INTRODUCTION: Ecuador introduced routine infant rotavirus (RV) vaccination in 2008 and pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) in 2011 to manage disease and mortality in children caused by gastroenteritis (GE) and by pneumonia (PNE) and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), respectively.
METHODS: This retrospective ecological database study described vaccination coverage as well as the trends in incidence and mortality in the pre- versus post-vaccination periods and used time-trend analysis models to assess the impact of vaccination.
RESULTS: RV vaccination coverage of the second dose was between 79-97% from 2008 to 2016. GE incidence and mortality showed a declining trend before vaccination which continued in the post-vaccination period. The model estimated a statistically significant decrease of 72.4% for GE mortality and 51.2% for GE incidence in the post-vaccination period. PCV vaccination coverage remained above 80% (second dose) and 40% (third dose) after 2011. PNE mortality showed a declining trend before vaccination and a continued decline after vaccination, while PNE incidence was more variable (sharp increase from 2005-2009 then decrease and eventual stabilisation). The model estimated a statistically significant decline of 41.1% for PNE mortality and a stable PNE incidence in the post- versus pre-vaccination period. IPD incidence and mortality yearly data showed large variability by year and low numbers, making it difficult to discern a trend. The model estimated a statistically significant reduction of 51.1% for IPD mortality and 31.5% for IPD incidence in the post- versus pre-vaccination period.
CONCLUSION: After the first 9 years of routine RV vaccination and 6 years of routine PCV vaccination in Ecuador, significant decreases in incidence and mortality in children < 5 years of age due to GE and pneumococcal disease have been observed.
