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. 2017 Jun 1;63(3):221-228.
doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmw069.

Review of Naturally Occurring Intussusception in Young Children in the WHO African Region prior to the Era of Rotavirus Vaccine Utilization in the Expanded Programme of Immunization

Evans M Mpabalwani  1 , Jason M Mwenda  2 , Jacqueline E Tate  3 , Umesh D Parashar  3
Affiliations

Review of Naturally Occurring Intussusception in Young Children in the WHO African Region prior to the Era of Rotavirus Vaccine Utilization in the Expanded Programme of Immunization

Evans M Mpabalwani et al. J Trop Pediatr. .

Abstract

Rotavirus vaccines, Rotarix and RotaTeq, are increasingly being introduced in national immunization programmes in Africa to prevent severe dehydrating acute gastroenteritis. A low-level risk of intussusception has been associated with rotavirus vaccines. We reviewed published data on intussusception in children <2 years of age in Africa. PubMed electronic database search was used to retrieve papers published on intussusception. The search was further refined to identify surveillance reports and case series conducted from 1980 to 2014, with at least 25 cases. The initial search identified 34 studies, and the refined search yielded 16. Intussusception occurred naturally in infants 2-4 months and peaked around 5-8 months of age. Delayed presentation was common and required surgical intervention in 87% (1008 of 1158) of cases with a high CFR, 10-33.7%. In African children, intussusception has been reported infrequently at a young age when the first dose of rotavirus vaccine is administered.

Keywords: Africa; age <2 years old; intussusception; rotatvirus vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None of the authors have a conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Flow chart for identifying intussusception publications in Africa in children <2 years of age, 1980–2014.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:. Countries that have introduced Rotavirus Vaccine in routine EPI program and conducting intussusception surveillance as of June 2015
Source: WHO Status of new vaccines introduction. Immunization Data Repository with contributions from WHO, UNICEF and other partners. [Accessed June 2015]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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