Rotavirus in the Northern Territory before and after vaccination

Globally, rotavirus vaccines have been found to have reduced effectiveness in resource-poor and high disease burden settings. Prior to vaccination, the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis was substantially higher among Indigenous children in the Northern Territory (NT) than among other Australian children, giving rise to concern about the likely impact of vaccination in this population. Post-licensure studies in the NT indicate that vaccination protects infants against hospitalisation in this setting, but vaccine effectiveness (VE) among older children and against heterotypic serotypes needs to be more clearly determined.