The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has already endorsed Merck and Co Inc's RotaTeq saying both are equally effective. There are many different strains of rotavirus. The vaccine protects against rotavirus gastroenteritis caused by the G1, G3, G4, and G9 strains.
The study trial of Rotarix vaccine was conducted on more than 24,000 infants and the health authorities found that it was effective in preventing both severe and mild cases of rotavirus-caused gastroenteritis during the first two years of life. The most common adverse reactions reported during clinical trials were fussiness, irritability, cough, runny nose, fever, loss of appetite and vomiting.
In 2006, Merck & Co.'s RotaTeq was introduced in the United States for routine vaccination of children at ages 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months. Clinical trial results indicated that this live, oral vaccine prevented 74 percent of all rotavirus cases, about 98 percent of severe cases, and about 96 percent of hospitalizations due to rotavirus.
Both vaccines are given orally to prevent rotavirus, which causes 67,000 hospitalizations of children under 5 each year in the U.S., with about 20-60 deaths. Worldwide, it kills an estimated 500,000 children a year. Without vaccination, nearly every child in the United States would likely be infected at least once with rotavirus by age 5.
