MADERA, Calif. – Rotavirus cases are climbing across the United States, outpacing last year’s numbers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High concentrations of cases have been detected in wastewater in northern and southern California over the past month, according to reporting from USA Today.
The highly contagious virus can hit young children hard – so what should parents know?
What is rotavirus?
Rotavirus is a stomach bug that’s very common in young children. Before vaccines were developed, almost every child got rotavirus before turning 5, and it’s the top cause of diarrhea in infants and children worldwide.
What are the symptoms?
Rotavirus causes symptoms similar to other viruses, including mild fever, vomiting and watery diarrhea. Typically, the symptoms of the illness last between three and eight days.
What makes rotavirus different from other infections is its ability to dehydrate children very quickly. Here are signs of dehydration to watch out for:
- Fewer wet diapers than usual (or no wet diapers for several hours).
- No tears when crying.
- Dry mouth or cracked lips.
- Sunken-looking eyes.
- Unusual sleepiness or fussiness.
- Cool, blotchy hands and feet.
How do kids catch it?
Children get rotavirus through the fecal-oral route. The virus gets on hands, toys and surfaces, and if another child touches those things and then puts their hands in their mouth, they can get sick too.
Rotavirus is highly contagious and spreads easily in daycares, at home and in playgroups, even when things are kept clean. Children are most likely to spread the virus when they’re sick and during the first three days after they recover.
Is rotavirus more dangerous for young children?
Rotavirus is most dangerous for infants and toddlers between 3 and 35 months of age. There are a few reasons for this:
- A child’s first rotavirus infection is almost always the worst. After that, their body learns to fight it more effectively.
- Babies and toddlers are small, meaning they don’t have as much water in their bodies to begin with, so they get dehydrated much faster than older kids or adults.
- Very young babies (under about 3 months) have some protection passed from their mother during pregnancy, but that protection does not last long.
Why are rotavirus cases higher this year?
Since the vaccine was released, the United States has seen a pattern: a busy year for rotavirus is often followed by a quieter year, and then a busy year again.
During COVID-19, fewer children were around other sick kids, and some missed their shots. That means more kids right now have never been protected against rotavirus.
Additionally, fewer kids get the rotavirus vaccine compared to other baby shots, with roughly three out of every four children finishing all their doses of the rotavirus vaccine.
How can you protect your child?
The single best way to protect your child is vaccination. Two rotavirus vaccines are available in the United States:
- Rotarix: given as two doses by mouth (at 2 months and 4 months of age).
- RotaTeq: given as three doses by mouth (at 2, 4, and 6 months of age)
Both vaccines are very effective at preventing severe rotavirus illness. Since the vaccines came out, rotavirus hospitalizations in the U.S. have dropped by about 75%.
There is an important time window: the first dose must be given before 15 weeks of age. If your baby has not yet received the rotavirus vaccine, talk to your pediatrician right away.
Other ways to help protect your child include:
- Washing hands with soap and water, especially after diaper changes and before preparing or eating food.
- Breastfeeding if possible. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the severity of stomach illnesses.
- Keeping sick children home from daycare until symptoms have resolved.
Keep in mind that because of the contagious nature of rotavirus, handwashing alone is not enough to fully protect kids. Vaccination remains the most effective ad reliable form of protection.
What should you do if your child has symptoms?
There is no medicine that kills rotavirus. Treatment focuses on keeping your child hydrated while the illness runs its course, usually within about a week.
For mild symptoms:
- Give small sips of a rehydration drink like Pedialyte. These have the right mix of sugar and salt to put back what the body has lost.
- If you are breastfeeding, continue to breastfeed your baby.
- For older toddlers with mild diarrhea, watered-down apple juice can also help.
- Once the throwing up slows down (usually after about 4 to 6 hours), go back to your child’s normal foods. No special diet is needed.
- After each round of diarrhea or vomiting, give an extra 2 to 4 ounces of rehydration drink.
Call your pediatrician or seek medical care if your child:
- Shows any signs of dehydration.
- Cannot keep fluids down despite small, frequent sips.
- Has blood in their stool.
- Has a high fever that will not come down.
- Seems unusually sleepy, limp or difficult to wake.
Go to the emergency room if your child seems very ill, is not responding normally or has not had a wet diaper in 6 or more hours.
Most children recover fully from rotavirus at home with good hydration. The key is to act early – don’t wait until your child is extremely dehydrated to start offering fluids.
