Rotavirus infection in a child: how it manifests itself, how diagnostics and treatment are carried out

Rotavirus infection in a child sometimes becomes a "test of strength" for children and parents: it is so hard to tolerate and is accompanied by the appearance of several complicating syndromes, which is sometimes difficult to understand how to begin treatment.

There is a disease usually in children of younger age group, it is more difficult for children 1-3 years of age. The virus is transmitted through dirty hands, when eating food from one dish to the sick, when playing with toys alone, after which the hands are not washed. You can get infected with unboiled water, less often - dairy products. Especially dangerous as "distributors" adults: they almost do not get sick or their disease manifests only in catarrhal phenomena, but they actively spread the virus into the environment. It is also easy enough to get infected from a child or an adult, whose diarrhea is not particularly pronounced, but the virus is released into the environment with faeces up to two months and more.

Rotavirus infection in the child manifests itself after a sufficiently short incubation period from 12 hours to 2 days.

In most children, the disease begins as follows:

• The body temperature rises, usually to high levels, which is difficult to knock down;
• There is a runny nose, there may be redness and sore throat;
• Headache, refusal to eat, weakness;
• There is vomiting, which is repeated 2-3 times in a few hours, then becomes less frequent;
• There is diarrhea: a stool of usual color, liquid, fetid, often - foamy, sometimes with a small admixture of blood. When a rotavirus infection develops in a child, the stool can be observed up to 20 or more times a day, leading to a fairly rapid dehydration of the body without proper therapy.

Perhaps a different combination of symptoms and their appearance in time. So, the first signs of the disease can become a runny nose and cough, then vomiting and diarrhea develop . The disease can only occur with vomiting and without catarrhal phenomena at all; Diarrhea can be of different frequency (3-4 to 20-30 times a day) and duration (2-3 days or longer). There may be a relapse of the disease, when the baby's condition has just begun to normalize, but suddenly the temperature rises again, vomiting or diarrhea appears. Therefore, it is important to treat the disease with an infectious disease doctor, to comply with all of its recommendations and not to rush to expand the diet.

How is the diagnosis made? Is it possible to diagnose at home?

An analysis for rotavirus infection can be done at home. This will help you distinguish it from a bacterial intestinal infection. To do this, the pharmacy needs to buy a "Cito Rota Test" (rota-test) and follow it according to the instructions, taking a little feces of the child from a clean pot in which it did not mix with the urine. Two strips will indicate that the child has a rotavirus infection.

What should I do if my child develops rotavirus infection?

1. Do not panic, go to the infectious disease specialist.
2. Buy in the pharmacy: "Acetone-test", candles "Laferobion" for 500 thousand units (for children over 2 years) or 125 units - for those younger, about 10 bags of "Humane electrolyte", several bags of "Smekty" or "White coal" in powder, "Bifilact-Extra" - 1-2 plates or packing "Entererozherminy", candles "Cefekon" and syrup "Nurofen" or "Efferalgan".
3. Actively solder the child. He should drink at least his daily allowance (for example, for a child weighing 10 kg - this is about 1 liter of liquid) plus he needs to give the liquid that he has already lost with diarrhea, vomiting and fever, plus one that he continues to lose.

To solder it is necessary rice decoction, water, in which "Humaine electrolyte" is dissolved, decoction of chamomile. On the day, it is also desirable to give up to 50 ml of Borjomi, from which gas was previously released.

1. "Smecta" or "Coal" - in the age-related dosage 4-5 times a day.
2. Candles "Laferobion" or "Viferon" - in the rectum at the age of dosage.
3. Actively we measure acetone in urine and watch its quantity. Urine should be no less than 2 ml / kg / h, and the level of ketone bodies, checked by a litmus test from Acetone-test - to one "+" or "0".
4. The temperature is knocked down with candles "Cefecon" (or "Efferalgan"), syrup, wiping with cool water and alcohol. It is important to ensure that you do not exceed the daily dosage of the drug.

If you see that:

• The child is drowsy;
• Loses a lot of fluid with diarrhea or vomiting;
• You can not lower the temperature;
• Drinking a baby is impossible because of constant vomiting;
• Acetone urine is greater than "+";
• There were convulsive twitchings of the limbs, -

Call an ambulance and go to an infectious hospital.

Those mothers whose children had rotavirus infection, the reviews leave quite negative: a very small number of parents were able to cope at home with the disease, many needed hospitalization, some children entered the intensive care unit for 1-3 days. Given all this, I want to say: after seeing the diarrhea in the baby, make a company test. If it is positive, do not wait for complications, go to the infectious hospital, the child will feel good - leave, nobody will keep you. But you get medical help and will be warned about what next time to pay attention first.