Rotavirus infection in children

Rotavirus infection in children is one of the diseases that are also called "diseases of dirty hands". Distribution of rotavirus occurs in the household plan through products, toys, bedding and all horizontal surfaces in the room with which the child is in contact.

The consumption of food contaminated with rotovirus product leads to rapid development of symptoms of the disease and after 1-5 days, depending on the age of the child and the state of his immune system, the infectious process proceeds at full speed.

What is rotavirus infection in children?

Intestinal disorders are not rare, especially in childhood, when through the mouth, the child, you can say, learns about the world around, trying "on the teeth" everything that falls into your hands. Problems with the intestine are manifested in the form of a change in the nature of the stool, most often diarrhea, expressed in varying degrees of intensity, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and other symptoms.

Initially, infectious bowel disease is perceived as food poisoning. This explains, in most cases, the incorrect setting of the initial diagnosis, as well as the fact that parents, in the hope of lightness of the situation and their own strengths, do not hurry to go to the doctor in the first 24 hours, what aggravate the situation.

Intestinal or gastric flu is another name, which is most often characterized by rotavirus intestinal lesions. When the diagnosis is made, the name of gastroenteritis can be used, in case of detection of rotavirus the diagnosis will sound "rotavirus gastroenteritis".

Important is not the name of the disease, but the causative agent of the disease, which can only be established by laboratory testing, after carrying out the necessary tests in the first days after the manifestation of symptoms.

Where does the rotavirus live?

Why was the source of infection in the form of products chosen as an example for this text? This is due to the fact that children, most often, are prone to this path of infection. Suffice it to say that rotavirus excellently feels in the refrigerator and can safely continue its existence in refrigerated foods. Chlorination of water is against this virus, too, not an effective method.

Therefore, it is very important that completely healthy adults work in children's institutions, especially in kitchens. To ensure that the food coming to the children's table is not in contact with the "walking source of infection", with a person suffering from gastroenteritis.

Rotavirus lives in the intestines of a sick person, but, like other types of viruses, it is able to excrete into the environment with the smallest droplets of mucus when sneezing. So it is not difficult to imagine what the zone of destruction from one rotavirus carrier in a large children's collective, be it kindergarten or school.

Predisposing factors

Rotavirus infection in children covers a large age range from 1 to 14 years. If at this age the child has suffered a disease caused by rotavirus, then in the future the body develops to him a sufficiently stable immunity and if there is repeated occurrence of a violent course of the disease, there will be no disease. Although it is possible that the weakened organism will suffer from chronic forms of intestinal disorders for many years. To exclude such negative manifestations of rotavirus, it is necessary to work systematically to strengthen the immunity of the child from birth.

If we consider even deeper the situation of immunization against rotavirus, then it should be said that the baby at birth already has antibodies to rotavirus infections, which he received from his mother through the placenta. This amount of antibodies is enough for him to deal with the small number of viruses that can come to him from his mother.

But when switching to another type of food, when a child enters a dense children's group, into the microclimate of another collective, the child's body no longer has enough antibodies and infection occurs. After the body develops independent antibodies to rotavirus, the child will be more resistant to viral intestinal infections.

How is rotavirus infection manifested in children?

The first and obvious signs of the onset of the disease manifest themselves sharply, in most cases unexpectedly, against the background of the general well-being of the child: 

• Vomiting, often repeated.
• A sharp increase in body temperature to high rates.
• Diarrhea with characteristic recognizability in the form of a daily color change from yellow, on the first day, to gray-yellow and clay-like to the fourth day.
• Complete lack of appetite.
• Signs of colds in the form of sore throat and runny nose.
• Change the color of urine to dark.

For an acute period of the disease, specialists are given no more than 1-5 days. By the fifth day, all major symptoms should be removed or transferred to a degree of moderation. There is also such a thing as the incubation period of the disease. This is the period when the infection has already entered the body, but the main signs of its development have not yet been revealed.

