Reported intussusception cases with RotaTeq "within expected range;" CDC

The USA's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this month released new safety data on a recently-licensed rotavirus vaccine given to infants that indicate the vaccine does not pose an elevated risk for intussusception, the most common cause of bowel obstruction in infants.

The vaccine, which is sold by US drug major Merck & Co under the brand name RotaTeq, was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in February 2006. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends RotaTeq for routine vaccination of American infants to protect against rotavirus, which causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and dehydration (gastroenteritis) in children.

Each year in the USA, says the CDC, rotavirus is responsible for more than 400,000 consultations with a doctor; over 200,000 emergency room visits; and 55,000-70,000 hospitalizations. In developing countries, rotavirus is a major cause of childhood deaths, estimated to cause more than half a million deaths each year in children younger than five years of age.