Rotavirus: What is it?

Rotavirus is a vaccine given orally to infants. The CDC recommends they’re vaccinated w/the Rotavirus vaccines at 2, 4, and possibly 6 months. 

Source: (5) 2021 Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule

The first rotavirus vaccines were derived from either bovine (cow) or rhesus (monkey) origin. Studies demonstrated that these live oral vaccines could prevent rotavirus diarrhea in young children, but efficacy varied widely. Because immunity to G (VP7) or P (VP4) proteins was associated with disease protection and recovery, new live virus vaccines were developed that incorporated G proteins or both G and P proteins for each of the predominant serotypes.

In 1998, a rhesus-based tetravalent rotavirus vaccine (RRV-TV, Rotashield) was licensed and recommended for routine immunization of U.S. infants. However, RRV-TV was withdrawn from the U.S. market within 1 year of its introduction because of its association with intussusception. 

Source: (6) CDC Pinkbook on Rotavirus

There are currently two rotavirus vaccines licensed for use in the United States. RV5 (RotaTeq) is a live oral vaccine manufactured by Merck and licensed by the FDA in February 2006. RV5 contains five reassortant rotaviruses developed from human and bovine (Cow) parent rotavirus strains. Each 2-mL vial of vaccine contains approximately 2 x 106 infectious units of each of the five reassortant strains. The vaccine viruses are suspended in a buffer solution that contains sucrose, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, sodium hydroxide, polysorbate 80, and tissue culture media. Trace amounts of fetal bovine serum might be present. 

Source: (6)CDC Pinkbook on Rotavirus

Ingredients include:

• 5 strains of a live virus. 
• Sucrose. Why are they giving us sugar? I wonder if that causes diabetes? More money off diabetics for pharma! 
• Sodium citrate. (Food additive) 
• Sodium phosphate Monobasic monohydrate. (Toxic to any organism) 
• Sodium hydroxide (a corrosive!) 
• Polysorbate 80 (known carcinogenic/causes BBB to open) 
• Cell culture media
• Fetal bovine serum (aborted cow blood) 
• Vero cells (African Green Monkey Kidney tissue)
• Porcine circoviruses (pig) PVC 1&2 more info here and here Source: (7)(8)
• Rotarix derived from the human 89-12 strain which belongs to G1P[8] type. 
• Live, attenuated rotavirus.
• Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) DMEM contains the following ingredients: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, ferric (III) nitrate, sodium phosphate, sodium pyruvate, D-glucose, concentrated vitamin solution, L-cystine, L-tyrosine, amino acids solution, L- glutamine, calcium chloride, sodium hydrogenocarbonate, and phenol red.
• The diluent includes an antacid component (calcium carbonate)

Insert for RotaVirus Vaccines can be found below. For information on why you should read inserts and how to read them effectively, check out our blog.

• Rotarix Vaccine Insert
• Rotateq

•Page 1 & 5(Rotarix): Warnings: intussusception

•Page 4 (Rotarix): It’s a live virus vaccine. “Rotavirus shedding in stool occurs after vaccination”

•Page 5 (Rotarix): Caution advised if the recipient of Rotarix has close contact with someone immunocompromised. 

•Page 7 (Rotarix): 68 deaths in the clinical trials (plus 50 more in the placebo group) 

•Page 8 (Rotarix): Kawasaki Disease in 17 trial recipients. 

•Page 8 (Rotarix): Post Marketing data says 750 cases of intussusception occurred between 0-31 days of the vaccine (including death). 

•Page 10 (Rotarix): Ingredients. 

•Page 10 (Rotarix): “Safety and effectiveness of ROTARIX in infants younger than 6 weeks or older than 24 weeks of age have not been evaluated.” Yet the CDC recommends the vaccine be given at 2, 4, and 6 months. 

•Page 11 (Rotarix): Shedding 10 days median 

•Page 12 (Rotarix): Not evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or impairment of fertility. 

• (1) RotaTeq Vaccine Insert

•Page 3 (Rotateq): “Supervision must be available to manage possible anaphylactic reactions following administration.”

•Page 4 (Rotateq): “Vaccine virus transmission from vaccine recipient to non-vaccinated contacts has been reported.” Shedding 1-15 days after vaccination. Use caution when vaccinating a child who has close contact w/individuals w/immunodeficiencies. 

•Page 4 (Rotateq): Increased risk of intussusception.

•Page 5 (Rotateq):  this page covers the clinic trial of the Rotavirus vaccine. Serious adverse events occurred in 2.4% of recipients. Also note “Deaths Across the clinical studies, 52 deaths were reported. The most commonly reported cause of death was sudden infant death syndrome, which was observed in 8 recipients of RotaTeq and 9 placebo recipients.” Why? Because their placebo vaccines have adjuvants in them. There were also 6 and 5 cases of intussusception.

•Page 6 (Rotateq): Seizures and Kawasaki 

•Page 7 (Rotateq): Anaphylactic and other Reactions 

•Page 8 (Rotateq): : “Pediatric Use: Safety and efficacy have not been established in infants less than 6 weeks of age or greater than 32 weeks of age.”(page 1 of insert) All children in the study were over 8 months old; however, the CDC schedule recommends vaccination at 2, 4, 6 months.

•Page 9: Fetal Bovine Serum and DNA from porcine circoviruses (PCV) 

•Page 9 (Rotateq): •"Rotateq may not protect all vaccine recipients against rotavirus" •"The exact immunological mechanism by which rotateq protects against rotavirus gastroenteritis is unknown." •"Rotateq has not been evaluated for its carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or its potential to impair fertility."