Vaccine promoter Dr Paul Offit alleges that dropping the rotavirus vaccine with the new CDC vaccine schedule will lead to thousands of American kids being hospitalized. Can this be true? Before widespread vaccination in 2006, nearly every U.S. child was infected by age 5, typically through daycare centers, preschools, and home contacts. Before vaccination, approximately 20-60 deaths occurred per year in children without ambulatory intravenous fluids and proper treatment. AlterAI assisted with this review.
The 2021 Cochrane analysis “Vaccines for Preventing Rotavirus Diarrhoea: Vaccines in Use” evaluated the efficacy and safety of four WHO-prequalified oral rotavirus vaccines—Rotarix (GSK), RotaTeq (Merck), Rotasiil (Serum Institute of India), and Rotavac (Bharat Biotech)—using data from 60 randomized controlled trials enrolling 228,233 infants and young children worldwide. This systematic review stratified findings by national child mortality strata (low, medium, and high), acknowledging stark differences in vaccine performance and access to early treatment including antiemetics, antidiarrheals, and intravenous fluids.
Rotavirus infection is nearly universal among young children. Severe dehydration from diarrhoea if not managed, drives hospitalization, particularly in low-resource settings lacking adequate rehydration therapy.
The WHO recommended adding rotavirus vaccine to routine infant immunization schedules in 2009. By 2021, over 100 countries had implemented it. The standard number of rotavirus vaccine doses for American infants is two or three, depending on the specific vaccine brand used. Both vaccines are administered orally (as drops in the mouth) and provide protection primarily through the first few years of life, but the duration of benefit is unknown.
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