Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:
Rotavirus Vaccination
Pronounced "row-tuh-virus"
Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe acute gastroenteritis (vomiting and severe diarrhea) among children worldwide. Two different rotavirus vaccines are currently licensed for infants in the United States. The vaccines are RotaTeq® (RV5) and Rotarix® (RV1). Before being licensed, both vaccines were tested in clinical trials and shown to be safe and effective. In these studies, during approximately the first year of an infant’s life, rotavirus vaccine was found to prevent almost all (85% to 98%) rotavirus illness episodes that were severe and to prevent 74% to 87% of all rotavirus illness episodes.
What You Should Know:
For Health Professionals:
What You Should Know
- CDC Rotavirus Web site
- CDC Feature: Protect Your Child against Severe Rotavirus
- Rotavirus: I Just Wish We Had Known
A mother's true story about how her twin babies got very sick with rotavirus illness - Rotavirus fact sheets for parents
- Rotavirus Vaccines – Questions and Answers
- Rotavirus Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)
- Multiple Vaccine VIS (rotavirus, DTaP, Hib, Hepatitis B, polio, and PCV 13)
- Rotavirus Vaccine Information for Parents and Caregivers
, FDA - Rotavirus Vaccine Side-effects
- Child Immunization Schedule
For Health Professionals
Clinical Information
- Disease-related
- Clinical information (Español: Acerca del rotavirus)
- Vaccine-related
Vaccine Recommendations
- Rotavirus Vaccine Recommendations
- Update on Rotavirus Vaccine, FDA
- Guide to Vaccine Contraindications and Precautions
- Standing Orders for Administering Rotavirus Vaccines to Infants
, Immunization Action Coalition - ACIP - Vaccines for Children (VFC) Resolution
- Rotavirus Vaccine (Rotashield®) and Intussusception (historical information)
References and Resources
- Rotavirus Textbooks and Publications
- Rotavirus Chapter, The Pink Book: Course Textbook (12 Edition, 2012)
- Rotavirus Chapter, Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (5th Edition, 2011)
- Rotavirus National Surveillance
- Rotavirus Infections, WHO
- Rotavirus Vaccine Access and Delivery, PATH
Provider Education
- Rotavirus: New Challenges, New Opportunities
View this video (11:19)
Medscape Education, Sep 2012
Dr. Daniel Payne (CDC) and Dr. Eileen Klein (Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington) discuss the burden of rotavirus disease worldwide, the burden of rotavirus infection in the United States, and the effects of rotavirus vaccination on disease trends. - Rotavirus: Connecting the Dots of a Global Health Crisis
View this video (9:48)
Medscape Education Sep 2011
Dr. Umesh Parashar (CDC) talks about rotavirus disease in the United States and globally, the rotavirus vaccines, and the effectiveness of these vaccines.
Materials for Patients
- Rotavirus fact sheets for parents
- Rotavirus Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)
- Multiple Vaccine VIS (rotavirus, DTaP, Hib, Hepatitis B, polio, and PCV 13)
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Content last reviewed on December 17, 2011
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases