Vaccine Reduces Cases of Rotavirus

Fewer U.S. children get rotavirus infections these days, a study has found. Researchers gave credit to a new vaccine. Rotavirus causes diarrhea. Most cases occur in winter. Some are severe and need hospital care. Data for the study came from 33 laboratories. Researchers looked at the years 2000 through 2006. Then they looked at 2007 and 2008, after the vaccine was introduced. The rotavirus season started 15 weeks later in the years after the vaccine. Total cases also dropped by two-thirds, tests showed. The study was published online July 6 by the journal Pediatrics.