Good Thing are Meant to be Shared - 03 [Rotavirus]

Rotavirus is not a good thing.
But to share about it is a good thing.

Smlm EL sb pengasuh Iman xsehat..And alhamdulillah Iman dh sehat wal afiat..joget2 goyang bontot and tepuk muka mommy bila mommy tertido..huhu~

Ok back to rotavirus.
Common but deadly. Let's find out what it's really is.

In a glance

• Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants and children throughout the world.
• Most children become infected with rotavirus by age 3.
• There are different strains of rotavirus, and multiple infections by different strains may occur.
• Rotavirus causes fever, vomiting, and watery diarrhea.
• Rotavirus infection is highly contagious.
• Rotavirus illness typically resolves on its own after three to nine days.
• A vaccine to prevent rotavirus infection is available.

 
Rotavirus is a virus that infects the bowels. It is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants and children throughout the world and causes the death of about 600,000 children worldwide annually. The name rotavirus comes from the characteristic wheel-like appearance of the virus when viewed by electron microscopy (the name rotavirus is derived from the Latin rota, meaning "wheel").

The culprit.

Almost all children have become infected with rotavirus by their third birthday. Repeat infections with different viral strains are possible, and most children have several episodes of rotavirus infection in the first years of life. After several infections with different strains of the virus, children acquire immunity to rotavirus. Children between the ages of 6 and 24 months are at greatest risk for developing severe disease from rotavirus infection. Adults sometimes become infected, but the resulting illness is usually mild.


Signs And Symptoms


Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a mild to severe disease characterized by vomiting, watery diarrhea, and low-grade fever. Once a child is infected by the virus, there is an incubation period of about two days before symptoms appear. Symptoms often start with vomiting followed by four to eight days of profuse diarrhea. Dehydration is more common in rotavirus infection than in most of those caused by bacterial pathogens, and is the most common cause of death related to rotavirus infection.

Rotavirus A infections can occur throughout life: the first usually produces symptoms, but subsequent infections are typically mild or asymptomatic, as the immune system provides some protection. Consequently, symptomatic infection rates are highest in children under two years of age and decrease progressively towards 45 years of age. Infection in newborn children, although common, is often associated with mild or asymptomatic disease; the most severe symptoms tend to occur in children six months to two years of age, the elderly, and those with compromised or absent immune system functions. Due to immunity acquired in childhood, most adults are not susceptible to rotavirus; gastroenteritis in adults usually has a cause other than rotavirus, but asymptomatic infections in adults may maintain the transmission of infection in the community.


Rotavirus infection can be associated with severe dehydration in infants and children. Severe dehydration can lead to death in rare cases, so it is important to recognize and treat this complication of rotavirus infection. In addition to the symptoms of rotavirus infection discussed above, parents should be aware of the symptoms of dehydration that can occur with rotavirus infection or with other serious conditions.
Symptoms of dehydration include

• lethargy,
• dry, cool skin,
• absence of tears when crying,
• dry or sticky mouth,
• sunken eyes or sunken fontanelle (the soft spot on the head of infants), and
• extreme thirst.

Prevention


Because improved sanitation does not decrease the prevalence of rotavirus disease, and the rate of hospitalizations remains high, despite the use of oral dehydrating medicines, the primary public health intervention is vaccination. Two vaccines against Rotavirus A infection are safe and effective in children: Rotarix by GlaxoSmithKline and RotaTeq by Merck. Both are taken orally and contain attenuated live virus.
Rotavirus vaccines are licensed in more than 100 countries, but only 17 countries have introduced routine rotavirus vaccination. Following the introduction of routine rotavirus vaccination in the US in 2006, the health burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis "rapidly and dramatically reduced" despite lower coverage levels compared to other routine infant immunizations.^] Clinical trials of the Rotarix rotavirus vaccine in South Africa and Malawi, found that the vaccine significantly reduced severe diarrhea episodes caused by rotavirus, and that the infection was preventable by vaccination
Source




Hopefully we are all alert with this silent killer..and never take fevers or diarrhea in small children as small matter and then regret for it.Nauzubillah~~




Love,

Zahra