Vaccination against rotavirus infection for children after a year. What is the best drug? Tired of the constant drinking

Rotavirus infection is not uncommon, and it can affect a person at any age. The disease is registered in all regions of Russia and abroad. Caused by pathogen intestinal group viruses that involve inflammatory process villi small intestine and calling the appropriate clinic.

The source of infection is a sick person, the route of infection is mainly food and through water, less often airborne. There is no single treatment regimen; antiviral agents and symptomatic treatment.

In most people, the process proceeds relatively favorably and ends in recovery, however, cases with a fatal outcome are known. So, every year in the world up to 900 thousand deaths from intestinal flu, and every second is a child under 5 years old.

Who needs a vaccine and why?

To avoid development infectious gastroenteritis with complications, WHO recommends specific prophylaxis- vaccination against rotavirus. Since the disease is characterized by intoxication and dehydration of the body, and tends to be severe, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation intends to include the vaccine in the vaccination schedule in the future.

The adult population is less susceptible to the pathogen, but cases of infection are often recorded. The faces of the elders age categories carry the infection to more mild form they have a lower rate of complications. They are generally not vaccinated.

How often do children and adults get sick

Outbreaks of epidemics are observed more often in winter and spring, when hypovitaminosis is most pronounced, and immunity is weakened. Mostly children from six months to two years old suffer, the risk of infection in them during the transitional winter-spring period sometimes reaches 90%. Each year, clinics see about two million young patients diagnosed with acute intestinal infection”, which later turns out to be rotavirus. After past illness life is not produced immune defense, so a child under five years old can already have time to get sick with it up to three times. Adults get sick in 40% of cases.

How rotavirus spreads and how to deal with it

Rotavirus infection can be transmitted through food products and water, as well as dishes. Infection can occur when talking, coughing, sneezing. The situation is especially urgent in families with a child under one year old. By their own physiological needs, such patients tend to "explore" all objects and pull them into the mouth, increasing the likelihood of infection. If there is a sick person in the house, it must be isolated from healthy people. The processing of household items is very important and strict observance sanitary and anti-epidemic measures.

Pathogen rotavirus infection is able to maintain its properties on various surfaces for up to 14 days, it can tolerate relatively high and low temperatures. Heating to 80 degrees completely kills it. It is also inactivated by UV irradiation, boiling, and treatment with disinfectants. That is why wet cleaning of the premises with the use of chlorine-containing agents or other disinfectants in the percentage dilutions provided for in the instructions is mandatory. It will not be superfluous to ventilate the room.

Clinical manifestations of rotavirus infection

From the moment of infection to pronounced symptoms, an average of 3-5 days pass. It is characterized by a sudden onset and a bright clinic. Vomiting and intoxication appear, accompanied by high temperature, dizziness, loss of appetite, lethargy, chills, refusal to eat.

Diarrhea is often observed. Fecal masses are fetid, yellow-green in color, sometimes frothy. Cough, runny nose and nasal congestion are mild. Vomiting passes during the first day. After the lull acute symptoms the baby complains for a long time about aching or cramping pains in upper divisions belly. The prognosis is usually favorable. If everything goes without complications, after a week the child recovers.

If the infection proceeds with severe intoxication in a child and leads to a significant loss of fluid with diarrhea, this is fraught with the development of encephalopathies, chronic enterocolitis, damage to the cardiovascular and excretory systems. In such situations, hospitalization is necessary.

When do children need to be vaccinated?

Rotavirus vaccination is not included mandatory vaccinations and can be made on the recommendation of a doctor and the desire of parents.

The question of the need for vaccination is still open, because Small child, as a rule, "meets" with the pathogen more than once during the year. After recovery, immunity remains, which lasts from 6 months to one year.

Who is eligible for vaccination? It is believed that babies from 1.5 to 10 months are most seriously ill. And here's why: the work of organs and systems is still weak and imperfect, their the immune system unable to "resist" the onslaught of the pathogen. The severe course of the process is accompanied by severe dehydration and intoxication, complications that can lead to death.

