My baby vomited after taking the Rotavirus vaccine. Does he need to take it again?

My baby got diarrhea and vomited after taking the Rotavirus vaccine. Is it okay and does he need to take it again? If my baby has had diarrhea before, does he not need to take the Rota vaccine? (Ngoc Linh, Hanoi )

Reply:

Rotavirus is one of the most important vaccines required for children. The vaccine is effective against up to five serotypes that cause the disease: G1, G2, G3, G4, and P.

Children need to be fully vaccinated against Rota before they are 8 months old. Photo: Moc Thao — Children need to be fully vaccinated against Rota before they are 8 months old. Photo: *Moc Thao*

Rotavirus vaccines have the effect of creating immunity in the mucosa, so after taking the vaccine, children may have symptoms of irritation in the esophagus, increased intestinal motility, nausea, vomiting, and mild diarrhea. Due to temporary disorders of the digestive system, children may stop breastfeeding and have a poor appetite compared to usual. This is a normal reaction and usually resolves after 5-7 days.

If the child is still alert, active, does not have a high fever, and does not have massive diarrhea, parents can be completely reassured. If the child has massive diarrhea, is exhausted, lethargic, or has a high fever above 38.5 degrees, parents should take the child to the nearest hospital for timely treatment.

In case a child vomits after taking the Rotavirus vaccine, there is no need to take it again, because this vaccine has a high adhesion to the digestive tract mucosa after taking it and the cells that are responsible for "capturing" the antigens in the vaccine have had time to process the antigens to activate the immune responses later. Therefore, if the child vomits after finishing taking the vaccine, he or she only needs to take the next dose.

In each specific case, parents or people taking their children for vaccination can discuss with medical staff to see if the vaccination is sufficient to meet the prescribed dosage.

According to world statistics, every year 1.8 million children under 5 years old die from diarrhea, of which Rotavirus accounts for about 40% of the causes of diarrhea hospitalization in both developed and developing countries. Vietnam is a country in the hot and humid tropics, environmental sanitation conditions are not safe, favorable for Rotavirus to develop. Results of Rotavirus surveillance in children under 5 years old globally in Asia in 2017 showed that the rate of Rotavirus in stool samples of Vietnamese children accounted for nearly half of the causes of diarrhea.

Diarrhea can be caused by many factors, many types of viruses and bacteria. Therefore, children who have had diarrhea still need to take the Rotavirus vaccine. However, while the child has diarrhea or digestive disorders, the vaccine should not be used, but should wait until the child is better and then give the vaccine as soon as possible.

Currently, the VNVC Vaccination Center System has all types of effective vaccines to prevent acute diarrhea caused by Rotavirus including: Rotarix (Belgium), Rotateq (USA), Rotavin, with different vaccination schedules depending on each type.

Dr. Pham Hong Thuyet,
Medical Management, VNVC Vaccination System

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