RotaShield Causes Intussusception
May 21, 2001
In a study published in the February 22, 2001 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, investigators found that RotaShield caused at least 74 cases of intussusception. RotaShield was developed as a vaccine to protect infants from rotavirus. Almost all the 74 infants experienced intussusception shortly after receiving the vaccine. Researchers found that infants who received RotaShield were ten to fourteen times more likely to suffer from intussusception than those infants who did not receive the vaccine. Intussusception occurs when the intestine telescopes into itself causing a bowel obstruction. Often, surgery is required to repair intussusception.
The introduction of the RotaShield vaccine was welcomed by many doctors and parents as it protected infants from severe diarrhea associated with rotavirus. In 1999 RotaShield was removed from the market after nine cases of intussusception were reported to the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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