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Published on: January 28, 2019
Effectiveness of 2 rotavirus vaccines against rotavirus disease in Taiwanese infants
Wan-Chi Chang1, Catherine Yen, Fang-Tzy Wu
1From the *Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan; †Division of Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; ‡Department of Health, Research and Diagnostic Center, Centers for Disease Control, Taipei; §Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan; ¶Department of Laboratory Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua; ‖Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung; and **School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Insights
Rotavirus (RV) vaccines, Rotarix and RotaTeq, demonstrated high effectiveness in preventing severe RV acute gastroenteritis (AGE) hospitalizations in Taiwanese infants. These findings support the inclusion of RV vaccination in national immunization programs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Vaccinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Rotavirus (RV) vaccines are available privately in Taiwan but not routinely recommended.
- Evaluating RV vaccine effectiveness (VE) in Taiwanese infants is crucial for informing national immunization policy.
- Severe RV acute gastroenteritis (AGE) poses a significant health burden in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of Rotarix and RotaTeq against severe RV AGE hospitalization in Taiwanese infants.
- To provide evidence for policymakers regarding the potential benefits of introducing RV vaccination into Taiwan's National Immunization Program.
Main Methods:
- A hospital-based case-control study was conducted from May 2009 to April 2011 in Taiwan.
- Case-patients were infants aged 8-35 months hospitalized with confirmed RV AGE.
- Controls included age-matched infants hospitalized with RV-negative AGE or non-AGE illnesses; vaccination history was verified.
Main Results:
- The study enrolled 184 RV AGE cases and 1813 controls.
- Two-dose Rotarix showed 90.4%-92.5% VE against RV gastroenteritis hospitalization.
- Three-dose RotaTeq demonstrated 96.8%-97.1% VE against RV gastroenteritis hospitalization.
Conclusions:
- Both Rotarix and RotaTeq offer excellent protection against severe RV AGE hospitalizations.
- Integrating RV vaccination into Taiwan's National Immunization Program could significantly reduce AGE hospitalizations in children under 3.
- Findings can guide policymakers in Taiwan and other Asian countries on RV vaccine adoption.
Background:
Two rotavirus (RV) vaccines (Rotarix and RotaTeq) are available on the private market in Taiwan, but are not recommended for routine use. We examined RV vaccine effectiveness (VE) against severe RV acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among Taiwanese infants to inform policymakers on the potential benefits of national RV vaccine introduction.
Methods:
From May 2009 to April 2011, a case-control assessment of VE against severe RV AGE was conducted at 3 hospital-based surveillance sites in Taiwan. Case-patients included children aged 8-35 months, hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RV AGE. Controls included children age-matched within 1 month of age of the case-patient, hospitalized with RV-negative AGE or seen for non-AGE illnesses at the same hospitals. Vaccination history was confirmed through vaccination card or hospital record review. VE was calculated as (1--odds ratio of vaccination) × 100%.
Results:
We enrolled 184 case-patients with RV AGE, 904 RV-negative AGE and 909 non-AGE controls. Two-dose Rotarix series VE against RV gastroenteritis hospitalization was 90.4% [95% confidence interval (CI): 70.3%, 98.1%) and 92.5% (95% CI: 77.1%, 98.5%) with RV-negative AGE and non-AGE controls, respectively. Three-dose RotaTeq series VE was 96.8% (95% CI: 82.3%, 100%) and 97.1% (95% CI: 84%, 100%) with RV-negative AGE and non-AGE controls, respectively.
Conclusions:
Both vaccines provided excellent protection against severe RV AGE hospitalization. Addition of RV vaccination into Taiwan's National Immunization Program could substantially decrease AGE hospitalizations among children <3 years. Our findings should help inform policymakers in Taiwan and other similar Asian countries when deciding whether to include RV vaccination into their national immunization programs.