Rotavirus infection in children has an incubation period of no more than 1-5 days. Taking into account all stages of the disease, the fight against the virus, including the recovery period, full recovery should not occur more than 3 weeks after the start of treatment. All that goes beyond the established time limit is already considered a complicated form of the disease with the transition of some processes to a chronic stage.

Diagnostics

Recognized rotavirus infection in children on the basis of clinical indicators of blood analysis. Carry out the PCR analysis for the detection of antibodies to rotavirus. The data of enzyme immunoassay, agglutination reactions are indicative. As a rule, rotavirus infection in children occurs against the background of other viral diseases, most often influenza, so the diagnosis of the disease is based not only on laboratory data, but also on visual symptoms, respiratory and cardiovascular parameters.

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How is rotavirus infection treated in children?

Unfortunately, but there is no special, separate drug or group of drugs designed to eliminate rotavirus. Treatment for rotavirus damage of the body is complex, in some cases symptomatic.

The main direction of treatment is the removal of manifestations of viral intoxication, restoration of water-salt balance, which is pathologically violated due to severe diarrhea and vomiting, restoration of normal intestinal functionality.

It is important to consider the greater likelihood of joining secondary bacteriological infections, for which a special set of drugs that exclude such a course of events is used in treatment.

It is important for parents to remember that with any manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders, it is impossible to give milk products to the child, including milk itself. The milky environment, especially lactic acid, is an excellent soil for the development of bacteria, against the background of virus damage, pathogenic bacteria do not take long to wait, so the parents' good intention will result in catastrophic consequences for the child, in the form of various complications, in which rotavirus infection in children is quite available.

Of great importance is proper drinking and nutrition, especially in the acute period, especially when the child's appetite is practically nonexistent. Good for any jelly, low-fat chicken broth, both in the form of drink, and in the form of an independent dish. Liquid porridges on water, preferably rice with a small sugar content, but without oil.

Important! During meals, take it in small portions. This moment is given special attention when the child has a pronounced vomiting reflex. More than one teaspoon is not worth it to offer. Let him eat and drink at one time as much as he can, but repeat these portions as often as possible, say 1 time per hour.

Drinking with sorbents is the best way to remove toxins from the body and restore lost fluid with vomiting and diarrhea. Again, it is important to remember that the drink should be abundant, but at one time the serving should not exceed 50 ml, otherwise the next urge to vomit will bring all positive intentions to zero.

Take 50 ml every hour. If there is no nausea and vomiting, the amount of liquid for one dose and repetitions per hour can be increased, everything is decided by the situation. The main thing is for the child to drink liquids as often as possible with sorbents.

Which sorbents should be used, the doctor will tell. For each age there are norms of these drugs, so even activated charcoal should be used carefully, choosing the dose based on the child's age.

"To knock down" body temperature is necessary only after the indicator on the thermometer has "overtaken" 39 degrees. It must be remembered that viruses in the body begin to die at a temperature above 38 degrees. As soon as the temperature indicator reached a critical figure of 38.5 degrees, it should be measured every 10 minutes.

In the event that the temperature continues to rise steadily, then all necessary means must be prepared to stop it and reduce the indicators. Here, alcohol rubbing and antipyretic suppositories are also useful.

Rotavirus infection in children is well treatable with paracetamol, from which the temperature indicators quickly begin to stabilize. It is not used alone, but in combination with analgin. This option of fighting the temperature is like for children over one year old. At one time use a quarter of the tablet of both names.

How is rotavirus infection prevented in children?

Like directed rotavirus treatment, prevention of this type of disease is absent. There are specially developed vaccines against rotavirus, which are used only in the fear of Europe and the United States.

The only possible method that allows you to avoid a number of diseases is compliance with personal hygiene rules.

Adults need to take note that when working in children's groups it is necessary to strictly monitor their own health, observe not only the rules of personal hygiene and apply proper means for disinfecting surfaces in the premises, but also to undergo preventive examinations, consult a doctor at the first signs of any disease. From the awareness of adults depends the health of the surrounding children and, in many ways, their healthy future.

Clean hands, clean water, as the main source of fluid entering the body - a significant guarantee that rotavirus infection in children will be a rare visitor.