title: [Toward the elimination of rotavirus gastroenteritis by universal vaccination].
abstract: Rotavirus is the most important cause of severe gastroenteritis in children worldwide, and is most effectively controlled by vaccines. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended, in 2009, the inclusion of rotavirus vaccination of infants into all national immunization programs. Two, live, orally-administrable vaccines are licensed globally. They are Rotarix, a G1P[8] monovalent, human rotavirus-based vaccine (GlaxoSmithKline), and RotaTeq, a pentavalent, bovine-human reassortant vaccine (Merck). Although the two vaccines are very different in antigenic composition and administration schedule, they are almost equally safe with respect to intussusception and 90-100% efficacious against severe rotavirus diarrhea. Countries where either vaccine was introduced into the national childhood immunization program have witnessed not only a drastic decrease in the number of rotavirus hospitalizations but a near 50% reduction in the number of all-cause-diarrhea hospitalizations. Rotavirus diarrhea, an emerging infectious disease because of its discovery in 1973, may now be among vaccine preventable diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University. onakagom@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nakagomi
authors.forename: Toyoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakagomi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D007223:Infant; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012400:Rotavirus Infections; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D012703:Serotyping; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines