[What have we learnt about rotavirus in Spain in the last 10 years?]

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccines against rotavirus (RV) have been available in Spain since 2006, but they are neither recommended nor financed by the National Health System. Nevertheless, through recommendations of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics vaccination has achieved intermediate coverage.

Material and methods: A systematic literature review was performed on studies carried out in Spain in the last 12 years (2006-2018) on RV infection and vaccination.

Results: A total of 43 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The disease burden in children less than 5 years in the Primary Care setting ranged from 15 to 19 cases per 1,000 children, and between 120 and 480 cases per 100,000 in the hospital setting, which has a significant economic and social impact. Vaccines against RV have shown an effectiveness of between 83% and 96%, and an impact of up to 70% in reducing hospital admissions, which is dependent on the achieved vaccine coverage. New research lines are identified, such as the role of the rotavirus vaccine and protection against seizures or the impact on the gut microbiota.

Conclusions: The current available information supports the significant burden of rotavirus disease in Spain and the high effectiveness of the available vaccines. This evidence should allow for an updated re-evaluation of the national recommendations on rotavirus vaccination.

Keywords: Acute gastroenteritis; Carga de enfermedad; Disease burden; Efectividad; Effectiveness; España; Gastroenteritis aguda; Impact; Impacto; Rotavirus; Spain; Vaccination; Vacunación.