Rota Talk

Rotavirus vaccine: Updates in the country

Though it has been more than three years of RVV expansion nation-wide and the Post Introduction Evaluation completed for the vaccine, a lot many activities, updates and news are ongoing regarding the Rotavirus Vaccine. One major activity in our focus is the product switch in select states. Few states have already witnessed the product switch (from Rotasiil lyophilized to Rotasiil liquid) but more states are going to do the same in the coming months. This issue mostly focuses on the major findings of the RVV PIE and the past and current status of the RVV product switch.

India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), launched in 1985 is the largest immunization programme in the world, catering to 2.6 crore newborns in the country, with over 1.2 crore immunization sessions planned each year.

To expand the basket of vaccines under the immunization program, Government of India has introduced a number of new vaccines in the UIP in the past few years including Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV) in 2016. India became the first country in the WHO Southeast Asia region to introduce the RVV in the UIP in the year 2016.

The introduction of the Rotavirus vaccine (RVV) is a milestone in the history of vaccination in India as it was for the first time that a novel, low-cost ‘Made in India’ vaccine was introduced in the country with domestic funds.

In September 2019, rapid scaleup of RVV in the remaining 25 states