Intussusception Risk of Rotavirus Vaccination

Determining the rate of intussusception after rotavirus vaccination is a challenge. In this report, a series of spontaneous reports of intussusception after vaccination with RV1 (GlaxoSmithKline) are presented. To the Editor: Patel et al. (June 16 issue) 1 compared the intussusception data for the rotavirus vaccine RotaShield (Wyeth Laboratories) (1 case of intussusception in 10,000 vaccine recipients, according to a study published in 2002 2 ) with the more favorable intussusception data for the vaccine RV1 (Rotarix, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals). This analysis may be misleading given the results of a more recent reevaluation of RotaShield, published in 2005, 3 which indicate that the magnitude of the risk of intussusception may depend on the age at which infants receive their first dose of the vaccine. In the 2002 and 2005 studies of RotaShield, . . .