Related Topics:
Childhood Illness and Disease
Home Remedies

Rotavirus commonly causes seasonal diarrhea in infants and young children, and sometimes is called "winter diarrhea." In children ages three months to two years, rotavirus is one of the most common causes of gastroenteritis, and it often causes outbreaks of diarrhea in day-care centers and children's hospitals.

Children with a rotavirus infection may experience fever, nausea and vomiting, and watery diarrhea. After two days, the fever and vomiting usually stop, but the diarrhea can continue for five to seven days.

Almost all children have had a rotavirus infection by the time they are four or five years old, whether or not they have had any symptoms. Nearly 50,000 hospital admissions occur annually in the U.S. mainly due to dehydration.

FACTS:
The incubation period for rotavirus infection is less than 48 hours.

In most children, fever and vomiting will stop after two days

Diarrhea may last for up to one week.

Since antibiotics do not kill rotavirus, using antibiotics does not help children get well faster.

Rotavirus infection is contagious.

Rotavirus particles pass in the stool of infected persons before and after they have symptoms of the illness.

Regular hand washing, especially before eating and after using the toilet may prevent the spread of rotavirus.

Home Remedy:

Check for signs of dehydration, including: dry lips and tongue, dry skin, sunken eyes, fewer than six wet diapers a day, or (in an older child) too few trips to the bathroom to urinate. Call your doctor if you see any of these signs.

To prevent dehydration, follow your doctor's recommendations about what your child should eat and drink. Your doctor may suggest that you give your child special drinks that replace body fluids quickly, especially if the diarrhea has been going on for longer than two or three days. Some doctors suggest switching your child to a liquid diet until diarrhea passes. Other doctors believe that your child will get well faster if they get back to a normal diet as soon as possible.

Avoid giving your child over-the-counter medications for vomiting or diarrhea unless your doctor recommends them.

Call Your Pediatrician if:
Your child has signs of a rotavirus infection, including:

Watery diarrhea,
Fever,
Nausea, and vomiting.
Your child appears to be very sick

Call your doctor immediately:
If your child has these symptoms and seems to be dehydrated. Signs of dehydration include:

Dry lips and tongue,
Skin that is dry and pale,
Sunken eyes,
Infrequent urination, (in infants) less than six wet diapers a day.
The fontelelle (soft spot on a baby's head) is depressed.

Related Topics:
Childhood Illness and Disease
Home Remedies

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