DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends routine vaccination of all infants without contraindications with three doses of rotavirus vaccine administered orally at ages 2, 4, and 6 months. The minimum age for the first dose is 6 weeks. The first dose should be administered between 6 and 12 weeks of age (that is, until age 13 weeks). Vaccination should not be initiated for infants older than 12 weeks because of insufficient data on safety of the first dose of rotavirus vaccine in older infants.

All three doses should routinely be separated by 2 months. However, the minimum interval between doses may be a short as 4 weeks if an accelerated schedule is required.

The maximum age for any dose of rotavirus vaccine is 32 weeks because of insufficient data on the safety and efficacy of rotavirus vaccine in infants after this age. Rotavirus vaccine should not be administered on or after age 32 weeks, even if fewer than three doses have been administered.

Rotavirus vaccine may be administered simultaneously with all other vaccines that are routinely given at the same ages (hepatitis B, DTaP, IPV, Hib, PCV). Breastfeeding does not appear to diminish immune response to three doses of vaccine. Children who are being breastfed should be vaccinated on schedule. Infants who have recovered from documented rotavirus infections may not be immune to all five serotypes present in the vaccine. These infants should complete the three-dose vaccination series by 32 weeks of age.