Rota Virus | RV5 | RV1 | Pentavalent Vaccine Type | Usage | Precautions | Side Effects
- Rota virus is an important cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children, around the world.
- Rota virus is an RNA virus of the Reoviridae family, transmitted by oral-fecal route.
- While many cases are mild and easily manageable, severe rotavirus gastroenteritis can lead to life-threatening dehydration.
Vaccine Type
- Live – attenuated viral vaccine.
Available as
- RV5: a pentavalent live-attenuated vaccine containing five human-bovine reassortant rotaviruses, given orally.
- RV1: a monovalent live-attenuated vaccine that contains a human rotavirus strain (type G1p1A), given orally.
Effectiveness
- None of the vaccines is currently considered preferable over the other.
- Efficacy studies demonstrated that rotavirus vaccine was 85%-98% protective against severe rotavirus disease and 74%-87% protective against rotavirus disease of any severity through approximately the first rotavirus season
Usage
Routine Vaccination:
All children should be vaccinated against Rotavirus using either RV5 or RV1.
- RV5: 3-dose schedule is used, given at 2, 4 and 6 months of age.
- RV1: 2-dose schedule is used, given at 2, and 4 months of age.
- Vaccination should be completed before the end of 8th month of life.
- Minimum interval between two doses is at least 4 weeks.
- Children who’ve had a rotavirus infection before should still receive the complete course of vaccination because one infection might provide only partial immunity against further rotavirus infections.
Precautions
Contraindications:
- Children who’ve had severe allergic reaction to previous dose of the vaccine or who are allergic to any component of the vaccine (including latex in case of RV1).
- Children diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).
- Infants with a history of intussusception.
Precautions:
- Rotavirus vaccine may not be suitable for some immunocompromised children. Consultation with immunologist or infectious disease specialist is advised.
- Child with mild acute illness including mild gastroenteritis can be vaccinated. However those with moderate to severe gastroenteritis or febrile illness are advised to wait until their condition improves.