Bottles of rotavirus vaccine drops. Photo for representation.
A recent study on the impact of the original rotavirus vaccine in India found a significant reduction in rotavirus gastroenteritis at sites across the country.
The study, “Impact of indigenous rotavirus vaccine Rotavac in the Universal Immunization Program in India 2016-2020,” published in a recent issue of The Nature Medicine, is an observational, multicenter analysis conducted by Nayana P. Nair and Samarasimha N. Reddy, on behalf of the Rotavirus Efficacy and Impact Assessment Network Collaborators vaccines.
The study looked at 31 hospitals in nine states between 2016 and 2020 to compare proportions and trends before and after the introduction of Rotavac in the Universal Immunization Program (UIP). In 2016, India introduced Rotavac, the original oral rotavirus vaccine, into its UIP at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age. When the vaccine is introduced into the UIP, it is provided free of charge to all eligible recipients.
The authors stated, “Evaluating its effectiveness under routine program conditions is critical, given the variable efficacy of rotavirus vaccines in low- and middle-income countries.”
They noted: “The efficacy of routine use of the original Rotavac vaccine in the national immunization program was 54%; this was strikingly similar to the 54% efficacy reported during a phase 3 study of the vaccine. Furthermore, efficacy was maintained in the first two years of life, when the rotavirus burden is greatest. They found that the rate of pediatric rotavirus hospitalizations was also significantly reduced.”
Rotavac was developed as part of a public-private partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, Bharat Biotech, the US National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Stanford University and PATH, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.
Gagandeep Kang, an Indian virologist and microbiologist who played a key role in the development of Rotavac, emphasized the importance of the study in a post on social media. “The efficacy of the rotavirus vaccine is similar to the efficacy in India! In other words, the vaccines work in the real world and not just in controlled clinical trials. (This is) The first data from India from one of the largest rotavirus vaccine efficacy studies contributed by collaborators from many countries and organizations. It took a really long time to get the data and a long time to publish it, but it was important to be the first to publish it orally rotavirus vaccine.”
Rotavirus infects and damages the cells that line the small intestine, causing gastroenteritis in children. Annually, 128,500 deaths of children under the age of five are attributed to rotavirus. India is estimated to account for one-fifth of global rotavirus deaths.
Published – 17 October 2025 22:49 IST
