Rotavirus vaccination not tied to NICU outbreaks, researchers say – University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Erskine Palmer / CDC

The benefits of vaccinating vulnerable preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) against diarrhea-causing rotavirus outweigh the risks, according to a USstudy being presented this weekend at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2024 Meeting in Toronto.

The finding that rotavirus vaccination doesn't cause significant hospital outbreaks is important because many NICUs don't give the vaccine because of fears of viral transmission (the vaccine contains a weakened form of rotavirus), and some babies are too old to receive it after NICU release, researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) said in a PAS news release.

The researchers assessed the risk of vaccinated infants spreading highly contagious rotavirus to unvaccinated babies in NICUs that administer the vaccine. They analyzed 3,448 weekly stool samples from 774 newborns from January 2021 to January 2022.

Less than 1% of unvaccinated infants exposed to vaccinated babies contracted rotavirus, and their symptoms resolved after 2 weeks.

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Rotavirus vaccination not tied to NICU outbreaks, researchers say - University of Minnesota Twin Cities