Rotavirus is a virus that causes gastroenteritis. Symptoms include severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and dehydration. Almost all children in the U.S. are likely to be infected with rotavirus before their 5th birthday.

Infections happen most often in the winter and spring. It is very easy for children with the virus to spread it to other children and sometimes to adults. Once a child gets the virus, it takes about two days to become sick. Vomiting and diarrhea may last from three to eight days.

There is no medicine to treat it. To prevent dehydration, have your child drink plenty of liquids. Your health care provider may recommend oral rehydration drinks. Some children need to go to the hospital for IV fluids. Two vaccines against rotavirus infections are available.

Rotavirus disease is most common in infants and young children, but older children and adults can get it too. People with this disease shed a lot of rotavirus in their poop. If you get rotavirus particles in your mouth, you can get infected and sick. This can happen when you put your unwashed hands or a contaminated object, food, or liquid in your mouth. Once you’ve been exposed, it takes about 2 days for symptoms to appear. The most common symptom is diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, throwing up, and stomach pain. Some children are not able to drink enough liquids to replace the fluids lost from having diarrhea or throwing up. This can lead to severe dehydration, hospitalization, and even death. Protect your child with rotavirus vaccine.

Key Facts

• Children are most likely to get rotavirus disease in the winter and spring (January through June).
• Before rotavirus vaccine was introduced in 2006, rotavirus was the leading cause of severe diarrhea in U.S. young children. Most children were infected by age 5.
• Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide.
• There are two very effective vaccines to protect against rotavirus: Rotarix and RotaTeq. Both are given by putting drops of the vaccine into an infant’s mouth.
• There is no antiviral drug to treat rotavirus infection. Antibiotic drugs will not help because antibiotics fight against bacteria not viruses.

The Virus Spreads Easily

Rotavirus is in the stool (poop) of infected people, and can be spread by hands, diapers, or objects such as toys, changing tables, or doorknobs that have a small amount of stool on them. The virus spreads easily.

Rotavirus

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among children. Globally, an estimated 527,000 children die every year from rotavirus.

Get Children Vaccinated

CDC recommends routine vaccination of infants with either of the available oral vaccines, RotaTeq or Rotarix. The vaccines help prevent severe diarrhea and vomiting caused by rotavirus.

Good Hygiene is Important

In addition to rotavirus vaccination, good hygiene is important in keeping your child safe from rotavirus.

Prevention Tips

• Rotavirus is very contagious. Hand washing and good hygiene are important but not enough to control the spread of rotavirus disease.
• Rotavirus vaccination is the best way to protect your child from rotavirus disease.
• CDC recommends that infants get vaccinated against rotavirus disease. Two vaccines are available:
  • RotaTeq® is given in 3 doses at ages 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
  • Rotarix® is given in 2 doses at ages 2 months and 4 months.
• The first dose of the rotavirus vaccine can be given as early as 6 weeks of age. Infants should get all doses by 8 months of age.
• Rotavirus vaccines will not prevent diarrhea or throwing up caused by other viruses, but they are very effective against rotavirus infection.

Clinical Features

Rotavirus disease is characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for three to eight days. Fever and abdominal pain also are common. Additional symptoms include loss of appetite and dehydration.

Symptoms of dehydration include

• decreased urination
• dry mouth and throat
• feeling dizzy when standing up
• crying with few or no tears and
• unusual sleepiness or fussiness.

The incubation period for rotavirus disease is approximately two days.

Children may develop rotavirus disease more than once because neither vaccine nor natural infection provide full immunity from future infections. A child’s first infection with rotavirus tends to cause the most severe symptoms.

The Virus

Rotavirus has a characteristic wheel-like appearance when viewed by an electron microscope. See photos. The name rotavirus is derived from the Latin word rota, meaning “wheel.” Rotaviruses are non-enveloped, possess a triple-layered capsid, and have a segmented RNA genome. The virus is stable in the environment.

Epidemiologic Features

The primary mode of transmission is the fecal-oral route, usually through direct contact between people. Because the virus is stable in the environment, transmission also can occur through ingestion of contaminated water or food and contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. In the United States and other countries with a temperate climate, the disease has a winter and spring seasonal pattern, with annual epidemics occurring from January through June. The highest rates of illness occur among infants and children age 5 and under. Adults can get rotavirus, though disease tends to be milder.

Diagnosis

Conduct nucleic acid detection PCR assays (for rotavirus alone or in multipathogen panels) or antigen-detection immunoassays on stool specimens to rapidly detect rotavirus RNA or antigens and make a diagnosis. You can further characterize strains by nucleic acid sequencing, but such tests are usually carried out only by laboratories engaged in surveillance testing or research.

Treatment

For people with healthy immune systems, rotavirus disease is self-limited, lasting only a few days. Treatment is nonspecific and consists primarily of oral rehydration therapy to prevent dehydration.

Vaccination

The two rotavirus vaccines approved for use in infants in the United States are safe and effective. During the first year of an infant’s life, rotavirus vaccine provides 85% to 98% protection against severe rotavirus illness and against hospitalization from rotavirus illness, and 74% to 87% protection against rotavirus illness of any severity.

The CDC recommends routine vaccination of infants with either of the two available vaccines:

• RotaTeq® licensed in 2006, is given in three doses at ages 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
• Rotarix® licensed in 2008, is given in two doses at ages 2 months and 4 months

The vaccines differ in how they are made and the number of doses, but both are given orally.

You can get infected with rotavirus if you get rotavirus particles in your mouth.

