Impact of rotavirus vaccination on coverage and timing of pentavalent vaccination – Experience from 2 Latin American countries

ABSTRACT

We examined the coverage and timing of rotavirus vaccination and the impact of rotavirus vaccine introduction on coverage and timing of the pentavalent vaccine. We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys in Honduras (2011/2012) and Peru (2012). The samples were divided into 2 subcohorts: children born before and after the introduction of rotavirus vaccine. We compared coverage and timing of the pentavalent vaccine in the aforementioned subcohorts. Coverage with the first and second doses of rotavirus vaccination was 95% (95% confidence intervals: 93–97%) and 91% (89–95%) in Honduras and 79% (77–82%) and 72% (69–75%) in Peru, respectively. Coverage increased in both countries over the years. The proportion of children vaccinated according to age-appropriate vaccination schedules varied between 67% (second dose of rotavirus vaccinations in Peru) and 89% (first dose of rotavirus vaccination in Honduras). Coverage with the first and second doses of pentavalent vaccination remained constant over the years in Honduras, while in Peru there was a significant increase in coverage over the years (p for trend, <0.0001). In both countries, timing of pentavalent vaccination was better in post-rota-cohorts than in pre-rota-cohorts. Since its introduction, coverage of rotavirus vaccination has improved over time in both countries. An introduction of rotavirus vaccination in both countries appears to have improved the coverage and timing of other similarly scheduled vaccinations.

KEYWORDS:

• Honduras
• pentavalent vaccination
• Peru
• rotavirus vaccination
• timing
• vaccination coverage

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they do not have conflicts of interest relating to this study.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the DHS Programme for providing the datasets. The authors also thank Ms. Doris Maribel Rivera Medina from the Organización para el Desarrollo y la Investigación Salud en Honduras (ODISH), for sharing her valuable in-country insights on rotavirus vaccination. The work was supported by intramural funding from the Helmholtz Association (Programme Infection Research), and by iMed – the Helmholtz Association's Initiative on Personalized Medicine.