Updated vaccination calendar Rotavirus vaccine

Updated vaccination calendar: Robert Koch Institute recommends rotavirus vaccination in infants

27/08/2013

According to a statement from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) of the Robert Koch Institute, vaccination recommendations for children and adolescents have been revised and updated. The institute defines vaccination against rotaviruses in infancy as standard vaccination. But there were also changes in influenza and hepatitis B vaccines.

Rotaviruses are the most common triggers of gastrointestinal infections in children under the age of five. Up to 20,000 children are hospitalized with rotavirus diseases in hospitals throughout Germany every year. The infection usually occurs orally via contaminated food. In some countries contaminated drinking water can be the trigger. In addition to vomiting and fever, it can also lead to acute diarrheal diseases, which can lead to an enormous loss of water and electrolytes in severe disease processes. Sometimes without appropriate treatment, the drastic case can lead to death within a few hours. Worldwide, up to 1 million children die each year from this viral disease. The usual duration of illness can be six to eight days.

The Robert Koch Institute recommends starting vaccination at the age of six weeks to twelve weeks. The vaccination series must be completed at the age of 24 -32 weeks at the latest and can be completed with the other vaccinations recommended in infancy.

Protection from flu with spray instead of syringe
Also with the flu prevention it came to new recommendations in the Impfkalender. In the future, children between the ages of two and six years should be given nasal sprays with vaccines to protect them from underlying diseases. Spraying should be avoided

A single vaccination against hepatitis B should be enough
In the future, the Hepatitis B vaccine after a successful primary vaccination in children should not be refreshed in adulthood. Recent data show that a re-vaccination, with a certain concentration of antibodies in the blood, no longer needs to be done. (Fr)

Picture: Andreas Morlok