If the child has reached the age of five, immunization against rotavirus infection is not advisable. Like many adults, he had already suffered the disease more than once, and the body had developed protection against him. In this case, it is not recommended to introduce additional antigens: the vaccine only unnecessarily allergises the child.

Another argument for refusing to vaccinate five-year-olds: mass infections in the Russian Federation recent times is not fixed. Moreover, the child’s immune response is already “working” better than that of a baby. However, it is advisable to carry out prophylaxis with a vaccine for a child under one year old, since there is a high probability of meeting with a pathogen at this age. The incidence of children does not reach critical figures, but does not decrease either. Therefore, even the most careful observance of hygiene measures will not help to protect the child from infection. Vaccination will make the baby practically invulnerable.

Vaccine "Rotatec": instructions

A vaccine under this name from American manufacturers is used in Russia to provide protection against rotavirus infection. It contains live microorganisms of five subspecies, modified by genetic methods. As a result of a selected combination of antigens, they do not harm a person, but provide reliable immunity.

Since vaccination is not mandatory, immunization of the child with the consent of the parents is carried out in children's clinics at their expense.

The vaccine for children is presented in drops for oral administration. Produced in a package, inside which there is a tube dispenser with a vaccine corresponding to one dose. Very easy to use: the contents are squeezed out to the child on the mucous membrane of the cheeks, after which it is not recommended to feed the baby for two hours.

The vaccine is used with other vaccinations provided for by the vaccination schedule, with the exception of oral (against polio). Them joint action has not yet been sufficiently studied, but there are suggestions that it reduces the effectiveness of vaccination against a virus that affects the gastrointestinal tract.

When applied, the rotavirus vaccination sequence

Before the injection, the child is examined by a doctor, surrender necessary tests and only then does he give recommendations whether it is possible to inject or not. If the baby is healthy and there are no contraindications, exemplary scheme vaccination looks like this:

The first injection is given at 6 to 12 weeks of age.
In total, it is necessary to deliver three injections, repeated injections are made after 4-9 weeks each.
The timing should be calculated so that the immunization course is completed no later than eight months of age.

Important! Despite the fact that immunization against rotavirus infection is not on the list of mandatory and is optional, the timing is indicated by the doctor. Revaccination is not carried out.

Developed resistance to the pathogen immunity lasts up to five years. After this age, the baby's body is strong enough to cope with the disease.

Side effects

Children usually tolerate immunization well and rarely have allergic reactions. Among them are local in the form of a slight swelling and redness at the injection site, sometimes urticaria. There may be minor disorders of the stool, rarely - vomiting. Sometimes irritability, loss of appetite is possible.

Emergency conditions after the use of the drug are practically not found. A small percentage of pathologies resulting from vaccination require medical attention:

rhinitis, pharyngitis (0.1%);
otitis media (0,01%);
bronchospasm (0.01%);
intestinal intussusception and development intestinal obstruction (0,001%).

The occurrence of these pathologies indicates that the child's allergic mood was not taken into account in advance, accompanying illnesses, low immunity and a number of other reasons that could lead to undesirable consequences.

The ability to combine vaccination with medication and contraindications

Immunization usually does not require the withdrawal of certain drugs and can be combined with their intake. The exception is funds, the action of which is aimed at reducing immune functions. These are immunosuppressants, cytostatics, antimetabolites.

Children should not be vaccinated under the following conditions:

acute infectious disease or exacerbation of a chronic one;
immunodeficiency of various etiologies;
the presence of an allergy to the components of the drug;
appearance backlash for a previous vaccination;
inflammation of the stomach and intestines, diarrhea, etc.

Prevention from rotavirus

In spite of effective action vaccinations, you need to know that it does not give a 100% guarantee against the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to observe personal hygiene measures. The patient should be isolated from others in time and adequate treatment should be started.

It is recommended to strengthen the body with the help of physical education and sports, to engage in hardening. Do not forget about observing the regime of the day and rest. Vitamin therapy and taking immunomodulators will help resist the pathogen, and daily walks on fresh air improve the effect.

