Rotavirus infection
General information about the disease
Rotavirus infection (intestinal flu) is one of the types of acute intestinal infections that most often affects children. The largest number of cases of rotavirus infection occurs during the winter months, since rotavirus survives well at low temperatures. Rotavirus infection usually develops in children aged 1 to 3 years. In infants, infection is rarely detected, since they have maternal antibodies that prevent the penetration of pathogens.
How can you get rotavirus infection?
Rotavirus is extremely widespread and it is not particularly difficult to "catch" it. As a rule, rotavirus infection in adults and children is transmitted through non-observance of personal hygiene rules, through household items and general hygiene items, and enters the body with improperly prepared food. In addition, rotavirus infection in children can be felt after drinking dirty water from wells or open bodies of water. The causative agents of infection feel great at freezing temperatures and can stay in water for a long time, then getting into food.
Symptoms of rotavirus infection in children
At first, the symptoms of rotavirus infection in children appear only with a mild runny nose and sore throat. For this reason, it is often mistaken for acute respiratory infections or for the flu, if the patient also has a high fever. The error becomes apparent only when the pathogens enter the gastrointestinal tract. From this point on, rotavirus infection, the symptoms of which are already quite pronounced, is determined by the characteristic acute signs of the disease:
- diarrhea, frequent stools up to 20 times a day;
- vomiting lasting for 3-4 days;
- high temperature (up to 40 degrees);
- easy runny nose;
- headache;
- lethargy;
- chills.
The child begins to tear up in the first hours of the disease. In this case, abdominal pain is rare. Note also that rotavirus infection in adults and children can occur without severe diarrhea. Stool frequency in this case remains normal, but the stool becomes discolored.
Rotavirus infection usually ends on its own. Hospitalization is required only for selected patients in whom rotavirus infection is complicated. They can be prevented in the early stages by giving the child plenty of fluids, providing him with proper nutrition and taking care of restoring the water-salt balance. Of course, when a rotavirus infection is diagnosed, treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. Otherwise, the infection, which is practically harmless at first, can progress to an extremely dangerous disease and cause serious complications.
Can infection be avoided?
We have already said above that rotavirus infection in children is very widespread. According to some reports, every fifth person is a carrier of the virus. Given this, there is no need to talk about the complete safety of the child. Nevertheless, it is possible to minimize the situations that provoke the development of rotavirus infection in children and adults. If a baby develops a rotavirus infection, the symptoms are usually associated either with other previous illnesses or with lack of personal hygiene. Knowing this, you can form a set of basic preventive measures. First of all, the child needs to be tempered, strengthen his immunity, provide his child with proper, nutritious nutrition, rich in vitamins and microelements. You should also take care of the personal hygiene of children,teach them to wash their hands before eating and not stick dirty objects in their mouths.
Treatment of rotavirus infection in children
No specific measures are taken for patients. When a rotavirus infection is diagnosed, treatment consists in relieving severe symptoms. Doctors treat children for diarrhea and dehydration, take measures to lower the temperature, use enzyme preparations (Creon, Smecta). In addition, patients with rotavirus infection are prescribed a strict diet. It is necessary to exclude dairy products, fried foods, salty and spicy foods, juices, meat dishes and broths from the standard diet. Preference is given to boiled food, vegetarian soups, vegetable purees, and dried bread. If the child wants something sweet, then you can give him baked apples with sugar.
Since rotavirus infection in adults and children disrupts the water-salt balance, it should be restored using the following recipe: 1 sachet of rehydron is diluted in 1 liter of water. The medicine should be taken in small sips of 50 ml every hour. For diarrhea and other severe symptoms, folk remedies help well, but before using them, be sure to consult with your doctor to prevent possible complications.
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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
