Taipei: Taiwan will include the rotavirus vaccine in its publicly funded childhood immunization program starting in 2027, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Tuesday. CDC Director-General Lo Yi-chun emphasized that two of the country's authorized rotavirus vaccines, a two-dose vaccine and a three-dose vaccine, will be made available at public expense.

According to Focus Taiwan, rotavirus is a significant health concern, causing serious diarrhea that often results in hospitalization. It accounts for about half of gastroenteritis cases among children under age 5. Currently, the vaccines are priced between NT$5,500 and NT$6,000 (US$186-US$203), but with the new program, they will be offered free of charge.

Infants born after June this year will qualify for the program, with approximately 120,000 children expected to benefit in its first year. The CDC clarified that eligible infants must be at least six weeks old and not older than eight months to receive the vaccine. If an infant has already received one of the vaccine doses before the program begins, they will still be eligible for the remaining doses at public expense.

Director-General Lo stated that both vaccine brands have shown more than 90 percent effectiveness in preventing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis, thereby reducing the risk of hospitalization for stomach flu. The CDC recommends that infants receiving the two-dose vaccine should be administered doses at two months and four months of age, while those on the three-dose schedule should receive doses at two, four, and six months. The interval between each dose should be at least four weeks.

The CDC noted that the rotavirus vaccine is administered orally. With its inclusion in the publicly funded immunization program, Taiwan will offer 10 vaccines free of charge, safeguarding against 15 infectious diseases.