Rotavirus Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Children with a rotavirus infection have fever, nausea, and vomiting, which are often followed by abdominal cramps and frequent, watery diarrhea. Children who are infected may also have a cough and runny nose. As with all viruses, though, some rotavirus infections cause few or no symptoms, especially in adults.
Sometimes the diarrhea that accompanies a rotavirus infection is so severe that it can quickly lead to dehydration. Signs of dehydration include: thirst, irritability, restlessness, lethargy, sunken eyes, a dry mouth and tongue, dry skin, fewer trips to the bathroom to urinate, and (in infants) a dry diaper for several hours.

Rotavirus most often infects infants and young children, and in children ages 3 months to 2 years, is one of the most common causes of diarrhea. In the United States, it leads to outbreaks of diarrhea during the winter and spring months. It is particularly a problem in child-care centers and children's hospitals. Almost all children have had a rotavirus infection by the time they are 5 years old. Severe infection, rotavirus gastroenteritis, is the leading cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children.

Rotavirus infections are responsible for approximately 3 million cases of diarrhea and 55,000 hospitalizations for diarrhea and dehydration in children under 5 years old each year in the United States. Although these infections cause relatively few deaths in the United States, diarrhea caused by rotavirus results in more than half a million deaths worldwide every year. This is especially true in developing countries, where nutrition and health care are not optimal.

Contagiousness

Rotavirus infection is very contagious. The virus passes in the stool of infected persons before and after they have symptoms of the illness. Children can become infected if they put their fingers in their mouths after touching something that has been contaminated by the stool of an infected person. Usually this happens when children forget to wash their hands often enough, especially before eating and after using the toilet. People who care for children, including health-care and child-care workers, can also spread the virus, especially if they do not wash their hands after changing diapers.

Prevention

Frequent hand washing is the best tool to limit the spread of rotavirus infection. Children who are infected should stay home from child-care groups until their diarrhea has resolved. In hospitals, rotavirus outbreaks are controlled by isolating infected patients and ordering strict hand-washing procedures.

When to Call Your Child's Doctor

Call the doctor for advice if your child has signs of a rotavirus infection, including watery diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Call immediately if your child is showing signs of dehydration