It is not mandatory, but many people think about making it for their child. Is it worth it to do so? What is rotavirus anyway? Why is he dangerous? What are the consequences of vaccination? Everything about rotavirus infection and the vaccine against it will be presented below. Think carefully before vaccinating your baby. Maybe she doesn't need it at all.

Rotavirus is...

First, let's figure out what kind of infection we are dealing with. This question is extremely important. After all, it is always important to know what kind of disease we are talking about. Rotavirus is an infection that is the most common cause vomiting and diarrhea in babies. It is usually mild, but complications can occur.

As practice shows, most often rotavirus disease occurs in children under the age of 5 years. How older child, the lower the risk of occurrence of certain side effects. In principle, some people are not afraid of rotavirus. To some extent, this is correct. The rotavirus vaccine is not included in the list of mandatory, which means that you can refuse it without special problems. But why is this disease dangerous? Why do many parents still carry out appropriate vaccinations?

Disease danger

The point is that it can be quite dangerous. For adults and already grown children, it does not cause much harm. Unpleasant, passes after a while and lethal outcome or serious complications does not bring.

But if we talk about young children (they are the ones who most often suffer from rotavirus), then everything is a little different here. After all, this disease leads to dehydration. It, in turn, will be extremely dangerous, as it can lead to death. Not so often, but such cases happened.

In addition, it can lead to problems with the intestines. For example, to invagination of the intestines. Only there is one more small point that will have to be taken into account - the rotavirus vaccine will not protect the child from this consequence.

In other words, our current disease is dangerous because it leads to dehydration. And of course accompanied a variety of symptoms infections - vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever and general malaise organism. We'll have to take that into account.

At what age do

Many people think at what age to start vaccinating if a decision was made to vaccinate. And here, as a rule, there are no clear restrictions. The rotavirus vaccine is almost never given to adults. Moreover, it almost does not bring any effect and positive result. But for children - easily.

At what age is the first vaccination given? In general, it is recommended to carry it out no later than 2 months of the baby's life. After all, vaccination against rotavirus infections for children under one year old often helps to protect a still fragile body from danger.

By the way, vaccination is carried out in 2 stages. That is, you will have to re-vaccinate. Moreover, it should not be later than 8 months of the baby's life. It is advisable, as doctors say, to vaccinate a child again at 4 months. This approach will reduce the risk of infection. But is the vaccine really that safe? Is it really worth doing it? What do doctors and parents think about this?

Variety of the virus

To be honest, opinions are divided here. And it is difficult to answer exactly what reviews the rotavirus vaccine receives. Each parent must come to one conclusion or another.

The first reason why some refuse to be vaccinated is none other than the variety of rotavirus infection. You can compare it to the flu. That is, often vaccination cannot protect the baby from all varieties of our current disease. From this it follows that the risk of infection still exists. So, there is no point in vaccination. That's what some parents say. Often, after vaccination, children still become infected with rotavirus. Not the best outcome, especially after vaccination. This all suggests that the rotavirus vaccine is not very effective. In any case, after it there is still a possibility of infection due to the variety of infections.

Not dangerous

What else can you pay attention to? For example, the fact that the rotavirus vaccine receives a variety of reviews from parents. Some refuse vaccination because they consider the disease not too dangerous.

Basically, that's the way it is. If we consider the symptoms of this, you can see: rotavirus infection is vomiting and diarrhea. Not too dangerous if you think about it. As some parents assure us, our current illness is in itself no more dangerous than the most common one. food poisoning. And it's easy to deal with. This means that rotavirus vaccination for children (and adults too) does not make any sense. Indeed, sometimes it is easier to get sick with some kind of infection, so that later there is immunity to it (or at least the body is ready for a second collision) than to vaccinate and deal with the consequences. But this is up to the parents to decide.

Inefficiency

Another reason why the rotavirus vaccine for children receives not the best reviews (or rather, as an ineffective vaccination). Doctors point to the inefficiency of it at a certain age. That is, in fact, the timing of this procedure is limited.

