Peer-reviewed article
Results and prospects of rotavirus immunisation in the Russian Federation
A. S. Korovkin, George M. Ignatyev ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Rotavirus disease is a leading vaccine-preventable cause of mortality in young children worldwide. Russia has approved rotavirus vaccines since 2012 and some regions have implemented immunisation programmes, but it is not yet part of the national schedule. This review of Russian clinical evidence shows that rotavirus vaccines are safe and effective, and that in regions with high vaccination coverage, rotavirus disease rates have dropped dramatically in vaccinated children.
Key points
- Rotavirus is the most common cause of acute intestinal infections in Russian children under 3 years of age
- Russian rotavirus vaccines have a favourable safety profile based on local observational studies
- Currently available rotavirus vaccines cover the majority of rotavirus isolates circulating in Russia
- In regions with high immunisation coverage, overall morbidity from acute intestinal infections declined dramatically in vaccinated children
- Some high-coverage regions reported only individual hospital visits for acute intestinal infections
Limitations
This is a literature review rather than a primary study, so it synthesises existing evidence without presenting new data. The document does not specify the sample sizes, study durations, or detailed methodologies of the individual observational studies cited.
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.