Study: Rotavirus vaccine programme in young children protects older children, adults 

 

 

August 28th, 2013

By: Matthew Dennis

A study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA found that fewer older children and adults in the US were hospitalised for severe diarrhoea following the introduction of a rotavirus immunisation programme in 2006 for children younger than five years.

After the programme was started, rotavirus rates among young children dropped, with 80 percent fewer discharges for rotavirus among children aged under five in the post-vaccine study years than in pre-vaccine years.

In addition, the study found that rotavirus-related discharges also dropped by 70 percent for children aged five to 14, by 53 percent for 15- to 24-year-olds and by 43 percent among adults aged 25 to 44 years.