As already mentioned, rotavirus infections most often affect children at an early age, up to about 5 years. But the rotavirus vaccine for children at 2 years old is already losing its effectiveness. That is, at this age there is no longer any point in vaccination. That's what the doctors say. If you did not decide on the procedure at an early age of the child, then when he grew up, there is no point in the vaccine. After all, in medicine today, most doctors insist on a lot of vaccinations, even those that, according to the standards, are not included in the list of mandatory ones.

In other words, if we are talking oh at all small child(up to approximately 8-12 months), then vaccination makes sense. But it fades with age. It turns out that the decision depends on how old the baby is.

Optional vaccination

It can also be assumed that a child should not be vaccinated again against rotavirus infection just because this process not on the must-have list. In other words, it is optional. You may be offered a vaccination at the clinic, and the immediate decision is made on your own.

In Russia, it has recently become customary to refuse unnecessary vaccinations. Especially for children. Too much unpleasant consequences in practice pops up after the kids. Vaccination against rotavirus infections in adults, as we have already found out, has no special meaning. Yes, and children at a certain age from it will be of little use. So, it is quite logical to either hurry up with vaccination, or completely abandon it.

If you trust only mandatory vaccinations, then you should not vaccinate your child against rotavirus. In particular, if your baby already has strong immunity. After all, such children, as a rule, have reduced risk infections. Why then once again torturing the child? it extra stress both for the baby and for his body.

Not for all

Definitely do not get this vaccine if your child has any serious problems with health. Even doctors say that vaccination is not suitable for everyone. There are a number of restrictions that simply prohibit this process.

For example, children with reduced immunity (too weak) cannot be vaccinated. At least until their bodies get stronger. In this case, doctors prescribe individual plan vaccinations at the request of parents.

Chronic diseases of a severe form, as well as a tendency to allergic reactions, are the next items that generally prohibit vaccination against rotavirus. With such phenomena, it is not even worth thinking about the process. Doctors will simply forbid you to vaccinate. And they will warn you about how dangerous it is to not comply with these restrictions.

Any disease in a severe form can be a reason for not vaccinating. In other words, you should not be vaccinated against rotavirus if the baby has some severe disease. This can also include vomiting and diarrhea. Under such circumstances, it is worth postponing the process until complete recovery. And only then decide again whether you really need this vaccine. After all, many, as already mentioned, refuse it.

Effects

Before carrying out this or that vaccination, it is worth learning about what this process can lead to. After all, often vaccinations do not pass without certain consequences. Some of them can be repulsed from vaccination.

With rotavirus infections, everything is much more complicated than with most other diseases. Why? The thing is that, as already mentioned, at a certain age, vaccination loses its meaning. And it does not give a 100% guarantee that the child will not become infected with this infection.

In addition, the consequences after vaccination are not too encouraging. They can be much more serious than from any other vaccine. For example, as already mentioned, the baby may have intussusception of the intestines. It's not very common, but dangerous phenomenon. It affects 1 child out of 100,000 vaccinated. Already this indicator repels many and forces them to abandon the procedure.

There are also a number of minor side effects. Although they are not very pleasant. Indeed, often after vaccination against rotavirus, babies experience diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, fever, weakness and lethargy. Excessive irritability, tearfulness is not excluded. Don't forget about allergic reactions! They also appear quite often. Children who are not prone to allergies often develop a rash or skin irritation. Basically, not too dangerous. But sometimes you can confuse the disease with the consequences of vaccination.

Persistent immunity

The rotavirus vaccine is something many people think about. After all, to do it or not is a rather difficult question. On the one hand, any vaccination is an additional guarantee that the child will not get sick. True, this is not always the case. On the other hand, in our case, the probability of encountering a rotavirus infection after the procedure does not decrease too much. As already mentioned, the effectiveness of vaccination is not particularly high.

