How is the rotavirus vaccine given?
The new rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq®) is a liquid given by mouth. Three doses of vaccine are needed for good protection. The first dose should be given between 6-12 weeks old with two additional doses at four to 10 week intervals. It is generally recommended that babies get this oral vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age along with the other baby shots given at those visits. Studies have shown that it is safe and effective to give the rotavirus vaccine with the other vaccines. Since rotavirus infection can be most severe for infants and toddlers, it’s important that babies get this vaccine early. In fact, it is recommended that all three doses be completed by 32 weeks of age (7 to 8 months), since the safety and effectiveness was not studied in older babies. Is this a safe vaccine? It has been shown to be very safe in a study with more than 70,000 children. It does not contain thimerosal (a mercury-containing preservative) or any other preservative. This is a different vaccine from the ea
