It's really important to collect more information so that we better understand this problem and its magnitude. According to Dr. Larry Pickering, a consultant to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, it is possible the natural rotavirus may be causing the bowel obstruction and not the vaccine. Rotavirus is a common infection among children. Without the vaccine, virtually all children will get the infection before entering school. The illness strikes most often in child care centers and preschools.
Cases peak in the fall and winter.
In the United States, rotavirus is blamed for about 500,000 physician visits each year. Some 50,000 children are hospitalized because of the virus and 20 children die. Globally, the virus is one of the leading causes of childhood deaths. The rotavirus vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in August 1998. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended routine use of the vaccine in November 1998 and the CDC included it in the schedule of routine of vaccinations for children in January 1999.