Among other things, doctors assure that in the human body, a strong immunity to rotavirus is developed over time without any additional measures. If a child by the age of five has already suffered this disease several times (at least 2), then he gets quite a lot of resistance to the virus. That is, it is better to get sick several times and get a strong immunity to the disease than to constantly get vaccinated, which will not fully protect against it.

conclusions

So we found out, the vaccination against rotavirus for children up to what age is done and whether it is effective. But it remains unclear whether it is necessary to agree to vaccination or not.

Everyone must decide this question for himself. In general, it all depends on many factors. If your child has a fairly strong immune system, there is nothing to be afraid of. And given that there are a lot of rotavirus infections, and vaccination often leads to the development of immunity to only one variety, then it makes no special sense.

Yes, the rotavirus vaccine can sometimes help keep a child safe. Especially at an early age. But, as practice shows, it is better to get sick several times infectious disease and get immunity to it than to constantly vaccinate a child. Our case is no exception. So it is recommended that you do not vaccinate your child again if you yourself do not want it. Remember that the rotavirus vaccine is not a 100% guarantee that the child will not get infected. Which means it doesn't make much sense.

The best way to protect your child from rotavirus infection is vaccination. Doctors recommend that all children get this vaccine.

Why should my child be vaccinated against rotavirus?

Rotavirus vaccine:

protects your child from rotavirus infection, a potentially serious illness;
prevents your child from developing diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain caused by rotavirus infection;
prevent your child from missing school or Kindergarten, and you - your job, caring for a sick child at home.

Is it saferotavirus vaccine?

The rotavirus vaccine is safe and effective - it prevents the development of the disease caused by this virus. Each RotaTeq® and Rotarix® test was performed on over 70,000 volunteers. Millions of children in the United States have already received the vaccine during their mandatory vaccinations, with no complications reported.

What are side effects rotavirus vaccinations?

Side effects are rare and usually short-lived: minor restlessness, fever and diarrhea.

Some of the studies have shown a slight increase in the number of cases of intussusception in infants during the week after they received their first or second dose of rotavirus vaccine. Intussusception is one type of intestinal obstruction that requires hospital treatment. Studies estimate the risk of such an occurrence as 1 in 20,000–100,000 infants after vaccination.

Currently, there are two types of rotavirus vaccine - RotaTeq and Rotarix. Both vaccines should be taken by mouth and not by injection.

What is rotavirus?

Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting. It mainly affects infants and young children. Diarrhea and vomiting can lead to severe dehydration, which untimely treatment, especially in young children, is fatal.

What are the symptoms of rotavirus infection?

Rotavirus causes the following symptoms:

fever;
watery diarrhea;
vomit;
abdominal pain.

Diarrhea and vomiting usually last 3 to 8 days, and children sometimes stop eating and drinking altogether while they feel unwell, which can be serious consequences.

This is serious?

Rotavirus can be very dangerous. Diarrhea, vomiting, and fever can lead to severe fluid loss, and dehydration is very dangerous for infants and young children. To replenish lost fluids, children who refuse to eat and drink at home may need intravenous administration medicines in a hospital setting.

How is rotavirus spread?

Rotavirus spreads very quickly because it is found in the stool of people who are infected with the virus. Distribution routes: dirty hands, diapers, or shared items such as toys, changing tables, or doorknobs. The disease usually strikes with lightning speed everyone who does not have immunity to it, in families, hospitals and child care facilities.

Unfortunately, rotavirus is very resistant to factors environment. It can remain active on various objects for several days if it is not neutralized with a disinfectant (meaning a detergent or cleaner that kills germs). But even when washing hands and cleaning common items with disinfectants it is very difficult to prevent infection with rotavirus.

Vaccination against rotavirus infection is not mandatory in the territory Russian Federation. However, vaccination is the only way prevent or avoid disease severe course in small children.

The main reasons why children should be vaccinated are:

The effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine

Preventive vaccination has enough high efficiency. After two doses of the vaccine, protection against rotavirus gastroenteritis in a child will be about 90%. At the same time, the likelihood of a severe infection and the need for hospitalization is reduced by 100%.

