What Is Roto Virus?

Each year, the CDC estimates that approximately 55,000 children in the Untied States will enter the hospital because of roto virus, or rotavirus. Worldwide, the condition leads to 600,000 deaths annually. This viral infection is the most common cause of diarrhea in children in the Untied States. Its highly contagious nature makes it difficult to fight, so parents need to know how to spot these infections and care for their sick children when they occur.

Definition

• Rotavirus is a common viral intestinal infection that has a severe effect on babies and toddlers. The CDC estimates that all children have had the virus by the time they reach their fifth birthday, but the severity of each infection varies from child to child. The virus lives a long time on objects and human hands, which makes it highly contagious. Most children get the virus by touching something that has been in contact with human stool and putting the contaminated object or their own hand in the mouth.

Symptoms

• The most obvious symptom of rotavirus is the child's stool. Children with the virus will experience large quantities of diarrhea that is explosive, watery and dark green in color. The stool is quite foul smelling as well but does not contain any blood. Some children will have a fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea with an infection, but these do not have to be present for a child to have rotavirus. Children typically experience these symptoms for three to eight days.

Complications

• Most of the children that are hospitalized because of rotavirus are hospitalized because of dehydration. Children lose much of their bodily fluid through the diarrhea, vomiting and fever of rotavirus. Fighting dehydration in children with rotavirus is difficult because any fluids a child is willing to take are either vomited or lost through the stool. Children who are dehydrated will be irritable, thirsty and restless. Other signs of dehydration include sunken eyes, dry mouth and tongue, dry skin, lethargy and decrease in urination. Parents who suspect a child is dehydrated need to seek immediate medical attention.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Doctors will diagnose rotavirus by ruling out bacterial or parasitic infections through stool samples. Because rotavirus is a virus, doctors cannot prescribe medication to cure the disease. The patient's body must fight the infection on its own. The BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) helps with diarrhea symptoms. Patients with rotavirus need to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydrations, including oral rehydration solutions with electrolytes. Avoid fruit juices and soda as these make diarrhea worse. Patients with dehydration, particularly if they are children, may need intravenous fluids.

Prevention

• Even though statistics show that kids will catch rotavirus as babies or toddlers, parents should still try to prevent rotavirus in kids through proper hygiene. Caregivers must wash hands after changing any dirty diapers or helping a child use the toilet. If the child comes in contact with potentially soiled items, his or her hands need to be washed as well. Adults must wash their own hands after using the restroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the administration of a rotavirus vaccine in a child's routine vaccination schedule.