Rotavirus is present in stool and is mainly transmitted between hand and mouth contact. It’s highly contagious and easily transmittable. While it occurs most often in young children, adults can also get the infection, although it’s usually less severe.
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. The virus can also remain on surfaces for several days (and possibly weeks) after an infected person touches them. This is why it’s crucial to disinfect all common surfaces in your home frequently, especially if a member of your household has rotavirus.
People who are infected with rotavirus shed the virus in their stool. This is how the virus gets into the environment and can infect other people. People shed rotavirus the most, and are more likely to infect others, both when they have symptoms and during the first three days after they recover. People with rotavirus can also infect others before they have symptoms.
The most common symptoms of rotavirus are severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and/or abdominal pain. Symptoms usually start about two days after a person is exposed to rotavirus. Vomiting and watery diarrhea can last three to eight days. Additional symptoms may include loss of appetite and dehydration (loss of body fluids), which can be especially dangerous for infants and young children.
Dehydration is the greatest concern in children. This age group is more vulnerable to a loss of fluid and electrolytes through vomiting and diarrhea because of they have smaller body weights.
The rotavirus isn’t treated with medications. It usually resolves on its own with time. Rotavirus vaccine is the best way to protect your child against rotavirus disease.
In 1973, a team of Australian researchers examining the intestinal tissues and feces of children with diarrhea through electron micrography discovered the presence of a novel wheel-shaped virus fragment. This virus was given the name “rotavirus” after the Latin word for wheel - rota.
By 1980, the CDC had declared rotavirus to be the most frequent cause of serious gastrointestinal illness in infants and toddlers and estimated that the virus caused between 20 and 60 deaths annually in the United States. It was also estimated to cause 400,000 physician visits, 200,000 emergency room visits, and between 55,000 and 70,000 hospitalizations. It was still not known exactly how the virus was spread but it was assumed that it occurred through the fecal-oral route.
By 1983, research priorities included the development of a test that could rapidly identify the specific virus, the establishment of a universal classification for each group and type of rotavirus, and the development of a vaccine against the virus.
The first vaccine for rotavirus, RotaShield, was licensed and recommended for routine childhood immunization in 1998. However, it was withdrawn in 1999 due to safety concerns. Scientists associated the vaccine with a rare intestinal problem called intussusception, a potentially fatal telescoping of part of the bowel. Back to the drawing board!
In 2006 the second vaccine was licensed for use and proved successful.
Since the vaccine was introduced, hospitalizations and deaths from rotavirus have dropped significantly. Most children (about 9 out of 10) who get the vaccine will be protected from severe rotavirus disease. About 7 out of 10 children will be protected from rotavirus disease of any severity.
Two rotavirus vaccines are currently licensed for infants in the United States. Both are administered through oral drops.
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