There are research data on the severity of herd immunity during the deployment of mass vaccination against rotavirus infection. In addition, the incidence of the adult population may also tend to decrease.

Two used in modern medicine vaccines contain the 5 most common strains of rotavirus, however, there are many varieties of this infection. Therefore, the risk still remains, but it is small, and the likelihood of a severe course and complications tends to zero.

Vaccination against rotavirus infections in children helps to avoid this disease for 2 years, because this period is the most dangerous due to rapid development dehydration.

Is it effective after a year

The instructions for vaccines provide for the completion of the vaccination process by the age of 6 months. However, this does not mean that it is impossible or ineffective to vaccinate after the specified age. These terms are due to the fact that the infection is of particular danger to a child under 2 years of age, so it is important to vaccinate as soon as possible.

However, there are cases in which it is impossible to vaccinate early:

heavy allergic reaction during primary vaccination;
low awareness of parents;
pathologies that do not allow vaccination.

Children can also be vaccinated against rotavirus infections after the 6 months indicated in the instructions, in particular, after 1 year. At the same time, no decrease in the effectiveness of the resulting immunity is observed.

Immunity will be formed for 2-3 years, therefore, if a child is immunized after 1 year of life, he will receive protection against rotavirus up to 3-4 years, which will reduce the likelihood of severe forms of rotavirus and dehydration.

Contraindications

Contraindications for rotavirus vaccination include:

Diarrhea wearing chronic, as well as diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in active phase. This recommendation is due to the lack of clinical trials of the vaccine.
Delayed psychomotor development. Caution in the use of the vaccine is also due to the lack of clinical data.
Immunodeficiency or defects in the immune system.
Blood transfusion. AT this case the interval between transfusion of blood, blood components and vaccination must exceed 42 days.
Close contact of the child to be vaccinated with persons with severe immunodeficiency conditions.

Possible side effects in children

The rotavirus vaccines used are safe and sufficiently tolerant. However, side effects are possible. The following probable manifestations are distinguished: malaise, slight fever, nausea, diarrhea.

The following frequency of occurrence of side effects can be distinguished:

Frequency of occurrence	Manifestations of side effects
Very part (1 case out of 10)	Diarrhea, vomiting, fever
Often (1 case per 10-100 people)	Upper respiratory tract infections
Uncommon (1 case per 100-1000 people)	Inflammatory phenomena on the skin, abdominal pain, otitis media, traces of blood in the stool, inflammation of the mucous membranes
Rare (1 in 1000-10000 people)	Intestinal obstruction, bronchospasm, allergic reactions in the form of urticaria
unknown	Irritability, anaphylactic manifestations and reactions

In the vast majority of cases, side effects are absent or minor and disappear within 1-2 days.

Intestinal intussusception occurs in 1 case per 1000-10000 people.

When the following symptoms you should immediately consult a doctor:

prolonged vomiting with undigested residues food;
jelly-like feces with blood impurities;
bloating;
bouts of pain in the abdomen, which can be assumed from the behavior of the child (tightening the legs to the stomach, screaming, pale skin with perspiration).

Bowel intussusception often occurs between 4 and 9 months of age. It is the increase in the number of cases of this pathological condition became the basis for establishing the timing of the start of vaccination at 6-12 weeks of age.

However, data from the large REST clinical trial suggest that intussusception occurred at the same rate with the vaccine as with placebo.

When to Get the Rotavirus Vaccine

The very first dose of the vaccine should be given as early as possible. WHO recommends that children be vaccinated at 6 weeks of age. After 2 years of age, vaccination of a child against rotavirus is not advisable. Premature babies born after 25 weeks of pregnancy are also subject to immunization.

Preparing the child for the procedure

Any special preparatory procedures before the introduction of the vaccine are not required.

Before and after vaccination, the child can eat and drink normally.
Vaccine components should not be mixed with food, liquids or medicines.
Acute respiratory diseases that are mild are not grounds for refusing to administer the vaccine.
Before the vaccination, the doctor examines the child for symptoms of acute respiratory diseases and measures body temperature.

