Rotavirus is a common cause of acute watery diarrhea. It takes around 2 days to develop symptoms:
- Watery diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Fever
- Tummy pain
- Dehydration
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
Watery diarrhea can last for 3 to 8 days.
Rotavirus structure
Rotavirus is an icosahedral structured virus, approximately 80 nm diameter, and under the Reovirus family.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be done using commercially available enzyme immunoassay kits.
Transmission
Rotavirus spread from person to person through food. Usually, the food is fecally contaminated or handled by an infected person. It is also a common cause of Traveller’s diarrhea.
Treatment
It is a self-limiting medical condition. It means even if you don’t give any treatment, the patient will get better. But it is important to manage dehydration. You must keep an eye on urine volume, and color. Patients must be properly hydrated. Too much dehydration can be fatal. Following liquids can be used to rehydrate a patient with rotavirus symptoms:
- Oral rehydration saline
- Cholera saline
- Normal saline
- Oral plain water
- Coconut water
Signs of dehydration
These signs suggest dehydration and therefore demands hydration.
- Decreased urine volume
- High colored urine
- Dry mouth
- Dry eye or crying without a tear
- Sunken eyes
- Lethargy
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Headache
- Feeling thirsty
In addition, you can do a pinch test on the skin. Dehydrated skin doesn’t go back to normal as fast as normal skin does.
Vaccination
Live attenuated vaccine for rotavirus is available and it is recommended for children. Routine two-dose rotavirus vaccination was introduced for children in the UK in 2012. The efficacy of the vaccine is around 90%.
Due to increased vaccination against rotavirus in developed countries the most common cause of diarrhea is now a days norovirus. But in developing countries rotavirus remains the most common cause of acute watery diarrhea till date.
