Intussusception among Infants Given an Oral Rotavirus Vaccine

Rotavirus causes severe gastroenteritis and affects most infants in the United States. There are an estimated 3.5 million cases annually among children less than five years of age in this country, leading to 500,000 office visits, 50,000 hospitalizations, and approximately 20 deaths. 1 The morbidity and mortality associated with rotavirus infection are much greater in developing countries. 2 In prelicensing trials in the United States, the tetravalent rhesus–human reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RRV-TV; RotaShield, Wyeth Lederle Vaccines, Philadelphia) was 80 percent or more effective in preventing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants. 3 – 5 Although side effects (fever, irritability, decreased appetite, and abdominal cramping) were . . .