If you touch a person or object carrying the virus and then touch your mouth, you could develop the infection. This is most common from not washing your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Infants and children under 3 years old are at the highest risk of developing a rotavirus infection. Being in daycare also raises their risk. You might consider taking extra precautions during winter and spring months, as more infections occur this time of year.
The virus can also remain on surfaces for several days and possibly weeks after a person with the infection touches them. During the course of the infection, your child might first get a fever and vomit. Watery diarrhea can then occur between 3 and 8 days after. The infection itself can last for 10 days in stool after symptoms go away. Rotavirus is diagnosed via a stool PCR test in a medical lab.
Severe dehydration is a serious complication of rotavirus. Children are the most susceptible. Vaccinations are the best way to prevent rotavirus, especially in young children. You can also help prevent spreading by washing your hands frequently, particularly before eating.
Children may have a rotavirus infection more than once, but the vaccine prevents the severity of the condition. But have you heard of these 6 important vaccines? Learn about the benefits…. Red diarrhea could be caused by many different conditions. Keep reading to learn more about the possible causes and treatments. Do you have a stomach bug or food poisoning? Discriminating between the two can be difficult. A stomach bug and food poisoning can be commonly…. There are a number of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause gastrointestinal infections.
GI infections typically last for a few days and are…. Stomach flu viral gastroenteritis is most contagious when you have symptoms and for a few days after they go away. Discover causes and prevention…. The infection can cause abdominal pain as well. Rotavirus is present in an infected person's stool two days before symptoms appear and for up to 10 days after symptoms lessen.
The virus spreads easily through hand-to-mouth contact throughout this time — even if the infected person doesn't have symptoms. If you have rotavirus and you don't wash your hands after using the toilet — or your child has rotavirus and you don't wash your hands after changing your child's diaper or helping your child use the toilet — the virus can spread to anything you touch, including food, toys and utensils.
If another person touches your unwashed hands or a contaminated object and then touches his or her mouth, an infection may follow. The virus can remain infectious on surfaces that haven't been disinfected for weeks or months.
It's possible to be infected with rotavirus more than once, even if you've been vaccinated. However, repeat infections are typically less severe. Rotavirus infections are common in children ages 3 to 35 months — particularly those who spend time in child care settings.
Older adults and adults caring for young children have an increased risk of infection as well. Severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration, particularly in young children. Left untreated, dehydration can become a life-threatening condition regardless of its cause. To reduce the spread of rotavirus, wash your hands thoroughly and often — especially after you use the toilet, change your child's diaper or help your child use the toilet.
But even strict hand-washing doesn't offer any guarantees. And commonly used alcohol-based hand sanitizers have little effect on rotavirus. The World Health Organization recommends that all countries give infants a rotavirus vaccine.
There are two vaccines available:. The vaccines are considered safe and effective, and studies show that they prevent thousands of children from developing rotavirus every year. However, rarely, they can cause a part of the intestine to fold back on itself intussusception , resulting in possibly life-threatening intestinal blockage.
Children who have had intussusception are more likely to have it again after receiving the rotavirus vaccine. Almost all children in the U. Infections happen most often in the winter and spring. It is very easy for children with the virus to spread it to other children and sometimes to adults. Once a child gets the virus, it takes about two days to become sick. Vomiting and diarrhea may last from three to eight days. There is no medicine to treat it.
To prevent dehydration, have your child drink plenty of liquids. Your health care provider may recommend oral rehydration drinks. Some children need to go to the hospital for IV fluids. Two vaccines against rotavirus infections are available. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.
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