How is the vaccination

The rotavirus vaccine is administered orally to children.

Vaccines are available in special applicators with a cap. Nurse immediately before administration, he opens the vaccine and instills the drug on the cheek of the child. This manipulation does not pain, as opposed to an injection.

If the child vomits immediately after the dose of the vaccine, the second dose of the vaccine is not given. This is due to the lack clinical trials such cases.

Special hygiene rules in contact with the feces of a vaccinated person.

This recommendation is due clinical research, which showed that after the first vaccination in feces 8.9% of children contain the virus, and the peak of its quantitative value falls on the 7th day from the introduction of the vaccine. However, after the next dose of the vaccine, the content of the virus can be determined only in 0.3% of children.

No restrictions in post-vaccination period no walking or swimming.

List of drugs to avoid after vaccination:

Vaccination schedule and duration of vaccination

Vaccination should begin at the earliest possible dates i.e. from 6 weeks of age.

The first portion of the rotavirus vaccine is administered, as previously mentioned, from the age of 1.5 to 3 months. Moreover, between subsequent portions of the vaccine, a time interval of 4-10 weeks should be observed. Full course vaccination depends on the type of vaccination used and may be 2 or 3 servings. It is recommended to complete the vaccination course before the age of 32 weeks of age.

The formed immunity lasts for about 2 years. At the same time, its slow extinction occurs by the period when the child is already strong enough and the possibility of severe gastroenteritis will be the least likely.

It is for this reason that children are vaccinated against rotavirus infection only up to 2 years. After the onset of this age, vaccination is practically meaningless.

The first dose of the vaccine already allows you to create immunity, which will strengthen and increase its duration with the introduction of subsequent doses.

It is allowed to administer the drug simultaneously with other vaccines:

diphtheria, acellular pertussis, tetanus;
inactivated poliomyelitis;
conjugated from hemophilic and pneumococcal infections;
from hepatitis B.

Rotavirus vaccine is not co-administered with oral live polio vaccine due to lack of clinical compatibility testing.

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation offers 2 schemes for conducting vaccination against rotavirus:

As close as possible to the instructions of the drug: 1 dose - at 2 months along with pneumococcal vaccination; 2 and 3 doses at 3 and 4.5 months, respectively, along with routine vaccines.
Scheme 3 months - 4.5 months - 6 months. This scheme also provides for the introduction of vaccinations along with others provided for by routine vaccination.

Vaccines to prevent rotavirus infection

There are 2 vaccines against rotavirus in the world, both are administered orally: monovalent Rotarix and polyvalent RotaTeq. These vaccines are WHO prequalified and registered in over 100 countries.

The Rotarix vaccine contains a live virus that is weakened. It is obtained from a human strain. The vaccine is manufactured in the UK, licensed in 125 countries, and completed trials in the Russian Federation. It is administered orally twice. Immunity is formed after the first portion of the vaccine, while the second allows you to form a stable immune response.

The RotaTeq vaccine contains live human and bovine reassortants of the virus. It's made in the USA. The RotaTeq vaccine is administered in 3 doses by the oral route. Since 2007, this vaccine has been included in vaccination calendar European countries.

Earlier, since 2006, the United States decided to include the drug in its vaccination calendar. The vaccine is administered in 3 doses. Statistical data show that with the introduction of the vaccine, the incidence of rotavirus infections has decreased by 2 times.

Rotavirus plays a significant role in causing severe intestinal disorders in children. A timely vaccination can protect the child from the possibility of serious intestinal disorders and their complications. Children vaccinated against rotavirus infections have 100% protection against the fatal outcome of the disease, as well as the need for hospital treatment.

Article formatting: Mila Fridan

Rotavirus vaccination video

About the rotavirus vaccine:

Vaccine options

Current vaccines are based on the production of live attenuated strains of human and/or animal rotavirus that multiply in the human intestine. There are two rotavirus vaccines available on the international market: monovalent (RV1 - Rotarix) and pentavalent (RV5 - RotaTech). The RV1 vaccine is derived from a human strain, while the RV5 vaccine contains 5 recombinant viruses derived from human and bovine strains. In Russia, the vaccine "RotaTeq" (pentavalent RV5) is used - it is oral and contains 5 recombinants of rotaviruses obtained from human and bovine parent strains of the virus.

