Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Rotavirus Vaccination for Children in Korea

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe acute diarrhea or gastroenteritis among young children worldwide. In the first 5 years of life, about 90% of children experience at least one episode of rotavirus infection.Each year, rotavirus diarrhea is responsible for 440,000 deaths, 2 million hospitalizations, and 25 million outpatient visits among children younger than 5 years worldwide. In South Korea, rotavirus diarrhea rarely causes mortality, but it cause significant morbidity. A recent population-based study in Korea has estimated that the annual incidence of rotavirus diarrhea accounts for 56.9 cases per 1,000 children less than 5 years old. Oral, live pentavalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine has been developed and licensed for the use of preventing rotavirus disease in many countries. Yet, there has been no research done to assess the impact of national rotavirus immunization program in Korea. It is expected that systematic appraisal on the national burden of rotavirus infection and potential public health and economic benefits of rotavirus vaccination for children in Korea will assists health policy makers to set a priority for the prevention of this disease.