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The information provided by The Pediatric Group, PLLC website is information of a general nature and is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be relied on for personal medical reasons and should not be relied upon as providing specific medical advice or for diagnosis or treatment. All information contained on this website is presented as is, without any warranties of any kind, express or implied.
Please note that visiting this website alone does not establish a physician-patient relationship with any physician engaged by The Pediatric Group, PLLC. You should consult your own physician for specific advice for your own personal situation.
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Rotavirus
Rotavirus is a common infection that occurs each winter. In the
United States, rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in
infants and young children. It is a virus that infects the
digestive system and is passed in the stool of infected persons.
So how do children get rotavirus? Rotavirus is spread very easily
to one’s own digestive system through touching the mouth with hands
contaminated by the stool of an infected person. Even simply
touching a surface or object that has come into contact with an
infected person’s stool can be sufficient exposure to infect another
person. Generally symptoms begin within two days of exposure.
How can you tell if your child has rotavirus? Usually rotavirus
infection begins with nausea, vomiting and fever, followed by
diarrhea. The diarrhea can be mild to severe and could last up to
ten days. The most serious resulting condition is dehydration
(loss of body fluids). The symptoms of dehydration range from
lethargy, weakness, sunken anterior fontanel (soft spot on the head) in
infants, sunken eyes, restlessness, dry mouth and skin, to lack of wet
diaper or infrequent need to urinate. Your pediatrician can order
a laboratory test on the stool material to verify the presence of this
virus.
How common is rotavirus? In children age 3-36 months, the
dehydration caused by rotavirus contributes to 500,000 doctor visits
and 50,000 hospitalizations annually. Rotavirus infections occur
most frequently in the winter and spring in the US. In third
world countries, it is one of the most common causes of dehydration and
even death in infants.
How do I prevent my child from catching rotavirus? Since this
pathogen is a virus spread by touching of surfaces and objects
contaminated by fecal matter, the primary defense against rotavirus is
good handwashing. In addition, regular and effective cleaning of
toys and surfaces at daycare and in the home is an essential part of
prevention. Infected children should not remain in the daycare
setting, but should be sent home until they are no longer
contagious. This is usually in about seven days.
Good handwashing practices include: (1) washing hands after using
the restroom; (2) washing hands after assisting a child using the
restroom or diapering; (3) washing hands before preparing or serving
food. It is not necessary to have a special or antibacterial soap
to prevent transmission of disease, but the duration of washing is
important. Washing the hands and wrists for at least 20-30
seconds with regular soap will effectively kill most pathogens.
The FDA recently approved a new oral vaccine for rotavirus. It is called Rotateq and is
made by Merck; it will require three doses. It should not be confused with a previous vaccine, Rotashield, made by Wyeth,
that was pulled from the market in 2000 after a few reports of complications. Interestingly,
experts now believe that there was no connection between the old vaccine and the reported
adverse reactions, but the vaccine had been discontinued.
The majority of this article was written by Dr. Albiek, and was first
published in the Edmond Sun Sunday edition in January 2006.
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