Evaluation of ROTARIX(®) Booster Dose Vaccination at 9 Months for Safety and Enhanced Anti-Rotavirus Immunity in Zambian Children: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Oral rotavirus vaccines show diminished immunogenicity in low-resource settings where rotavirus burden is highest. This study assessed the safety and immune boosting effect of a third dose of oral ROTARIX(®) (GlaxoSmithKline) vaccine administered at 9 months of age. A total of 214 infants aged 6 to 12 weeks were randomised to receive two doses of ROTARIX(®) as per standard schedule with other routine vaccinations or an additional third dose of ROTARIX(®) administered at 9 months old concomitantly with measles/rubella vaccination. Plasma collected pre-vaccination, 1 month after first- and second-dose vaccination, at 9 months old before receipt of third ROTARIX(®) dose and/or measles/rubella vaccination, and at 12 months old were assayed for rotavirus-specific IgA (RV-IgA). Geometric mean RV-IgA at 12 months of age and the incidence of clinical adverse events 1 month following administration of the third dose of ROTARIX(®) among infants in the intervention arm were compared between infants in the two arms. We found no significant difference in RV-IgA titres at 12 months between the two arms. Our findings showed that rotavirus vaccines are immunogenic in Zambian infants but with modest vaccine seroconversion rates in low-income settings. Importantly, however, a third dose of oral ROTARIX(®) vaccine was shown to be safe when administered concomitantly with measles/rubella vaccine at 9 months of age in Zambia. This speaks to opportunities for enhancing rotavirus vaccine immunity within feasible schedules in the national immunization program.