A couple of studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have shown that the Rotavirus Vaccine is incredibly successful in reducing the incidence of severe gastroenteritis among young children.

Gastroenteritis is, as the name suggests, the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, and causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, among other less specific symptoms- which, although may seem like a painful but non-fatal experience, can cause dehydration, among other problems, especially poor areas, where medical attention may be hard to receive. Since the viruses that cause gastroenteritis are extremely contagious, an outbreak can kill hundreds. About half of the total cases of gastroenteritis are caused by the Norovirus (the familiar “tummy bug” currently making it's way around UK schools). Around a fifth of the cases are caused by a different virus, Rotavirus. The gastroenteritis caused by Rotavirus are generally more severe, with more than 500,000 children under 5 years dying every ear from the infection- and 60,000 hospitalisations in the US alone (before the vaccination programme).

A paper published on the 28th of January describes how in South Africa and Malawi, 4939 infants (3166 and 1773 respectively) were recruited in a trial to evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine. The group were divided, and a randomly selected third were given three doses of the vaccine, another given two (and one placebo), and a third given three placebos. Any episodes of gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus were assessed during the first year of life.

Severe gastroenteritis occurred in around 5% (50-60 infants) of the placebo group, and just under 2% (about 20 infants) of the group with three doses of the vaccine- giving a efficacy of 61.2%. The effectiveness of the vaccine against all-cause gastroenteritis was about 30%.

Another study looked at the deaths caused by childhood diarrhoea in Mexico. About 74% of children had received one dose of the vaccine, and, compared to previous information (from before the vaccine was implemented), a significant reduction was observed- about 40%.

The vaccination was recommended to be included in all national immunisation programs in June 2009 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). These studies confirm that this was a good decision.