What are the side effects of rotavirus vaccines?
Common side effects
- About 3 per cent of babies who get a rotavirus vaccine get diarrhoea or vomit in the week afterwards. This usually only lasts a day or two.
Rare side effects
- Around 0.006 per cent of babies develop a blockage in their intestine (guts) called ‘intussusception’ due to their first or second doses of the rotavirus vaccine. Intussusception causes bouts of strong pain in a baby’s tummy, and they can look pale, weak and very sick. They may vomit. If your baby has symptoms like this, they need to be taken to hospital straight away. Babies who are treated for intussusception usually don’t have any long-term health problems.
What are the symptoms of rotavirus?
Usual symptoms
- Rotavirus infection causes fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. It can be mild or severe.
Rare symptoms
- Young children who have severe rotavirus can become extremely dehydrated and die.
REFERENCES / How vaccination has impacted the prevalence of rotavirus
