How do rotavirus spread

Giving your child plenty of water, formula, breastmilk, or fluids with electrolytes sugars and salts. Don't give young children soda, juice, or sports drinks. Feeding your child solid foods if he or she can eat.

Not having food may cause the diarrhea to last longer. If your child loses too much water, he or she may need to be in the hospital. Treatment there may include:. Intravenous IV fluids. Fluids are given through this tube. Blood tests. Dehydration needs to be treated right away see above.

If your child has rotavirus, he or she may not be able to attend daycare or school while ill. If your child is in the hospital, he or she will be kept away from other children to prevent spread of the virus. At home, good handwashing is important to prevent spread of the disease. To help prevent spread of the illness:. Wash your hands before and after caring for your child. Children who are not vaccinated usually have more severe symptoms the first time they get rotavirus disease.

Vaccinated children are less likely to get sick from rotavirus. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.

Minus Related Pages. Rotavirus in young children and babies can be very upsetting for parents as well as for the child, so quick recognition of its symptoms is very important. In a severe case, a child could have as many as 20 diarrheal stools or vomiting episodes in a hour period.

Dehydration is one of the most significant potential complications for infected children. An infant or toddler may need to be treated with intravenous IV fluids in a hospital. Home care therapy can be used to help manage uncomplicated cases of diarrhea. The child is typically given fluids, such as oral electrolyte solutions, to replace those lost through diarrhea and vomiting. Severe vomiting, however, can make such oral rehydration therapy ORT difficult.

Rotavirus can be spread both before and after children show signs of being sick. Children can catch a rotavirus infection if they put their fingers in their mouths after touching something that has been contaminated by the stool of an infected person. 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.

The U. Food and Drug Administration recommends that the vaccine not be given to children who have a history of intussusception.