Authors

José Antonio González Tamayo1, Raquel González Manrique2, Tania Benítez Santos3,Fátima María Berciano Martínez4

Position

1Especialista en Enfermería Familiar y Comunitaria. Consulta de Enfermería Pediátrica. Centro de Salud Don Benito Oeste. Don Benito, Badajoz (España)2Enfermera. Consulta de Enfermería de Atención Primaria. Centro de Salud Don Benito Oeste. Don Benito, Badajoz (España) 3Enfermera Residente de Enfermería Familiar y Comunitaria. Centro de Salud Don Benito Oeste. Don Benito, Badajoz (España) 4Licenciada Especialista en Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria. Centro de Salud Zafra II. Zafra, Badajoz (España)

Contact address

José Antonio González Tamayo. Centro de Salud “Don Benito Oeste”. Avda. del Pilar, s/n. 06400 Don Benito, Badajoz (España).

Contact email: jagontama@gmail.com

Abstract

Two measures have had an extraordinarily positive impact on the health of world citizens over the years: water potabilization and vaccination. Rotavirus (RV), which has oral transmission, is present in all countries and different continents. It causes systemic damage, although the digestive system of <2-year-old children is the most affected. Diarrhea and high temperature cause from 14 to 30% of all cases of acute gastroenteritis (AGE), and one fourth of these will require hospitalization. This also entails a high use of health resources, work hours missed, and high anxiety and concern among relatives. The use of vaccines has reduced by 60-80% the hospital admissions due to acute gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus (RV-AGE) and by 30-40% the mortality by diarrhea in <5-year-olds. There are two vaccines available in Spain, only reimbursed for pre-term children born between 25 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. It only makes sense to use these vaccines during the first weeks of life, with certain differences between them in number of doses and in the achievement of maximum protection.

Keywords:

Rotavirus; gastroenteritis; vaccination; infection

Versión en Español

Título:

La importancia de la vacunación frente al rotavirus