Virulent Virus Attack

Diarrhea is always a messy business, more so when it happened to a child. But when it becomes acute, then parents have to be extra vigilant to the possibility of a rotavirus attack.

Rotavirus is the main cause of severe diarrhea worldwide in both developed and developing countries. This virus infects the bowels and causes severe diarrhea among children and infants, particularly those aged two years and below.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), acute diarrhea is the second most common cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide after pneumonia.

WHO estimates that every year, rotavirus diarrhea is responsible for two million hospitalizations and about half a million deaths. It can be estimated that every minute a child dies from this virus infection around the world.

These deaths occur in areas such as the Indian sub-continent, Southeast Asia and China. The percentage of children admitted due to this disease range as high as 73% in Korea to 30% in Hong Kong; somewhere Malaysia is in the middle with 49%.

Rotavirus was named because when magnified, it appears like a wheel and Latin for wheel is rota. Rotavirus is spread through the faucal-oral route whereby a child comes into contact with contaminated floors or utensils, for example. It is estimated that only a few viral particles is enough to infect a child.

The virus can survive on toys or other surfaces, contaminated water and hands, and can even spread through the air.

Infected children will experience fever, diarrhea and vomiting all at once or a combination of any two. Severe dehydration, if not monitored, can lead to death.

The incubation period of the virus to the time one gets diarrhea is less than two days while symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting would persist for three to nine days. However, the illness is generally self-limiting which means that if the child survives dehydration within the three to nine day period, they will get better by themselves.

The way to access dehydration is by pinching lightly on the abdomen of the infected child and if the skin remains standing, it means the child is severely dehydrated.

Severe dehydration can lead to low blood pressure and shock as there is not enough blood sugar which leads to kidney failure, and eventually, death.

Prevention of rotavirus generally is by ensuring children wash their hands regularly. But this is not entirely effective because rotavirus is highly contagious, and since it is a virus, there is no specific treatment for it.

Most doctors will prescribe antibiotics to prevent vomiting and diarrhea but it Is not necessary, not effective, and maybe even dangerous.

An effective ands safe way is to be vaccinated. Recently, rotavirus vaccines available which can be administered through breast feeding9by giving it to the mother) or orally, and also is effective by other vaccines.