Population access to rotavirus vaccination in industrialized countries: lessons learnt from current experience

Background: Four steps are usually necessary before population access to vaccination programmes. Marketing authorization, appropriation by national agencies of the data, recommendation and policy-decision steps on funding and implementation. Using rotavirus vaccination as an illustrative case, this study aims at better understanding picture of population access, and identifying lessons learnt from current experience. Methods: Systematic review of national vaccination policies in 20 countries. Results: 12 countries have included rotavirus vaccination in their childhood national vaccination programme, two decided not to include it, decision is pending in three countries, while it has not started in the three remaining countries. Published evaluations and/or advice were available in 16 countries. Many differences in content and outcomes were identified. Conclusion: Rotavirus vaccination implementation across industrialized countries was disparate, leading to unequal population access over time. Comparative analyses of the decision-making process suggest different interpretations of available evidence, raising the need for a similar decision integrated framework, using a structured and systematic approach.