Rotavirus is a virus that causes gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines).
The rotavirus disease causes severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain.
In babies and young children, it can lead to dehydration. Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide.
By contaminated • Food • Water • Hands • Objects (toys, surfaces)
Children can spread the virus both before and after they become sick with diarrhea.
They can also pass rotavirus to family members and other people with whom they have close contact.
Rotavirus is passed from a person’s body into the environment via the feces of infected persons.
The virus spreads by the fecal-oral route; this means that the virus must be passed by an infected person and then enter a susceptible person’s mouth to cause infection.
Rotavirus disease is most common in infants and young children, but adults and older children can also become infected with rotavirus.
Once a person has been exposed to rotavirus, it takes about 2 days for symptoms to appear.
Symptoms include:
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
Vomiting and watery diarrhea may last from 3 to 8 days in a child who is infected with rotavirus.
Additional symptoms include loss of appetite and dehydration, which can be especially harmful for infants and young children.
Usually a person’s first infection with rotavirus causes the most severe symptoms.
There is no antiviral drug to treat rotavirus infection. Antibiotic drugs will not help; this is because antibiotics fight against bacteria not viruses.
Dehydration can lead to other serious problems.
Severe dehydration may require hospitalization for treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids.
The best way to protect against dehydration is to drink plenty of liquids (oral rehydration therapy).
Severe dehydration can be serious.
If you think you or someone you are caring for is severely dehydrated, contact your doctor.
There is no specific medicine to treat rotavirus infection, but your doctor may recommend medicine to treat the symptoms.
Antibiotics will not help because they fight bacteria not viruses.
Since rotavirus disease can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, it can lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids). The best way to protect against dehydration is to drink plenty of liquids. You can get oral rehydration solutions over the counter in U.S. food and drug stores; these are most helpful for mild dehydration.
Severe dehydration may require hospitalization for treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids that patients receive directly through their veins.
If you or someone you are caring for is severely dehydrated, contact your doctor. Infants and young children, older adults, and people with other illnesses are most at risk of dehydration.
Information provided in this section is in the public domain and is provided by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA); US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD);
and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
This information is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a healthcare provider.
If you have any questions about the bacteria described in this section or think that you may have a bacterial infection, please consult a healthcare provider.
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