How to treat rotavirus infection in children?
Causes of the appearance of rotavirus infection in children, symptoms of the disease, the most effective treatment methods
Rotavirus infection is distributed both among adults, so among children. However, the kids have its more difficult and most often for her babies aged from 6 months and about 2 years.
Also, this disease is known as gastric or intestinal influenza, rotavirus gastroenteritis and rotavirosis. The cause of infection is a virus that looks like a wheel. In Latin «wheel» sounds like «Rota», Hence the name of Rotavirus.
Penetrating into the body, the virus does not show immediately and only 5 days later, the first signs of rotavirus infection begin to appear, which in children are more pronounced than in adults. From now on, the sick child or adult becomes infectious. Painful condition is observed for about a week.
After 7 days in the body already fully formed persistent immune response. It is the immune response that eliminates the re-infection of the body, but it can take place only when immunity is too weakened.
Based on this, the course of the disease can be divided into several periods:
- The incubation period is 5 days;
- acute – 3-7 days;
- Recovery – 4-5 days.
How does Rotavirus infection in children?
Rotavirus is transmitted in many ways, but the main one has food. For example, infection affects the body, falling into it with unwashed vegetables and fruits. The virus does not respond to the cold, so it remains in an active condition, even being on the products placed in the refrigerator.
Finding into the water, the virus also infects it, and it is impossible to disinfect even with chlorination. Among food, leaders for transmission infection are milk and a variety of dairy products.
The sick person is also a carrier of infection, but in appearance it looks healthy. Transmission of infection through touch to dirty hands, as well as airborne droplets. This disease is accompanied by sneezing, cough, respectively, harmful microbes enter the air.
Following this, it is possible to pick up the infection in any crowded place. Children are mainly infected in kindergarten and school.
According to the results of observations, it can be said that Rotavirus more often occurs in the cold season, and may also be an epidemic. According to statistics, the largest number of ills are registered from November and to April.
Symptoms of rotavirus infection in children
At the gland, this infection is not formed, because in their body there is still a sufficient number of antibodies that prevent the penetration of the virus into the body. These antibodies come to a child from the mother through the milk.
That is why breastfeeding children do not hurt, but as soon as this period ends, the risk of infection increases sharply.
In children, infection is accompanied by sharp symptoms:
- Vomit. Basically arises after eating, but there are cases and in an empty stomach;
- Diarrhea;
- The virus is characterized by the appearance of catarrhal symptoms: cough, runny nose, merges in the throat;
- Children become sluggish;
- Disappearance of appetite;
- The body temperature rises significantly and does not fall, keeping at one level;
- During this period, the child may rapidly lose weight;
- In addition, there is a rice and grapple-shaped abdominal pain;
- The chair on the first day of the disease is liquid and yellow, and in the following days it becomes gray-yellow and migratory.
Independently determine the cause of the disease is impossible, because identical Signs manifest with other diseases – poisoning, cholera, salmonellosis. Therefore, this condition of the child requires an immediate call to a doctor or ambulance carrier.
Do not give children painkillers before the doctor’s arrival, otherwise they can disguise the symptoms of more serious pathology.
Impact on the body and complications
The virus does not penetrate the blood and can be detected only in the intestine. The infection violates the normal functioning of the digestive system, and the incoming products cease to split. As a result, develops Incixation of the body.
There are very rarely cases when rotavirus infection causes complications. With such a disease, the main thing is to monitor the dehydration of the body and preventing the holding of high temperature for too long.
However, children with very weak immunity have the risk of fatal outcome. But started in time treatment Diseases makes further forecast more than favorable.
How diagnostics is carried out
Confirm the presence of a virus in the body can be used by electron microscopy. Due to the fact that similar symptoms have many more diseases, conduct differential diagnosis to distinguish the virus from salmonellosis, yersiniosis, cholera, earsichiosis, dysentery.
If these diseases are excluded, proceed directly to the treatment of rotavirus.
Treatment of the disease
If the diagnosis of rotavirus infection is confirmed, the treatment in children is carried out or in a hospital or at home. The course includes several diverse events:
- Rehydration therapy. It is appointed to eliminate vomiting and diarrhea. Most often, salt solutions are prescribed, for example, Regidron or salt salt (1 hour. L. on 1 l boiled water). The liquid gives a child not more than 50 ml at a time every half an hour;
- Application of sorbents. Such drugs reduce body intoxication. Can assign activated coal, Sorbex, Enterosgel, Smacks;
- Paliferous drugs. Used to eliminate the disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Among the common means – Enterol, enterofuril, as well as Mezim and Pancreatin. To restore the normal microflora in the intestine after appetite appears, use Acipol, Bifiform, lines, bakyubyl and pr.;
- Temperature below 38 ° C reduce only In the event that the child is bad to transfers it. However, rotaviruses dying precisely at such high temperatures. From the antipyretic discharge Panadol, Nurofen, candles Cefecon. Also effective undressing and wiping.
Never use antibiotics to treat Rotavirus, as they simply do not affect it, besides, they can cause dysbacteriosis.
Diet with disease
Without adherence to a special diet treatment of infection will not be so effective. The diet in this case is to limit products that contain many sugars. Therefore, when the course of treatment, a number of the following products are excluded from the child’s dietary:
- milk and absolutely all dairy products;
- Sweet fruits;
- any fruit juices;
- Cakes, cookies, pastries;
- candies;
- Bean.
Compliance with diet is a mandatory component of treatment. In addition, you must eat small portions so as not to provoke vomiting. Dishes must be liquid or puree.
During treatment, the child must drink a lot: Glixolan, Weak branch of rosehip, mineral water without gas, fastening tea without sugar. If the course of the disease is severe and the increasing intricensation of the body is observed, salt solutions are prescribed intravenously.
Prevention of rotavirus infection and children
Fairly effective prevention is vaccination. The vaccine contains a living, but weakened virus strain, which after introducing into the body causes the latter to produce immunity to rotavirus infection.
Nonspecific prevention – elementary observance of the rules of hygiene. That is, it is often necessary to wash your hands, well process products before eating food, only boiled, and not raw water.