Parents of babies and young children should watch for rotavirus, a highly contagious viral infection that easily and rapidly spreads through families, day cares, schools and playgroups, and accounts for 500,000 doctor visits and 50,000 hospitalizations annually for children under 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rotavirus causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The viral illness, which lasts from three to nine days and occurs most often in the United States between November and May, will affect most children by the time they turn 5.
People become infected with rotavirus after touching objects contaminated by the stool of an infected person and then ingesting the virus.
“One of the reasons babies and very young children catch rotavirus most often is that they tend to put everything in their mouths,” says Dr. Flor Munoz, an infectious disease specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital. “A common source of infection occurs when young children fail to wash their hands after going to the bathroom and then put their fingers in their mouths or eat with their hands.”
Rotavirus is spread among infants and babies when caregivers change diapers and don’t wash their hands. They then touch a toy or pacifier that goes into a baby's mouth, infecting children in their care.
Hands, toys, water fountains and surfaces, such as coffee tables or counters, can carry microscopic specks of infected fecal material. The virus remains active on hands and objects, allowing it to spread quickly and easily. Infection and transmission of the virus to another person can occur before any symptoms develop.
Good hygiene, including frequent hand washing, and sanitary disposal of dirty diapers can help reduce a child’s exposure to the virus. Cleaning environmental surfaces with a chlorine-based disinfectant, such household bleach, also is helpful, though there is no way to completely prevent exposure to rotavirus.
“Rotavirus can become very serious if those infected become dehydrated,” explains Munoz, also a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.
Munoz says a child should be seen by his or her pediatrician if the child is not drinking enough fluids or seems especially thirsty, or if he or she is not able to keep pace with replacing fluids lost through bouts of vomiting or diarrhea. Parents also should watch for other signs of dehydration, including increased irritability, decreased activity, lack of tears when crying, low urine output or dark urine, sunken eyes, and a bloated, hard or tender abdomen.
“If a child is not toilet trained, he or she should stay home until stools are solid,” cautions Munoz. “Toilet trained children should remain home until fever is gone, diarrhea is mild and they have control over loose bowel movements.”
A new rotavirus vaccine called RotaTeq®, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, may provide some protection to babies, though no formal recommendations have been made by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The vaccine will only be available to infants under 6 months of age to prevent infection with rotavirus and its complications during the next winter season.
“Since the vaccination is new, parents interested in the vaccine should discuss it with their child’s pediatrician,” says Munoz.
To protect their families, there is one key thing parents can do.
“Teach your family to wash their hands often, especially after going to the bathroom and before preparing food or eating,” Munoz says. “Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to help curb the spread of rotavirus and other highly contagious illnesses.”
