RV3-BB vaccine helps save the lives of children across the globe
What's the child health challenge?
Currently, 77 million, or 41 per cent, of children globally are unable to access the life-saving rotavirus vaccine.
Rotavirus is a global pathogen that causes children to experience diarrhoea, tummy aches, fever and/or vomiting. Some children with severe rotavirus infections may also experience dangerous levels of dehydration and shock and in some instances, it can be fatal.
Mostly infecting infants between the ages of six months and two years old, rotavirus is responsible for around 215,000 child deaths per year. Despite being vaccine-preventable, rotavirus is one of the leading causes of child illness and death in the developing world.
What's the discovery or innovation?
Murdoch Children’s has led the global effort to introduce rotavirus vaccines to children all over the world by improving access in countries that need it most.
Until the discovery of rotavirus in 1973 by Professor Ruth Bishop and her team, more than 800,000 children globally were dying from this acute form of diarrhoea.
In 1999, research conducted at Murdoch Children’s inspired the development of four oral rotavirus vaccines that have since helped saved the lives of countless children in more than 114 countries. The WHO Global Vaccine Action Plan shows that from 2011-2020, up to 900,000 deaths were prevented through the development of the rotavirus vaccine.
Our leading researchers have since developed a new oral vaccine, RV3-BB, that has several advantages for developing countries. The new vaccine has been trialled in Africa and has shown that a reduced dose can also produce a strong immune response in newborns.
This significant scientific achievement is the culmination of four decades of work and has been created to help ensure all children across the globe can live healthy and fulfilled lives.
The RV3-BB vaccine is now being trialled in a birth dose strategy which is hoped to improve protection in babies and children from severe rotavirus disease.
How did the Murdoch Children's Innovation team contribute?
Supporting Professor Julie Bines, the Murdoch Children’s Innovation team helped researchers secure manufacturing partnerships in India and China, where the greatest impact would be achieved.
These partnerships have improved access to the vaccine in some of the world’s largest and most vulnerable populations, where the death rate linked to rotavirus is still high. The Innovation team has taken the vaccine profile and picked the best development strategy for India and China.
We are now seeking additional manufacturers from across the globe to develop and commercialise the RV3-BB vaccine. These efforts will help make the vaccine more widely available and ensure more children can benefit from its life-changing effects.
How is it changing children’s lives?
The development of oral rotavirus vaccines is a great breakthrough in Australian science, one that has had a profound and far-reaching impact on the lives of children everywhere.
By 2013, the number of deaths had halved while in Australia, hospital admissions dropped by over 70 per cent, down from approximately 10,000 admissions of children under five every year.
Today, rotavirus vaccines are helping to save the lives of children in 114 countries.
Whilst still under development, researchers at Murdoch Children’s hope the new RV3-BB vaccine will be licensed for use in the coming years, joining existing vaccines already preventing rotavirus in children.
It is our aim to ensure that all children can access this life-saving vaccine.
What's the discovery or innovation?