Two new anti-diarrhoea vaccines have been found to be effective, say scientists who conducted the clinical trials.


US pharmaceutical firm Merck and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline had developed Rotateq and Rotarix - two vaccines designed to be administered to infants at the same time as they are being immunised for diptheria, pertussis and tetanus.

Scientists tested Rotateq on 68,000 infants aged between six and 12 weeks old mainly in the US, Europe and Taiwan, reported online edition of The New Scientist.

They administered it orally in three doses and immunised the infants against the five most common types of rotavirus.

Similarly they tested Rotarix on more than 63,000 infants less than six weeks old in 11 countries, mostly in Latin America. The vaccine given in two oral doses targeted at the single most common rotavirus.

The studies showed 98 percent effectiveness for Rotateq and 85 percent for Rotarix. The new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine said the vaccines showed "an impressive efficacy profile".

Rotavirus causes half a million infant deaths in poor countries every year. It is one of the most common causes of diarrhoea.

It causes about two million hospital visits for diarrhoea and vomiting each year. In the US alone, the virus hits 2.7 million children less than five years of age each year, 70,000 of which end up hospitalised.

However researchers said the difference could be explained by differences in the classification of disease severity and the populations studied. Rotateq was tested in more wealthy societies and Rotarix in poorer ones.