Rotavirus vaccines: an update.
OBJECTIVE
Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea disease in infants and young children worldwide and has a major global impact on childhood morbidity and mortality. Vaccination is the only control measure likely to have a significant impact on the incidence of severe dehydrating rotavirus disease.


RESULTS
Rotavirus disease prevention efforts suffered a great setback in 1999 with the withdrawal of the RRV-TV vaccine less than a year after its introduction. Several new rotavirus vaccine candidates have now been developed and are undergoing clinical trials.


CONCLUSIONS
New safe and effective rotavirus vaccines offer the best hope of reducing the toll of acute rotavirus gastroenteritis in both developed and developing countries.
Dennehy
Penelope H
PH
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA. pdennehy@lifespan.org
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007443:Intussusception / Q000139:chemically induced; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; C052014:rhesus rotavirus vaccine