The efficacy and safety of rotavirus vaccine in children under the five years of age; systematic review and meta-analysis
Shakerian-Rostami S., Moradi-Lakeh M., Esteghamati A., Mobinizadeh M., Shokraneh F., Babashahi S., Yaghoubi M.
Background: Rotavirus infection is a common cause of acute gastroenteritis among uner-5-years-old children, especially in those countries which has not implemented a rotavirus vaccination program. The aim of this study was to estimate the safety and efficacy of Rotarix® and Rotateq® vaccines. Methods: We performed a systematic literature review in randomized controlled trials and quasiexperimental studies on children of general population. We searched Medline, Ovid, ISI, Cochrane, Proquest, Scopus, DARE, HTA and NHSEED databases. Meta-analysis was performed and we assessed heterogeneity using Q test and used random model for pooling estimate of efficacy of rotavirus vaccines (Rotarix® and Rotateq®). Publication bias was assessed via Egger’s and Begg’s tests. Findings: Twelve eligible studies were included in meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of vaccine efficacy for Rotarix® and Rotateq® was 80% (95% CI: 0.68-0.87) and 70% (95% CI: 0.65-0.85), respectively. Relative risk of side effects in vaccinated versus no-vaccinated groups was in the range of 0.83 to 1.2. Conclusion: The results show that vaccination against rotavirus prevented sever and none-severe diarrhea in children and could reduce burden of the disease. It is necessary to perform costeffectiveness studies for implementing rotavirus vaccination in Iran.