Patients with severe cell-mediated immunodeficiency should not receive live-attenuated vaccines. However,
HIV-infected children are at higher risk than immunocompetent children for complications of varicella,
herpes zoster, and measles—diseases for which only live vaccines are available. On the basis of limited
safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy data in HIV-infected children, varicella vaccine can be considered for
HIV-infected children who are not severely immunosuppressed (i.e., children with CD4 T lymphocyte (CD4)
cell percentages >15% and those aged >5 years with CD4 counts ≥200 cells/μL).2-4 Two doses of measles,
mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine are recommended for all HIV-infected individuals aged ≥12 months
who do not have evidence of current severe immunosuppression (i.e., individuals aged ≤5 years must have
CD4 percentages ≥15% for ≥6 months and those aged >5 years must have CD4 percentages ≥15% and CD4
cell counts ≥200 lymphocytes/mm3 for ≥6 months) or other current evidence of MMR immunity.5
Limited data are available from clinical trials on the safety of rotavirus vaccines in infants known to be HIVinfected;
these infants were clinically asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic when vaccinated.6 The limited
data available do not indicate that rotavirus vaccines have a substantially different safety profile in HIVinfected
infants who are clinically asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic than in infants who are
HIV-uninfected. Two other considerations support rotavirus vaccination of HIV-exposed or HIV-infected
infants: first, the HIV diagnosis may not be established in infants born to HIV-infected mothers before the
age of the first rotavirus vaccine dose (only about 2% of HIV-exposed infants in the United States will be
determined to be HIV-infected);7 and second, vaccine strains of rotavirus are considerably attenuated.
Consultation with an immunologist or infectious disease specialist is advised for infants with known or