CDC recommends two rotavirus vaccines
The introduction of the recommended vaccine RotaTeq has coincided with a weaker rotavirus season this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the recently approved Rotarix should also be recommended, as reported by Reuters.
The introduction of the recommended vaccine RotaTeq has coincided with a weaker rotavirus season this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the recently approved Rotarix should also be recommended, as reported by Reuters.
The CDC stated in the June 27 Mortality and Morbidity Report that rotavirus activity for the 2007-2008 season began two to four monts later than in the previous 15 rotavirus seasons. In addition, researchers estimated that the disease decreased in magnitude by more than 50% during the current season.
The investigators noted that although a weaker rotavirus season coincided with the use of Merck and Co.'s RotaTeq, approved in 2006, most children age 2 or older would have been too old to receive the vaccine when first licensed, so a causal link is not clear.
In addition to the CDC's previous recommendation of RotaTeq, Reuters reported that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix, approved this April, for use to protect against rotavirus. ACIP stated that both vaccines are equally safe and effective, according to the report.
