What is Rotavirus?

The Importance of Vaccinating Babies against Rotavirus

Feb 15, 2009 Julie Ackendorf

Rotavirus is an intestinal illness that babies are highly susceptible to and can cause major complications. Recently doctors have begun vaccinating against Rotavirus.

Rotavirus is a severe intestinal viral infection that affects young children and can have dangerous effects. Luckily modern medicine has found ways to help prevent Rotavirus.

What is Rotavirus?

The Center for Disease Control states that Rotavirus is a viral infection that causes vomiting and severe watery diarrhea. This illness can last anywhere from two to eight days and each year about 55,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized in the United States due to Rotavirus complications.

Symptoms of Rotavirus

According to Kids Health, the following are symptoms that a young child may experience if they are infected with Rotavirus:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Stomach Pains
• Runny Nose
• Cough
• Severe Watery Diarrhea

While each of these symptoms individually could be a sign of other illness, the characteristic symptom of Rotavirus is the excessive and extreme watery diarrhea.

Rotavirus can spread quickly and easily through even the smallest contact with fecal matter. Parents are encouraged to teach their children the proper way to wash their hands and emphasize that it must be done after each time the child goes to the bathroom. Parents, babysitters, and caregivers need to wash their hands with soap and water after every diaper they change. Just wiping hands with a baby wipe is not good enough,

Dangers of Rotavirus

Young children with tiny bodies are most likely to be affected by Rotavirus. This is a problem because their small size makes them highly susceptible to dehydration that occurs with vomiting and diarrhea. If a child is losing more fluids than he is taking in and experiences severe dehydration he will have to be hospitalized and given IV fluids.

Treating Rotavirus

Rotavirus is a viral infection and therefore does not respond to antibiotics. The only treatment for Rotavirus is to try and make sure the child is getting plenty of fluids and to give the an over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer to help reduce discomfort. If a child cannot keep any fluids down a pediatrician may admit her to the hospital to combat dehydration through an IV drip.

Preventing Rotavirus

There are two ways that Rotavirus can be prevented. The first way is to teach children about proper hand washing techniques and to make sure parents and those taking care of children are using them a will. This will not only help prevent the transmission of Rotavirus but other illnesses as well.

The second way Rotavirus is prevented is through vaccination. Kids Health states that children receive an oral Rotavirus vaccine known as RotaTeq at two months, four months, and six months of age. This vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce the number of children who get Rotavirus. If a vaccinated child does get Rotavirus the symptoms are very mild.

If a parent suspects her child has Rotavirus she should watch for dehydration and consult her child's physician.

The copyright of the article What is Rotavirus? in Infants & Toddlers is owned by Julie Ackendorf. Permission to republish What is Rotavirus? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

What is Rotavirus?