Intestinal Flu: What is rotavirus and how to protect against it
Many are familiar with rotavirus infection. not by hearsay: the virus, most often "brought" by a child from kindergarten, is capable of knocking out the whole family for several days. At the same time, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are often blamed on spoiled food - it seems that all members of the family "ate something wrong." Attempts to treat intestinal infections with antibiotics do not produce results: as with any viral infections, antibacterial agents are useless in this case. We tell you where rotavirus infection comes from and what to do with it.
Text: Ksenia Akinshina
How is the infection transmitted?
Under an electron microscope, this virus looks like a wheel - hence its name, from the Latin rota (wheel). It is transmitted by the fecal-oral route - that is, it is a typical illness of dirty hands. In countries where tap water is not well purified, rotavirus infection can spread through the water. In addition, in 1993, a study was conducted in kindergartens, in which the virus was found on the surface of telephones, drinking fountains, tables for playing with water.
Rotavirus easily spreads among young children, who, in turn, transmit it to family members and other people with whom they communicate. After the onset of symptoms, the virus continues to stand out with feces for up to ten days (and for people with immunodeficiency up to a month). Good hygiene - washing hands and maintaining cleanliness - is important, but not enough.
Why is it dangerous
According to the World Health Organization, rotavirus infection is the cause of a quarter of all diseases associated with acute diarrhea in children under five. In the European region, it leads to the death of more than ten thousand children every year.
After one or three days of the incubation period (when the infection has occurred, but the symptoms have not yet appeared), vomiting and diarrhea occur, the temperature rises, weakness and pain in the abdomen can appear. These symptoms can last from three to eight days and lead to serious complications, including dehydration. In this case, a person loses more fluid than enters the body.
In young children with dehydration, dry skin, tongue, mouth, crying without tears, dry diaper for three hours, sunken eyes and cheeks, lethargy and irritability are noticeable. In adults, there is a very strong thirst, urination becomes rare, and urine - dark, fatigue, dizziness, confusion. This condition is life threatening, which means that it should be treated in the hospital under the supervision of doctors. If you suspect dehydration, seek medical attention immediately.
How to be treated
As with most viral infections, there are no specific drugs for rotavirus, and antibiotics are useless for obvious reasons. This does not mean that you do not need to do anything - supportive therapy will help you to more easily transfer the disease and avoid serious complications. The first thing to do is to make up the loss of fluid — drink water, isotonic drinks, or special pharmaceutical salt preparations. Children need to give small portions of the liquid more often. In severe cases, fluid is injected intravenously in the hospital.
It is important to avoid alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and fatty foods - this will lead to irritation of the intestines and deterioration. It is important for both adults and children to drink plenty of fluids and eat soft foods, so as not to irritate the digestive system. The American Academy of Pediatricians with severe diarrhea recommends monitoring body temperature, paying attention to such dangerous signs as blood in the stool, not drinking children with boiled milk, salty broth or soup, and not trying to make a mixture to fill in lost minerals on their own.
The "benefit" of cola with rotavirus infection is a common myth. It is justified by the fact that orthophosphoric acid can supposedly destroy the virus, and the drink itself serves as an antiseptic and compensates for the loss of fluid. In fact, there are no official recommendations for the use of cola for diarrhea or rotavirus anywhere in the world. Most likely, the "treatment" of gastrointestinal disorders with soda came from countries where the drink in bottles is a more affordable option than special rehydration mixtures, and safer (in terms of infections) than tap water.
How to protect
The only reliable way to protect against rotavirus infection is vaccination. Today, in Russia, this vaccine is not included in the national calendar, that is, it is not paid by the CHI system, therefore, parents of newborns should attend to vaccination at their own expense. Available in Russia, the vaccine does not require an injection - it is drops for oral administration. The first dose is administered between the ages of six and twelve weeks, complete the vaccination (enter two more doses) is necessary before the child turns thirty-two weeks. The efficacy and safety of the vaccine has been confirmed in studies involving more than 70,000 children.
Photo: Kateryna_Kon - stock.adobe.com (1, 2, 3)
