ESPE Abstracts

Background: Recent studies showed that Rotavirus vaccination may affect the prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Our aim is to determine the prevalence of early childhood (<5 years) T1D before and during the introduction of Rotavirus vaccination in Israel by syndromic surveillance.

Methods: Data on insulin purchases reported by Israel’s four health care organizations (HMOs) was retrieved from the National Program for Quality Indicators in Community Healthcare (QICH).

Results: During the pre- vaccination years (2002-2007) a steady increase of insulin purchases was reported in the young (<5 years). The period percent change (PC) of children aged <5 years old diagnosed with T1D inferred from purchased insulin prescriptions increased by 50.0%, and the annual percent change (APC) increased by 10.0% (P = 0.01). During the period of free, universal Rotavirus vaccination (2011-2018), the PC for T1D diagnoses among children aged <5 years decreased by 3.8% with an APC of -2.5% (P = 0.14). There was a significant difference (P = 0.002) between the increasing trend in insulin use before vaccination versus the decreasing trend after vaccination

Conclusion: Rotavirus vaccination correlated with attenuation of the increasing rate in the prevalence of T1D in <5 year-old children in Israel.