Impact of Rotavirus Vaccination in Latin Americans Under Five Years of Age

Arana G.A.; Espinoza A.M.C.; Carranza-Aldana B.S.; Morales R.A.L.; Vela-Ruiz J.M. · Revista Cubana de Pediatria (2026)

Resumen

Introduction: Rotavirus vaccination has been carried out for more than ten years, and most countries that incorporated these vaccines into their childhood immunization programs have rapidly achieved high coverage rates. Objective: To describe the impact of rotavirus vaccination in Latin Americans under five years of age. Methods: A systematic review of scientific publications in Spanish and English was conducted from 2014 to 2024. The search sources were PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and Medline. The keywords were "impact," "rotavirus vaccines," and "children," in combination with "Latin America" or "impact," "rotavirus vaccines," "child," and "Latin America." Inclusion criteria included articles conducted in Latin America, whether observational or systematic reviews, and whose study group was children under five years of age, meta-analysis of articles published globally, regionally, and locally, as well as original articles. Exclusion criteria included non-indexed journals, theses, letters to the editor, and editorial books. Results: Ninety-two articles were reviewed, 19 of them met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Their analysis showed that the vaccine significantly reduced morbidity and mortality and hospitalizations due to acute diarrheal disease in children under five years of age in different Latin American countries. Conclusions: Rotavirus vaccination is a fundamental and effective health strategy for preventing rotavirus infection and, in general, acute diarrheal disease.

Instituciones: Universidad Ricardo Palma