Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025
Assays for the Specific Growth Rate and Cell-binding Ability of Rotavirus
Published on: January 28, 2019
Impact of rotavirus vaccine implementation on Israeli children: a comparison between pre- and post-vaccination era
Hussein Zaitoon1, Shaden Hanna2, Ellen Bamberger3
1Department of Pediatrics, Bnai Zion Medical Center, The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 47 Golomb St., 31048, Haifa, Israel. Hussein.zaitoon@gmail.com.
Insights
Rotavirus vaccination significantly reduced hospitalizations for severe gastroenteritis in children. However, post-vaccination cases showed higher dehydration rates, necessitating continued surveillance of rotavirus infection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Rotavirus vaccination has decreased severe gastroenteritis and hospitalizations in children globally.
- Characterizing hospitalized rotavirus patients is crucial for understanding disease impact.
- This study compares clinical and laboratory features before and after rotavirus vaccine introduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare clinical and laboratory features of children hospitalized with acute rotavirus infection.
- To assess changes in rotavirus gastroenteritis hospitalizations pre- and post-vaccination.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study of pediatric patients diagnosed with rotavirus acute gastroenteritis.
- Data collected from Bnai Zion Medical Center pediatric emergency department between 2017 and 2019.
- Comparison of patient characteristics and hospitalization rates during pre-vaccination (2007-2009) and post-vaccination (2012-2019) periods.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus hospitalization rates decreased significantly post-vaccination (4.18 per 1000 ER visits) compared to pre-vaccination (11.71 per 1000 ER visits).
- No statistical differences in gender, breastfeeding, or sibling status between groups.
- A higher proportion of moderate-to-severe dehydration was observed in post-vaccination hospitalized children.
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus vaccination led to a decline in acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations.
- Increased dehydration rates in post-vaccination cases require further investigation.
- Ongoing surveillance is recommended to understand the vaccine's full implications.
Background:
Worldwide rotavirus vaccination has resulted in a substantial decrease in rotavirus-induced severe gastroenteritis and related hospitalizations among children. Still, the characterization of patients warranting hospitalization needs to be further elucidated. The purpose of the study is to compare the clinical and laboratory features of children hospitalized with acute rotavirus infection before and after the introduction of routine vaccination.
Methods:
This is a retrospective observational study. Participants were pediatric patients who presented to the Bnai Zion Medical Center pediatric emergency department and were diagnosed with rotavirus acute gastroenteritis between 2017 and 2019.
Results:
During the pre-vaccination period (2007-2009), 114 infants and young children (median age: 14 months, range: 1-72 months; 59 male, 55 female) were hospitalized for rotavirus-induced acute gastroenteritis with a rate of 11.71 positive rotavirus tests per 1000 emergency room visits. In the post-vaccination period (2012-2019), 168 infants and young children (median age: 17 months, range: 0-84 months; 90 male, 78 female) were hospitalized with a rate of 4.18 positive rotavirus tests per 1000 emergency room visits. There were no statistical differences between the two groups in gender, breast-feeding rates and sibling(s). The proportion of cases with moderate-to-severe dehydration was higher in the post-vaccination children than in the pre-vaccination children.
Conclusions:
Rates of rotavirus-attributed acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations declined from the pre- to the post-vaccination period. Higher rates of dehydration were found in the post-vaccination children. Ongoing surveillance is warranted to better understand the implications of the vaccine.
