The manufacturer of Rotarix®, a rotavirus vaccine, has written to healthcare professionals to highlight the route of administration for this product.
The majority of vaccines are administered via an injection but this product is an oral vaccine. There have been 20 reports worldwide of this vaccine being injected, but none of these cases are from the UK.
The vaccine is not currently part of the Childhood Immunisation Programme and therefore use in the UK is likely to be limited. This may explain why there are no reports of incorrect administration originating from the UK.
Action: This vaccine is unlikely to be widely used unless it becomes part of the Childhood Vaccination Programme but clinicians should take care to ensure the correct route of administration is used with all vaccines.