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Summary
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.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Diagnosis and Tests
- Stool Tests (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Rotavirus Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Diarrhea in Children: What Parents Need to Know (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Gastroenteritis: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Rotavirus Vaccine Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Stomach Flu: How Long Am I Contagious? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Viral Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Rotavirus Infections
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Cost-effectiveness and benefit-risk of rotavirus vaccination in Afghanistan: a modelling analysis...
- Article: Development of a candidate mRNA vaccine based on Multi-Peptide targeting VP4...
- Article: Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis: Circulating Strains After the Introduction of the Rotavirus Vaccine...
- Rotavirus Infections -- see more articles
Children
- Collecting a Stool Sample for Testing (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Rotavirus (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Rotavirus Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Patient Handouts
- Rotavirus antigen test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Rotavirus Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.