Vaccine may be linked to bowel problems in children

The FDA is warning doctors and parents that Merck's anti-diarrhea vaccine RotaTeq may have caused intussusception in 28 children. Intussusception occurs when one portion of the bowel slides into the next, creating an obstruction in the bowel. "Intussusception can occur spontaneously in the absence of vaccination. Of the reported 28 cases of intussusception, the number that may have been caused by the vaccine, or occurred by coincidence, is unknown," the FDA said on its website. The FDA approved a RotaTeq a year ago, and the drug is projected to earn $500 million a year by 2009. Eight years ago Wyeth was told to withdraw a diarrhea vaccine due to a similar problem.

- see the FDA's warning [1] for more information
- read this article [2] from the Philadelphia Inquirer

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