Impact of rotavirus vaccines in Sub-Saharan African countries

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 36; no. 47; pp. 7119 - 7123
• Main Authors: Mwenda, Jason M., Parashar, Umesh D., Cohen, Adam L., Tate, Jacqueline E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 12.11.2018; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Africa; Africa South of the Sahara - epidemiology; Age; Clinical trials; Cost analysis; Cost effectiveness; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Developing countries; Diarrhea; Genotype; Genotypes; Hospitalization; Humans; Immunization; Immunization Programs - economics; Immunization Programs - statistics & numerical data; Infant; LDCs; Licensed products; Mortality; Rotavirus; Rotavirus Infections - epidemiology; Rotavirus Infections - prevention & control; Rotavirus vaccine; Rotavirus Vaccines - therapeutic use; Surveillance; Trends; Vaccination - economics; Vaccination - statistics & numerical data; Vaccine efficacy; Vaccines; Viruses; World Health Organization; Africa South of the Sahara; Burkina Faso; Malawi; Asia; Africa; Tanzania; South Africa; Ghana; Rotavirus; Rotavirus vaccine; Africa
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.06.026

By the end of 2017, 32 (68%) of 47 countries in the World Health Organization’s African Region had introduced rotavirus vaccine into their national immunization programs, including 27 countries that received financial support from the Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Several early introducing African countries previously evaluated the impact, vaccine effectiveness, and/or cost effectiveness of their routine rotavirus vaccination programs and found that rotavirus vaccine was effective and resulted in substantial declines in hospitalizations due to rotavirus. This Special Issue of Vaccine provides additional rotavirus vaccine effectiveness and impact data from a broader range of African countries, describes the longer term impact and potential indirect benefits of rotavirus vaccination programs, describes trends in circulating genotypes in the pre- and post-vaccine introduction eras, and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of a rotavirus vaccination program in a post-introduction setting. As countries begin transitioning from Gavi support, the findings of these studies provide evidence of the impact and effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination programs under conditions of routine use.