Positive Outcome: Rotavirus Vaccine Leads to 33% Drop in Diarrheal Mortality
A large trial conducted in Malawi has revealed that rotavirus vaccination can reduce the risk of infants dying from diarrhoea by almost a third, providing further evidence that child mortality can be significantly reduced through the widespread adoption of the vaccine in African countries.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Malawi, the United Kingdom, and the United States, found that diarrhoea accounts for 1 per cent of deaths in children over four weeks of age globally. Rotavirus infections, particularly prevalent in low-income areas of Africa and Asia, are a leading cause of death from diarrhoea among infants and young children.
In October 2012, Malawi introduced the monovalent rotavirus vaccine, leading to a 31 per cent reduction in deaths from infant diarrhoea in Mchinji, a rural area known for high child mortality rates. The findings were published in the September edition of Lancet Global Health.
Naor Bar-Zeev, study co-author and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, emphasizes the importance of introducing the rotavirus vaccine in countries where it has not been implemented and enhancing vaccination coverage in those where it has. Even countries with moderate vaccine coverage rates stand to benefit significantly from increasing coverage to reach more children, he suggests.
The researchers tracked 48,682 infants born between January 2012 and June 2015 in Mchinji, analyzing data on children who survived to ten weeks of age. They determined vaccination status through caregiver records or home visits conducted between four months and one year after birth, confirming survival or cause of death during these visits.
Rotavirus infections typically occur in the first or second year of life, often leading to severe vomiting and diarrhoea that can result in dehydration and death. This trial marks the first report of rotavirus vaccine-associated reductions in infant mortality from a low-income country using the World Health Organization’s Expanded Programme on Immunization schedule.
Bar-Zeev underscores the potential for significant improvements in child survival across Africa with the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine in countries such as Nigeria and others with high infant mortality rates or large populations. Lucinda Manda-Taylor, a senior lecturer at the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine, emphasizes the importance of implementing the rotavirus vaccine in childhood immunization programs to save lives and achieve Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being.
