Rotavirus gastroenteritis hospitalisations following introduction of vaccination, Canberra.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the effect of rotavirus vaccination on rotavirus hospitalisations in children under 5 years of age at The Canberra Hospital, Australian Capital Territory.

METHODS

Rotavirus hospitalisations in children under 5 years of age at the Canberra Hospital were identified through a retrospective clinical audit of electronic medical hospitalisations in the pre-vaccine (2004-2006) and post-vaccine (2008-2012) periods. Records and confirmation with rotavirus pathology results were compared using MS Excel and Stata.

RESULTS

Laboratory confirmed rotavirus infections resulted in 289 children being admitted to the Canberra Hospital between January 2004 and December 2012. Hospitalisation for rotavirus gastroenteritis decreased by 76% in the 5 years following vaccine introduction compared with pre-vaccine periods. Seasonal patterns of hospitalisation were prominent in pre-vaccine periods but were attenuated post-vaccine. The greatest decreases in hospitalisation between pre- and post-vaccine periods were observed in the 12-23 (80%) and 24-35 (88%) month age categories. Decreases in hospitalisation were reported for patients unlikely to have received vaccine cover at that time, indicating an indirect protective effect of rotavirus vaccine.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reports significant reductions in rotavirus hospitalisation of children under 5 years of age at The Canberra Hospital following vaccine introduction, mid-2007. These findings support rotavirus vaccination as an effective measure to reduce hospitalisation in children under 5 years of age.