WASH and Vaccines: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Diarrhoea Among Immunized Child Populations in Zambia

This briefing note outlines SHARE phase II research being conducted by CIDRZ in Zambia. Gaining a better understandng of the role of pathogens on oral vaccine failure may help to explain why the rotavirus vaccine has low levels of effectiveness in high burden settings. This research will evaluate the presence of viral, bacterial and protozoal pathogens among under fives with diarrhoea who have been immunized with the rotavirus vaccine and those who have not, as well as among a control group of children without diarrhoea. While this study has relevance within Zambia it will also be important for the global evidence base on live oral vaccine performance, and the findings will be disseminated widely through global conferences, academic papers and with policymakers and practitioners.