Rotavirus vaccination in Europe: drivers and barriers.
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a vaccine-preventable disease that confers a high medical and economic burden in more developed countries and can be fatal in less developed countries. Two vaccines with high efficacy and good safety profiles were approved and made available in Europe in 2006. We present an overview of the status of rotavirus vaccination in Europe. We discuss the drivers (including high effectiveness and effect of universal rotavirus vaccination) and barriers (including low awareness of disease burden, perception of unfavourable cost-effectiveness, and potential safety concerns) to the implementation of universal rotavirus vaccination in Europe. By February, 2014, national universal rotavirus vaccination had been implemented in Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, and the UK. Four other German states have issued recommendations and reimbursement is provided by sickness funds. Other countries were at various stages of recommending or implementing universal rotavirus vaccination.
Service de Pédiatrie, Hôpital Louis Mourier, Colombes, France. Electronic address: nathalie.parez@gmail.com.
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Parez
Department of Paediatrics, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
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Giaquinto
PHOCUS Services Ltd, Basel, Switzerland.
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Du Roure
Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Unit, Area Integrada de Pediatría, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago and Genetics, Vaccines, Infections and Pediatrics Research Group (GENVIP), Healthcare Research Institute of Santiago, University of Santiago, Spain.
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Martinon-Torres
Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens University School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
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Spoulou
Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
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Van Damme
University of Tampere Medical School, Tampere, Finland.
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Vesikari
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005060:Europe; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines