Rotavirus vaccine

A vaccine that protects against rotavirus infection, a major cause of severe diarrhea and dehydration in infants and young children. Oral vaccines train the immune system to reduce severe disease and hospitalization.

Rotavirus: A group of viruses that infect the intestine and can cause severe diarrhea, especially in young children. The vaccine targets this intestinal virus and reduces the risk of its most dangerous outcomes.
Rotarix: A two-dose oral rotavirus vaccine containing one live attenuated human rotavirus strain. It is one of the principal vaccine products used in national immunization programs.
Rotavirus gastroenteritis: Inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by rotavirus, commonly producing watery diarrhea and vomiting. Preventing severe forms of this illness is the vaccine's central health benefit.
Albert Kapikian: An American virologist who identified human rotavirus and helped establish its role in childhood gastroenteritis. His discovery supplied the viral target that vaccine developers sought to prevent.
Oral rehydration therapy: Treatment that replaces water and electrolytes lost through diarrhea using an oral solution. Vaccination prevents severe illness; rehydration treats fluid loss when diarrhea occurs.
Live attenuated vaccine: A vaccine containing a weakened microorganism that can replicate but is designed to cause little or no disease. Rotavirus vaccines use weakened virus strains to stimulate immunity after oral administration.
RotaTeq: A three-dose oral rotavirus vaccine containing reassortant human-bovine rotavirus strains. Its product-specific schedule differs from that of Rotarix.
Child mortality: Deaths among children, often measured for those younger than five years. Rotavirus vaccination helps prevent deaths from diarrhea, especially where treatment access is limited.
Rotavirus vaccine development: The research and testing that produced vaccines against rotavirus infection. Its history includes multiple approaches, product generations, and lessons from safety surveillance.
Rotavirus natural infection: Infection with circulating rotavirus strains, which can cause illness and stimulate immune responses. Vaccination provides safer immune priming than acquiring immunity through potentially severe disease.

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GastroenteritisRelated: Vaccination prevents many severe cases of childhood gastroenteritis and related hospitalizations.