Objective: To analyze the mortality due to acute diarrhea in children younger than five years old, before and after the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in Mexico.
Material and methods: Number of deaths and mortality rates due to acute diarrhea were compared by children's age and states' vaccine status using annual percentage differences before (2000-2005) and after (2006-2007) the introduction of the HRV.
Results: From 2000-2007, deaths due to acute diarrhea in children under five years of age dropped 42%. In those states that received the HRV early in 2006, diarrhea mortality decreased between 2006-2007 15.8% in children younger than one year old and 22.7% in children 1-4 years old.
Discussion: The observed reduction in mortality due to acute diarrhea in children under five years of age after 2005 can be, in part, attributed to the HRV.