How to treat Rotavirus?

Before the rotavirus vaccine became available in Australia, almost all children were infected by the age of five with rotavirus. About 10,000 young children are hospitalized with rotavirus gastroenteritis every year, and up to one child, a year will die from complications. Rotavirus was the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and children in the United States before vaccination. 

After a child has been exposed to the virus, symptoms may appear within 2 days. Most babies contract the virus between the ages of 3 and 35 months. The virus can infect adults, but the most serious cases occur in unvaccinated children between the ages of 3 and 35 months.

How to treat it?

There is no specific medicine to treat it. However, your doctor might recommend a few medicines to treat the symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, stomach ache...etc.

Rotavirus and its complications can be prevented through vaccination by getting your child vaccinated. This is why healthcare professionals recommend giving your child the Rotavirus vaccine at an early age for as long as possible.    

To prevent the spread of the rotavirus, children who are not sick should not come into contact with children who are sick; if your child is in the hospital, they will keep a distance from other children to prevent the spread of the virus. When recovering from rotavirus infection, it is important to stay hydrated and prevent the spread of infection through strategies such as hand washing. Most people do not need treatment for rotavirus, but it is still important to diagnose infection and observe signs of dehydration.