FP Report -- December 1998 AAFP recommendation to parents
Contact family physicians about rotavirus vaccine
Parents and guardians of infants should consult with FPs on whether to use the new rotavirus vaccine, says AAFP's recommendation on the vaccine.
Recently approved by the FDA, the oral vaccine can reduce the risk of an infant having diarrhea caused by rotavirus, which is estimated to cause 5-15 percent of all episodes of diarrhea in the United States in children under age 5. In some cases, the diarrhea can be severe enough to require visits to physicians or even hospitalization.
"The decision to use this vaccine should be made by the parent or guardian," says Stephen Spann, M.D., of Houston, chair of the AAFP Commission on Clinical Policies and Research. "The additional costs must be weighed against the benefits." The vaccine is thought to be able to prevent up to 68 percent of rotavirus diarrhea and to be even more efficacious in preventing severe diarrhea that would require hospitalization.
Three doses of the oral vaccine are given at the 2-, 4- and 6-month well-child visit. The cost of being immunized will vary by health care system. Older children become immune to the virus over time, and the occurrence of fever with the vaccine increases with age.
The vaccine should not be given before 6 weeks of age nor started after 6 months of age. Its greatest benefit will be during the winter months.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department. Copyright © 1998 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
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