemic seasons. We divided the study period into three eras: pre-vaccine introduction era (2011), low-mid coverage transitional era (2012 to 2014, RV vaccine coverage rate: 32.9-56.5%), and high coverage plateau era (2015 to 2018, 67.7-81.7%). In this study, the incidence rate of severe RVGE was significantly lower in the plateau era than in the pre-vaccine introduction and transitional eras. Furthermore, the hospitalization rate due to RVGE in Shibata City was lower in the plateau era than in the pre-vaccination introduction and transitional eras. The number of hospitalizations due to RVGE in subjects who required or did not require intravenous rehydration at the pediatric clinics significantly decreased with the increase in vaccine coverage rates by more than 70% in the plateau era.
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Oishi et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE). High rotavirus vaccine coverage vs. Pre-vaccine introduction and low-mid coverage transitional eras was evaluated on Incidence rate of severe RVGE and hospitalization rate due to RVGE. High rotavirus vaccine coverage (>70%) was associated with a significantly lower incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis and related hospitalizations in children under three years of age.
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