Impact of the rotavirus vaccine in Valladolid, Spain: An interrupted time series analysis

Abstract

Rotavirus vaccines (RV) have decreased the infant morbidity and mortality in countries that included RV in their national schedule. Rotavirus vaccination is recommended by the Spanish Society of Pediatrics; however, Spain, as most countries in Europe, has authorized commercialization but not included RV in its national vaccination program. We assessed the impact of RV on the rotavirus hospitalization rate through an interrupted time series analysis. There was a 46.8% (95% CI: 29.3–60.2) decrease on the rotavirus hospitalizations rate in the study region after RV commercialization in 2006. Currently there is limited evidence about the impact of RV in Europe, especially among countries not offering systematic vaccination in their national schedule. Documentation of RV coverage, effectiveness and impact is urgently needed in these countries.