A Multi-Center, Qualitative Assessment of Pediatrician and Maternal Perspectives on Rotavirus Vaccines and the Detection of Porcine circovirus

BMC Pediatrics

Research Article

David Locke¹  Mary A Staat¹  Christina Albertin²  Sharon Humiston³  Eileen J Klein⁴  Douglas Opel⁴  Ana Kobayashi⁴  Mary Wikswo⁵  Daniel C Payne⁵  Allison Kennedy⁶  Kimberly Downing⁷  Claudia Chesley⁸ 

[1]Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

[2]Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA

[3]Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA

[4]Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

[5]Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

[6]Epidemiology Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

[7]Health Services Research and Evaluation Branch, Immunization Services Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

[8]Institute for Policy Research, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

[9]Office of the Director, Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

关键词: rotavirus vaccine;    RotaTeq™;    Rotarix;    porcine circovirus (PCV);    adventitious virus;    pediatricians;    communication development;    focus groups;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2431-11-83

 received in 2011-01-20, accepted in 2011-09-26,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn 2010, researchers using novel laboratory techniques found that US-licensed rotavirus vaccines contain DNA or DNA fragments from Porcine circovirus (PCV), a virus common among pigs but not believed to cause illness in humans. We sought to understand pediatricians' and mothers' perspectives on this finding.MethodsWe conducted three iterations of focus groups for pediatricians and non-vaccine hesitant mothers in Seattle, WA, Cincinnati, OH, and Rochester, NY. Focus groups explored perceptions of rotavirus disease, rotavirus vaccination, and attitudes about the detection of PCV material in rotavirus vaccines.ResultsPediatricians understood firsthand the success of rotavirus vaccines in preventing severe acute gastroenteritis among infants and young children. They measured this benefit against the theoretical risk of DNA material from PCV in rotavirus vaccines, determining overall that the PCV finding was of no clinical significance. Particularly influential was the realization that the large, randomized clinical trials that found both vaccines to be highly effective and safe were conducted with DNA material from PCV already in the vaccines.Most mothers supported the ideal of full disclosure regarding vaccination risks and benefits. However, with a scientific topic of this complexity, simplified information regarding PCV material in rotavirus vaccines seemed frightening and suspicious, and detailed information was frequently overwhelming. Mothers often remarked that if they did not understand a medical or technical topic regarding their child's health, they relied on their pediatrician's guidance.Many mothers and pediatricians were also concerned that persons who abstain from pork consumption for religious or personal reasons may have unsubstantiated fears of the PCV finding.ConclusionsPediatricians considered the detection of DNA material from PCV in rotavirus vaccines a "non-issue" and reported little hesitation in continuing to recommend the vaccines. Mothers desired transparency, but ultimately trusted their pediatrician's recommendation. Both vaccines are currently approved for their intended use, and no risk of human PCV illness has been reported. Communicating this topic to pediatricians and mothers requires sensitivity to a broad range of technical understanding and personal concerns.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Payne et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011