The interchangeability of RV1 and RV5 vaccines has not been studied.

Principles and goals of vaccination

Rotaviruses infect almost every child before the age of 3-5 years and are the world's leading cause of severe dehydrated diarrhea in children aged 3-5 years. Each year in the pre-vaccination period (1986-2000), more than 2 million children worldwide were hospitalized for rotavirus infection. WHO estimates that in 2008 there were approximately 453 000 (420 000 – 494 000) deaths among children associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) worldwide.

Currently does not exist specific therapy rotavirus infection. WHO recommends that rotavirus vaccines should be included in national immunization programs and considered as a priority, especially in countries with high level mortality associated with RVGE as countries in South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The use of rotavirus vaccines should be part of a comprehensive strategy to control diarrheal diseases. By the end of 2013, rotavirus vaccine had been introduced in 52 countries, with coverage reaching 14%.

The first dose of rotavirus vaccine, according to WHO recommendations, should be administered as early as possible - after the child reaches 6 weeks of age. The RV1 vaccine must be given twice, while the RV5 vaccine is given three times. Both vaccines are given orally, at least 4 weeks apart between doses. The RotaTeq vaccine can be administered on the same day as any other vaccines (DTP, inactivated vaccine against poliomyelitis, vaccines against hemophilic and pneumococcal infections, etc.) except for oral live polio vaccine.

Vaccine effectiveness

As effective remedy against rotavirus, WHO recommends preventive vaccination. Existing vaccines demonstrate 80-90% efficacy against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in countries with very low or low level mortality from the disease in children and adults and 40-60% effectiveness in countries with high child mortality and high or very high adult mortality. In developed countries, a decrease in the incidence of RVGE was observed several years after immunization. In Mexico and Brazil, vaccination resulted in a 22-28% reduction in diarrhea-related deaths among children 2 years of age and younger.

In most cases, vaccination in infancy provides protection against severe RVGE, according to at least, for 2 years (the period of greatest risk).

Children infancy can receive rotavirus vaccine along with DTP, regardless of the time of vaccination. Rotavirus vaccination of children over the age of 2 years is not considered inappropriate. Rotavirus vaccines may be given at the same time as other routine childhood vaccines, except oral polio live vaccine.

Post-vaccination reactions

Existing rotavirus vaccines are safe and tolerable. And in some cases it is possible the following reactions: malaise, fever, nausea, diarrhea, which soon pass.

Risk of post-vaccination complications

In extremely rare cases intestinal intussusception may occur, which can lead to obstruction (about 1/100,000 vaccinated children).

Contraindications

The main contraindications for rotavirus vaccination are a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose and severe immunodeficiency. Precautions for the use of rotavirus vaccine are history of intussusception or malformations of the intestine, chronic gastrointestinal diseases and spicy serious disease. Vaccination should be delayed if the child has acute gastroenteritis or fever associated with severe or moderate diseases.

When to vaccinate?

In Russia, the RV5 vaccine (RotaTeq) is currently registered and approved for use. You can start vaccination from 6 weeks of age. It should be remembered that, according to the instructions for the drug, the first dose of the vaccine is administered no later than 12 weeks of 6 days of life, and the last - the third - no later than 36 weeks. The minimum interval between vaccinations is 4 weeks.

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A question for vaccine experts

Questions and answers

Is it possible to start vaccination with Protek from 3.5 months. to kid?

If you mean the vaccine against rotavirus infection, then the first vaccination is carried out up to 3 months.

My son is 3 months old, they made Pentaxim for us. In a month, the doctor said that it would be possible to get vaccinated against rotavirus infection with the Rota Tech vaccine and against pneumonia with the Prevenar 13 vaccine. Is it too late to start vaccinating against rotavirus infection?