Results and prospects of rotavirus immunisation in the Russian Federation

Abstract

Scientific relevance. Rotavirus disease and its consequences remain a leading vaccine-preventable cause of mortality in young children. Russia has not yet included rotavirus immunisation in the national vaccination schedule, but paediatric rotavirus vaccines are provided under several regional immunisation programmes.Aim. The authors aimed to review literature covering Russian clinical evidence of the safety and effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines and to analyse the prospects for the development of the national immunisation programme for young children using the available rotavirus vaccines and considering promising pipeline ones.Discussion. Local epidemiological studies on a range of pathogens suggest that rotaviruses are the most common cause of acute intestinal infections, especially in children under 3 years of age. Since Russia’s first rotavirus vaccine approval in 2012, the healthcare system has acquired sufficient experience with rotavirus vaccines to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of rotavirus immunisation. Long-term monitoring of the rotavirus A genotypes circulating in the country shows that currently available rotavirus vaccines cover the majority of identified rotavirus isolates. Local observational studies confirm the favourable safety profile of rotavirus vaccines and demonstrate notable effectiveness of vaccination. In the regions with high immunisation coverage, the overall morbidity has declined dramatically in vaccinated children compared to unvaccinated children; some of these regions have reported only individual hospital visits or admissions for acute intestinal infections.Conclusion. This review demonstrates that rotavirus immunisation should be included in the Russian National Immunisation Schedule.