A new vaccine for rotavirus, which causes diarrhea and vomiting in children, was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in April. The vaccine advisory committee agreed that the second vaccine should be added to the list of recommended vaccines for infants.

The two-dose vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline and the three-dose vaccine made by Merck & Co. which was approved in 2006 are given orally to prevent rotavirus. The highly contagious virus causes more than 400,000 doctors visits, up to 270,000 trips to the emergency room, up to 70,000 hospitalizations and 20 to 60 deaths in the United States. Worldwide, about 1,600 children under 5 die from the infection each year.

Lab tests for the Merck vaccine, Rota Teq, showed that it prevents 74% of all rotavirus infections, 98 % of severe infections and about 96% of hospitalizations. Merck & Co.’s RotaTeq was introduced in the United States for routine vaccination of 2 months, 4 months and 6 months children, the Washington Post noted.

“The changes appear to be greater than expected based on the protective effects of the vaccine alone,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. “It is also possible the current levels of vaccination may be helping to decrease the spread of rotavirus to unvaccinated individuals in the community,” Schuchat said in a statement.