This can happen if you

• put your unwashed hands that are contaminated with poop into your mouth
• touch contaminated objects or surfaces and then put your fingers in your mouth
• eat contaminated food

People who are infected with rotavirus shed the virus in their stool (poop). This is how the virus gets into the environment and can infect other people. People shed rotavirus the most, and are more likely to infect others, both when they have symptoms and during the first three days after they recover. People with rotavirus can also infect others before they have symptoms.

Rotavirus spreads easily among infants and young children.

They can spread rotavirus to family members and other people with whom they have close contact. Children are most likely to get rotavirus in the winter and spring (January through June).

Good hygiene like handwashing and cleanliness are important, but are not enough to control the spread of the disease. Rotavirus vaccination is the best way to protect your child from rotavirus disease.

Children, even those who are vaccinated, may get infected and sick from rotavirus more than once. That is because neither natural infection with rotavirus nor vaccination provides full protection from future infections. Children who are not vaccinated usually have more severe symptoms the first time they get rotavirus disease. Vaccinated children are less likely to get sick from rotavirus.

The most common symptoms of rotavirus are severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and/or abdominal pain.

Symptoms usually start about two days after a person is exposed to rotavirus. Vomiting and watery diarrhea can last three to eight days. Additional symptoms may include loss of appetite and dehydration (loss of body fluids), which can be especially dangerous for infants and young children.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• decreased urination
• dry mouth and throat
• feeling dizzy when standing up
• crying with few or no tears and
• unusual sleepiness or fussiness.

Rotavirus disease is most common in infants and young children. However, older children and adults can also get sick from rotavirus. Adults who get rotavirus disease tend to have milder symptoms.

There is no specific medicine to treat rotavirus infection, but your doctor may recommend medicine to treat the symptoms. Antibiotics will not help because they fight bacteria not viruses.

Since rotavirus disease can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, it can lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids). The best way to protect against dehydration is to drink plenty of liquids. You can get oral rehydration solutions over the counter in U.S. food and drug stores; these are most helpful for mild dehydration. Severe dehydration may require hospitalization for treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids that patients receive directly through their veins. If you or someone you are caring for is severely dehydrated, contact your doctor. Infants and young children, older adults, and people with other illnesses are most at risk of dehydration.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• decreased urination
• dry mouth and throat
• feeling dizzy when standing up
• crying with few or no tears and
• unusual sleepiness or fussiness.

Rotavirus vaccine is the best way to protect your child against rotavirus disease.

Most children (about 9 out of 10) who get the vaccine will be protected from severe rotavirus disease. About 7 out of 10 children will be protected from rotavirus disease of any severity.

Two rotavirus vaccines are currently licensed for infants in the United States:

• RotaTeq® is given in three doses at ages 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
• Rotarix® is given in two doses at ages 2 months and 4 months

The first dose of either vaccine should be given before a child is 15 weeks of age. Children should receive all doses of rotavirus vaccine before they turn 8 months old.

Both vaccines are given by putting drops in the child’s mouth.

Two or more doses of a rotavirus vaccine are recommended for children by doctors as the best way to protect against rotavirus.

When should my baby get the drops?

Your baby should get either of the two available rotavirus vaccines:

• RotaTeq (RV5) is given in 3 doses at ages 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
• Rotarix (RV1) is given in 2 doses at ages 2 months, and 4 months

There are 2 brands of rotavirus vaccine: RotaTeq and Rotarix. Both brands of the rotavirus vaccines are given by mouth (drops), not by a shot.

Why should my baby get the rotavirus drops?

• Protects your baby from rotavirus, a potentially serious disease.
• Protects your baby from developing diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain caused by rotavirus.
• Keeps your child from missing school or childcare and you from missing work.

The rotavirus vaccine is safe.

The rotavirus vaccine is very safe, and is effective at preventing rotavirus. Vaccines like any medicine, can have side effects. These are usually mild and go away on their own.

What are the side effects?

Side effects are rare, usually mild, and may include fussiness, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Some studies have shown a small rise in cases of intussusception within a week after the first or second dose of rotavirus vaccine. Intussusception is a type of bowel blockage that is treated in a hospital. Some babies might need surgery. Studies estimate a risk ranging from about 1 intussusception case in every 20,000 infants to 1 intussusception case in every 100,000 infants after vaccination.

What is rotavirus?

Rotavirus causes severe diarrhea and vomiting. It affects mostly babies and young children. Diarrhea and vomiting can lead to serious dehydration (loss of body fluid). If dehydration is not treated, it can be deadly.

What are the symptoms of rotavirus?

Rotavirus symptoms include:

• Fever
• Watery diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pain

Diarrhea and vomiting can last for 3 to 8 days. Children may stop eating and drinking while they are sick.

Is rotavirus serious?

Rotavirus can be very harmful. Diarrhea, vomiting, and fever can cause a loss of body fluids. This leads to dehydration, which can be very dangerous, especially for babies and young children. Some children need an IV (needle in their vein) in the hospital to replace lost fluids.

How does rotavirus spread?

Rotavirus commonly spreads in families, hospitals, and childcare centers.

People who are infected with rotavirus shed the virus in their stool (poop). If you get rotavirus particles in your mouth, you can get sick. This can happen if you

• Touch contaminated objects or surfaces then put your fingers in your mouth
• Put your unwashed hands that are contaminated with poop into your mouth
• Eat contaminated food

Rotavirus can survive on objects for several days. It is very difficult to stop its spread just by hand washing or disinfecting surfaces. The best way to protect young children from rotavirus is to get them vaccinated.