RVP: Resources and Research

Resources and Research

Featured resources
General resources
Links

Featured Resources

Rotavirus resources on PATH's Vaccine Resource Library

Along with general materials on rotavirus disease and vaccines, our rotavirus resource library links to documents from the world’s premier scientific journals addressing surveillance and disease burden, cost-effectiveness, vaccine efficacy, and vaccine introduction.

Visit website

Introduction of rotavirus vaccine with support from the GAVI Alliance: Information to assist the national decision-making and application process, January 2008

As a supplement to GAVI’s detailed guidelines, this document aims to support decision-making by GAVI-eligible countries in the WHO European region and provides information on the burden of rotavirus disease; efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of available rotavirus vaccines; eligibility criteria; application procedures; co-financing requirements; and health system considerations.

2008 International Rotavirus Symposium

Held every two years, this event brings together scientific experts, country officials, and representatives from the donor community to discuss advances in rotavirus disease surveillance and vaccine introduction.

View web page

WHO position paper, August 2007

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently amended its position on rotavirus disease and vaccines, taking into account the latest disease burden estimates and country experiences introducing rotavirus vaccines into routine immunization programs.

Download file, English/French (213 KB PDF)

Postmarketing surveillance after rotavirus vaccination

This article from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report summarizes the US CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices review of post-marketing safety surveillance data on RotaTeq® by Merck and Co., Inc. The rate of reports of intussusception following RotaTeq® vaccination recorded through the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System did not exceed expected background rates in the absence of vaccination.

Manufacturers also presented post-marketing surveillance data to the World Health Organization's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety. This report in the Weekly Epidemiologic Record summarizes the committee's conclusions that the data on intussusception are reassuring. The report also discusses the need for careful surveillance of Kawasaki disease: A small number of cases occurred during the RotaTeq clinical trial, but the US FDA stated that the reported cases were no more frequent than expected natural occurrence.

Download file, English/Français (7 MB)

Key facts about rotavirus disease and vaccines (2006)

Rotavirus: Questions & answers (2006)

Safety and efficacy of an attenuated vaccine against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (2006)

Ruiz-Palacios G, et al. New England Journal of Medicine. 354(1):11-22.
This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of GlaxoSmithKline’s rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix®), with a focus on determining risk of intussusception.

Safety and efficacy of a pentavalent human–bovine (WC3) reassortant rotavirus vaccine (2006)

Vesikari T, et al. New England Journal of Medicine. 354(1):23-33.
This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of Merck’s rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq®), with a focus on determining risk of intussusception.

Safety of Rotarix® and RotaTeq® vaccines (2006)

The WHO's update on newly developed rotavirus vaccines notes their excellent safety and efficacy profiles and emphasizes the need for post-marketing surveillance following vaccine introduction.

Visit web page

Other Resources

Acute intussusception in infants and children (2002)

In 1999, nine months after the first rotavirus vaccine was introduced in the US, an association was detected between the vaccine and intussusception, a common bowel obstruction in infants. Subsequent studies questioned the exact risk attributable to the vaccine.

This report is based on an extensive review of published literature from 70 countries. It aims to define the baseline incidence of acute intussusception in infants and children, clinical presentation, and trends in its management.

Download file (316 KB PDF)

The development of live, attenuated rotavirus vaccines: A manufacturer's resource guide

A comprehensive compilation of publicly available information about the manufacturing process of rotavirus vaccines, this guide is a resource for manufacturers interested in developing and registering an attenuated, oral rotavirus vaccine. Highlights cover various decisions to be made during development; examples of preclinical studies, manufacturing processes, assay procedures, and clinical trial strategies; and advantages and disadvantages of multiple scenarios at each development milestone.

Download file (831 KB PDF)

Diarrhoea treatment guidelines including new recommendations for the use of ORS and zinc supplementation for clinic-based healthcare workers (2005)

Produced by the US Agency for International Development, WHO, and UNICEF, these guidelines prepare clinic-based health workers for implementing new recommendations on the use of ORS and zinc supplementation for clinical management of diarrhea. The information is meant to complement more comprehensive policy guidance from WHO.

Generic protocols for hospital-based rotavirus surveillance

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a standard protocol for health officials and researchers in determining the extent and nature of local rotavirus disease. The protocol provides a framework using a simple diagnostic test to screen for rotavirus among children hospitalized with severe diarrhea. The resulting data should be useful for policymakers in evaluating the need for rotavirus vaccination in their countries.

The Global Framework for Immunization Monitoring and Surveillance

WHO recently released a new comprehensive approach to tackle challenges in immunization monitoring and disease surveillance. The Global Framework for Immunization Monitoring and Surveillance was developed by WHO and the US CDC. It responds to the need for timely and valid epidemiological and program information that is crucial in measuring progress towards immunization goals and controlling vaccine-preventable diseases

Download file, English (1.8 MB PDF)

Proceedings of the Sixth International Rotavirus Symposium, July 7-9, 2004, Mexico City.

The Sixth International Rotavirus Symposium held in Mexico City in July 2004 brought together experts from around the world working on rotavirus prevention. Convened by the Pan American Health Organization/WHO, the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute, the CDC, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the symposium was a watershed in the efforts to advance a rotavirus vaccine and resulted in 16 Latin American countries signing a declaration to prioritize and support rotavirus prevention.

Rotavirus and severe childhood diarrhea (2006)

Parashar U, Gibson C, Bresee J, Glass R. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 12(2): 304-306.
Study authors reviewed literature on hospitalizations related to severe diarrhea and rotavirus and found that, while diarrheal disease incidence has reduced in recent years, due in part to improved hygiene practices, incidence of rotavirus infection continues to increase.

Visit web page

Worldwide diarrheal deaths and hospitalizations

The number of annual deaths from diarrheal disease, including rotavirus, varies widely between countries, with more than 80% of deaths due to rotavirus occuring in the developing world.

View web page