Introduction of an Oral Live Human Rotavirus (Rotarix) Vaccine in Matlab

Summary

The study will be conducted in the Matlab Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) field area of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) to determine the population effectiveness of Rotarix in Bangladeshi children. Villages in both intervention and government comparison areas will be included in this evaluation. We propose to introduce Rotarix into half of the villages of the Matlab HDSS. In villages randomized to receive the vaccine, all eligible children will be offered Rotarix during their first two Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) visits, as would routinely be done if Rotarix were included in the Government EPI schedule. In villages randomized not to receive Rotarix, children will receive their EPI vaccinations exactly as they would have in the absence of this study. Administration of Rotarix will be conducted by regular EPI staff, but ICDDR,B study staff will be present to document informed consent and collect study-specific information. The Ministry of Health will be an active partner in this evaluation since they will be the agency which may follow up with any subsequent vaccine programme. Vaccination with Rotarix will be recorded on the infant's immunization card which is normally used by the EPI programme, but also on a separate study-specific data collection form.

Vaccination with Rotarix will continue from study initiation through June 30, 2011. Surveillance for rotavirus gastroenteritis will occur at Matlab Diarrhoeal Hospital and the community treatment centres of the Matlab HDSS continuously throughout the study period. Diarrheal illness information collected through surveillance will be linked to Rotarix study-specific data through the subject's HDSS identification numbers. The primary study endpoint will be the occurrence of an illness episode of acute diarrhoea, among infants and children admitted to a medical facility, determined to be caused by wild-type rotavirus found in a stool specimen. At the end of the surveillance period, rates of this primary study endpoint among age-eligible infants will be compared for villages randomized to receive Rotarix versus for villages randomized not to receive Rotarix. We expect that the rates of rotavirus diarrhoea will be significantly lower among children from the vaccinated villages.

The first participant was enrolled in the study on September 23, 2008. Till date (May 12, 2010) a total of 2,882 participants have been enrolled and received first dose. 2,684 participants received second dose of Rotarix. There were 1013 cases gastroentritis reported to diarrhoeal treatment centres among \<2 years old children from the vaccinated and unvaccinated villages. There were six death cases among the children who received Rotarix vaccine. These death cases were not related to the vaccines/study products.

Conditions

• Rotavirus Gastroenteritis

Interventions

BIOLOGICAL

Rotavirus Vaccine (ROTARIX)

Rotavirus Vaccine two doses four weeks apart

Sponsors & Collaborators

• PATH

  collaborator OTHER

• International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• K Zaman, MBBS, PhD · International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Weeks

Max Age

20 Weeks

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2008-09-30

Primary Completion

2011-03-31

Completion

2011-03-31

Countries

• Bangladesh

Study Locations