Glaxo's Rotavirus Vaccine Temporary Suspension

U.S. health officials requested pediatricians to stop using the GlaxoSmithKline version of rotavirus vaccine, after some of its doses have been contaminated with bits of a benign pig virus.

Although not a cause for any kind of illness, vaccines are supposed to be sterile and the FDA decided to use extra caution.

Rotarix, the oral vaccine produced by Glaxo, uses a line of monkey kidney cells, and the pig virus DNA fragments have been found in Glaxo's cell bank. Merck's competing rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq hasn't been contaminated.

Please click here to access FDA's valuable information for parents about the rotavirus vaccination.
 

Source: msnbc.com