Because improved sanitation does not decrease the prevalence of rotaviral disease, and the rate of hospitalisations remains high, despite the use of oral rehydrating medicines, the primary public health intervention is vaccination.
In 2006, two vaccines against Rotavirus A infection were shown to be safe and effective in children: Rotarix by GlaxoSmithKline and RotaTeq by Merck. Both are taken orally and contain disabled live virus. Rotavirus vaccines are available in Australia, Europe, Canada, Brazil, Egypt, India, Israel, Taiwan, South Africa, Panama, Argentina and the United States.
The Rotavirus Vaccine Program is a collaboration between PATH, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is funded by the GAVI Alliance. The Program aims to reduce child morbidity and mortality from diarrhoeal disease by making a vaccine against rotavirus available for use in developing countries.
On June 5, 2009, WHO announced that clinical trials of Rotarix vaccine “in high-mortality, low-socioeconomic settings of South Africa and Malawi, found that the vaccine significantly reduced severe diarrhoea episodes due to rotavirus.” WHO now recommends that rotavirus vaccine be included in all national immunization programs.
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