RotaShield and the misunderstanding of risk

Rotaviruse infections are common in children and are dangerous or life-threatening in some cases. RotaShield was an early vaccine that successfully prevented infection or moderated its severity in most cases. Unfortunately, after the vaccine was approved and in widespread use, a rare condition called intussusception was revealed to occur about twice as often in vaccinated vs unvaccinated kids. The vaccine was yanked, even though the risk of harm from intussusception was tiny compared to the public health risks of associated with rotavirus infection, because of the optics for the vaccine approval process. In other words, public health took a back seat to political pressure. When people cite the RotaShield story as evidence for the dangers of vaccines, you can remind them that there is no such thing as eliminating all risk. The point to a vaccine is to shift the risk away from disease.

“The concept of the “elimination of risk” also obscures the trade-offs related to the risks and benefits inherent in any medical intervention, including preventive measures such as vaccination. While the removal of RotaShield did eliminate the risk of intussusception, another class of risks, those of rotavirus itself in the United States and worldwide, continued unabated for years.”

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3460207/