Symptoms and treatment of rotavirus in children

Signs of rotavirus infection

Almost every child aged 3 has had rotavirus at least once. Despite this, not all parents know how to correctly recognize it. The main symptoms are:

• watery diarrhea (loose stools);
• nausea and (or) vomiting;
• sharp abdominal pain (epigastric region);
• increased body temperature (hyperthermia);
• runny nose;
• redness of the throat and pain in it;
• lack of appetite;
• general loss of strength, drowsiness;
• dehydration.

Children tolerate rotavirus more severely than adults. The disease begins acutely, most often with fever and vomiting. The stool is initially liquid, yellow in color, then becomes clay-like, yellow-gray. The acute period is characterized by a sore throat when swallowing, general weakness of the baby, severe vomiting. The next day, the sick become lethargic and sleepy. This condition persists for some time until recovery. The temperature is very high (about 39 ° C), it is extremely difficult to bring it down even within 5 days. Sometimes there is an increase in cervical lymph nodes, there are convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Since rotavirus has similar symptoms to other infections (salmonellosis, cholera, etc.), then at the first signs of it you should call an ambulance or a pediatrician at home. If the diagnosis is made in time, relief will come in 7 days, and full recovery - a little later.

Rotavirus is very dangerous for infants who, due to their age, do not explain what is bothering them. Signs of abdominal pain can be recognized by the characteristic rumbling and restless behavior of the baby. The stool is frequent, with a very unpleasant odor. Rapid dehydration occurs, and the baby rapidly loses weight. A lack of fluid will be indicated by the lack of urination and a sunken fontanel.

Treatment and diet

Treatment. Before the arrival of a specialist, it is worthwhile to give the child as much special saline solutions as possible and monitor his condition. High temperature must be brought down, because with prolonged exposure to it, brain cells can be damaged. If the child refuses to take liquid, then they try to pour it in by any means (using a syringe without a needle, a small spoon, etc.). If this cannot be done, then you should immediately call an ambulance to administer the liquid intravenously.

If there is no one to go to the pharmacy for a special solution, then it is easy to prepare it yourself at home. To do this, dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of regular salt in a liter of warm boiled water. After the ingredients are completely dissolved, the baby is given this medicine to drink. Urination should be at least once every 3 hours - the more often, the better.

Complications. The final diagnosis will be established after a laboratory analysis of feces. If all the doctor's recommendations are followed, complications are extremely rare. If they are not followed, the virus is often joined by an intestinal bacterial infection, which worsens the condition.

Diet. During the illness, the inflamed intestine produces enzymes (especially lactase) in insufficient quantities. If the baby wants to eat, he is not forced to starve, but still some diet is required (soy or lactose-free mixtures) for 2-3 weeks. Otherwise, after eating (milk), the patient will feel bad again. Fermented milk products are allowed in small quantities. If the baby has not received complementary foods, he is left with 1-2 feedings per day, the rest are replaced with lactose-free formula.

Prevention

The only way to prevent rotavirus is vaccination, which should be given to a newborn at 6-32 weeks of age. There are no other ways to protect the child. The vaccination is practically safe. It is administered by instillation into the baby's mouth. In March 2014, Russia introduced this vaccine into the National Immunization Calendar. Strict adherence to all hygiene standards will not protect an unvaccinated child from 1-2 episodes of the disease during life.

Despite such common symptoms, this disease is very dangerous. Every year, about half a million children die from rotavirus in the world. Very sad statistics in underdeveloped countries. The total number of cases is 125 million children every year. The most dangerous age is from 6 to 24 months.