RotaTeq Rotavirus Vaccine and Intussusception

RotaTeq is a newly FDA approved vaccine by Merck to prevent severe cases of rotavirus gastroenteritis caused by different serotypes of rotavirus.

The FDA has recently reported that there have been 28 post-marketing reports of intussuception after infants received their dose of the RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine. Keep in mind that this is not any higher than would be expected to occur naturally though, so it is not known if the cases were caused by the RotaTeq vaccine or simply occured by coincidence (the infant would have had intussusception anyway, and just so happened to also have gotten RotaTeq).

If your child develops symptoms of intussusception, which can include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in his stool, or other changes to his bowel movements, be sure to call your doctor and report it to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

The last rotavirus vaccine was withdrawn fairly quickly once reports of intussusception began coming in, which is unfortunate, since rotavirus is a serious illness, and a rotavirus vaccine, if used worldwide, could save about 500,000 children each year. Hopefully, with continued post-marketing studies by Merck and the CDC, they will find that the association is just a coincidence and we can continue to protect our kids against rotavirus. Until then, RotaTeq is still available, just understand that intussusception is a possible complication of getting this vaccine...