Rotavirus vaccine protects the community

Vaccinating children against rotavirus has been found to also protect unvaccinated older children and adults, it has been revealed.

Most children become infected by rotavirus at some point before they reach the age of five, displaying symptoms such as fever, nausea, and vomiting, often followed by abdominal cramps and diarrhoea.

In a study published by The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the team found that since the introduction of the vaccine for all under fives in the US in 2006, admissions to hospital for rotavirus in older children and adults also dropped.

Study author Dr Ben Lopman explained that the team speculate that vaccinating infants effectively curtails the transmission of rotavirus throughout the community, reducing infections.

He said that the burden of infection severe enough to require hospitalisation was larger than the team were previously aware.

"By vaccinating infants, we can indirectly prevent this burden of disease, thereby amplifying public health and economic benefits of infant vaccination," Dr Lopman said.