Impact of rotavirus vaccination on childhood gastroenteritis-related mortality and hospital discharges in Panama

Summary Background Rotavirus vaccination was introduced in Panama in March 2006. This study was carried out in order to describe the trends in gastroenteritis-related (GER) hospitalizations and mortality in children Methods Data from the Expanded Program on Immunization (Ministry of Health) were used to calculate vaccine coverage. GER mortality and hospitalizations were obtained through database review of the Contraloria General de la Republica and hospital discharge databases of five sentinel hospitals, for the period 2000–2008. Mean rates of GER mortality and mean numbers of hospitalizations during the baseline pre-vaccination period (2000-2005) were compared to those of 2007 and 2008. Results National coverage for the second rotavirus vaccine dose increased from 30% in 2006 to 62% in 2007 and 71% in 2008, varying from 62% in the West region to 77% in the Panama region. Overall, at 2-years post-vaccine introduction, the GER mortality rate in Panama had decreased by 50% (95% confidence interval (CI) 46–54). During 2000–2005, the GER mortality rate in children ( Conclusions A substantial reduction in GER mortality and hospitalizations was observed following the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in Panama.