title: Evaluating the health impact of a public-private partnership: to reduce rotavirus disease in Nicaragua.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe the RotaTeq(®) Nicaragua Partnership and the evaluation of the public health impact of the vaccine conducted by the partners, including the creation of a rotavirus surveillance program and a vaccine effectiveness assessment. The three main objectives of the partnership were to demonstrate that a new rotavirus vaccine could (1) be introduced rapidly in a developing country, (2) be successfully integrated into the existing vaccine delivery infrastructure, and (3) have a significant and measurable public health impact at the end of the 3-y program. The vaccine impact assessment required collaboration among partners with different areas of expertise, including the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, Merck, local hospitals, government health clinics, laboratories, and a Technical Advisory Group. Through the partnership, RotaTeq(®) became available in a GAVI-eligible developing country, Nicaragua, in the same year it was approved in the United States. Vaccine coverage rapidly reached over > 90% of eligible Nicaraguan children. The impact assessment evaluated over 10,000 subjects and leveraged and enhanced the existing diarrheal surveillance infrastructure, ultimately providing the scientific community with some of the first real-world rotavirus vaccine effectiveness data from a developing country. The successful public-private partnership (PPP) was internationally recognized as a model for the rapid adoption of a new vaccine in a developing world setting. The model could be adapted to benefit other PPPs interested in demonstrating the impact of their own programs.
authors.affiliation: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. shazia_khawaja@merck.com
authors.forename: Shazia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khawaja
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardellino
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Klotz
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kuter
authors.forename: Mark B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Feinberg
authors.forename: Brenda D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Colatrella
authors.forename: T Christopher
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mast
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009527:Nicaragua; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: C492535:RotaTeq; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated