Because improved sanitation does not decrease the prevalence of rotaviral disease, and the rate of hospitalisations remains high, despite the use of oral rehydrating medicines, the primary public health intervention is vaccination.[2] Two rotavirus vaccines against Rotavirus A infection are safe and effective in children:[13] Rotarix by GlaxoSmithKline[42] and RotaTeq by Merck.[43] Both are taken orally and contain attenuated live virus.[13]
Rotavirus vaccines are licensed in more than 100 countries, but only 17 countries have introduced routine rotavirus vaccination.[44] Following the introduction of routine rotavirus vaccination in the US in 2006, the health burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis "rapidly and dramatically reduced" despite lower coverage levels compared to other routine infant immunizations.[45] Clinical trials of the Rotarix rotavirus vaccine in South Africa and Malawi, found that the vaccine significantly reduced severe diarrhoea episodes caused by rotavirus, and that the infection was preventable by vaccination.[46] A 2012 Cochrane review of 41 clinical trials that included 186,263 participants concluded Rotarix and RotaTeq are effective vaccines.[47] Additional rotavirus vaccines are under development.[48] The World Health Organization(WHO) recommends that rotavirus vaccine be included in all national immunisation programmes.[49] The incidence and severity of rotavirus infections has declined significantly in countries that have acted on this recommendation.[12][13]
The Rotavirus Vaccine Program is a collaboration between PATH, the (WHO), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is funded by the GAVI Alliance. The Program aims to reduce child morbidity and mortality from diarrhoeal disease by making a vaccine against rotavirus available for use in developing countries.[50]