Rotavirus Vaccine Impact Within an Integrated Healthcare Delivery System in the United States

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious diseases
• Vaccinology
• Public health surveillance

Background:

• Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in infants and young children globally.
• Effective rotavirus vaccines have been introduced to mitigate disease burden.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of rotavirus vaccine introduction on AGE incidence.
• To quantify changes in AGE encounters among children under 5 years old.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of de-identified healthcare encounters from an integrated healthcare system.
• Data collected between 2000 and 2018, encompassing pre- and post-vaccine introduction periods.
• Comparison of all-cause AGE rates for outpatient and inpatient encounters in children <5 years.

Main Results:

• A 36% decline in all-cause AGE outpatient encounters was observed post-vaccine introduction (95% CI: 32%-40%).
• A substantial 54% decrease in all-cause AGE inpatient encounters was recorded (95% CI: 46%-60%).

Conclusions:

• Rotavirus vaccination has a significant positive impact on reducing AGE burden in young children.
• Vaccine effectiveness is evident in both outpatient and inpatient settings, highlighting public health benefits.