Rotavirus in children: signs, how to treat rotavirus infection 14457 4

How is rotavirus transmitted?

Rotavirus infection in children: treatment at home. Rotavirus, the causative agent of the infection, is a round-shaped virus with a high survivability.

Like most intestinal infections, rotavirus is transmitted from person to person through the digestive system, causing irritation of the mucous membranes, gastroenteritis and severe diarrhea.

Routes of infection with rotavirus include:

1. Food. It occurs when eating food with unwashed hands, improperly preparing food, and violating safe food storage methods. In addition, the virus is resistant to low temperatures and can survive for a long period in the refrigerator.
2. Water. The presence of rotavirus in water leads to mass infection and epidemics.
3. Domestic. It is noted when contacting patients through dirty hands or touching surrounding objects or toys on which the virus lives.
4. Airborne. Infection comes from the patient during sneezing and coughing.

Rotavirus infection occurs mainly in children of primary preschool age. In the period from 0 to 4 years, the disease occurs in a moderate and severe form, in the age range of 5-9 years - in a milder form.

The disease is caused by rotavirus, which in 20-30% of cases causes infectious lesions accompanied by diarrhea in children.

Rotavirus infection in children: treatment at home. The incubation period is the time from the moment the rotavirus enters the body until the first symptoms of the disease appear.

In the case of rotavirus infection, this time period is 2 days. This is the time it takes for the virus to develop and reproduce in the human body.

For the onset of the disease, only 1-2 viruses enter the body.

Rotavirus infection begins like a common cold. Children complain of discomfort in the throat, cough, runny nose, headache and general weakness, and redness of the oropharyngeal mucosa is noted.

All age groups of children are characterized by an acute onset of the disease, with an increase in body temperature. At the same time, in younger children, a high body temperature (38-39 degrees, rarely up to 40 degrees) persists for up to 4 days; in children over 4 years old, the temperature lasts for a maximum of 2 days and does not exceed 38.5 degrees.

Intestinal disorders in children under 4 years of age are moderate or severe, lasting from 3 to 5 days, from 4 to 8 years - weak or moderate, lasting up to 3 days.

In younger children, intoxication is more pronounced, lasting from 2 to 4 days; in older children, intoxication of the body is moderate or weak, from 1 to 2 days.

The duration of the disease also varies for different ages. In children 0-4 years old, treatment takes up to 1 week, in children 4-8 years old – up to 5 days.

Features of rotavirus

Rotavirus infection is a serious disease that most often affects children.

If an adult encounters this disease, it is much easier to tolerate due to the developed immune system. The main signs of the pathology are diarrhea and vomiting, which can lead to dehydration.

In order to help the patient in a timely manner and prevent the development of complications, you need to know what medications exist for rotavirus infection.

Children are more susceptible to rotaurus infection

Antibiotics

People experiencing infection are often prescribed antibiotic treatment, as the disease can easily be confused with an unidentified acute intestinal pathology. However, such therapy will not bring a positive effect. This is due to the fact that the causative agent of rotavirus is not bacteria, against which antibiotics are effective.

However, in some circumstances antibacterial agents are necessary:

• if the doctor suspects cholera;
• when there is blood in a person’s stool;
• for chronic diarrhea that does not stop for more than 10 days.

The causative agents of uncomplicated rotavirus are not sensitive to antibiotics, so their use is not advisable. But there are cases when a bacterial form is associated with the infection, which can be determined with the help of special studies - then treatment with antibiotics is quite effective.

Let's look at the antibiotics that are most often prescribed for infection:

1. Enterofuril for rotavirus is prescribed to both children and adults. The medication is antimicrobial in nature and has a wide spectrum of effects. It is effective against diarrhea caused by various infections, in particular rotavirus.
2. If there is a need for antibiotic treatment, then adults are most often prescribed Levomycetin. These rotavirus tablets are not prescribed for children because of the extensive list of side effects.
3. Phthalazole is prescribed if there is an infection of bacterial origin in the body. Its peculiarity is that the substances it contains are not absorbed into the blood, and the effect is directed specifically at the gastrointestinal tract.

Antibiotics are ineffective in treating rotavirus infection in most cases.

Sorbents

When an infection occurs, many toxic elements accumulate in the body, which in turn interferes with recovery and complicates the situation. Mandatory medications for rotavirus are sorbents. Under their influence, substances that poison the body are bound and removed.

1. One of the most common drugs in this group is activated carbon. But few people know that this medication is not highly effective, since its use must be combined with other medications. With its help you can significantly alleviate the condition before going to the hospital.
2. Smecta is always prescribed first for rotavirus in children and adults. With its help, you can stop severe diarrhea and prevent dehydration. The drug is made exclusively from natural substances and quickly rids the body of toxins. Many viruses and various pathogens are sensitive to Smecta.
3. Many people mistakenly believe that Enterosgel is intended exclusively for the treatment of food poisoning. Enterosgel is able to combat various types of intoxication; in particular, it is effective against rotavirus. After penetration, the medicine envelops the intestines and does not allow accumulated poisons to negatively affect it.
4. Polysorb is also one of the common drugs prescribed for rotavirus. Thanks to its natural composition, both adults and children can be treated with it from birth. With the help of the medicine, toxic substances are adsorbed, and under its influence, diarrhea, leading to dehydration, stops.
5. Phosphalugel is prescribed for rotavirus. Thanks to it, acidity in the body is normalized, toxic substances are eliminated, and the production of prostaglandins increases.

Enterosgel prevents the absorption of poisons through the intestinal walls

With rotavirus infection, the balance of fluid in the body is disturbed, in order to restore it, rehydration drugs are prescribed. They can be used in two ways: intravenously or orally.

More often prescribed are those intended for oral use; they are available in the form of powders or ready-made suspensions.

Such medicines contain all the vital substances, which are selected in the required concentrations.

In the initial stage of dehydration, you can correct the situation:

• Regidron;
• Gastrolith;
• Oralit;
• Humanoy.

These medications are approved for use by both adults and children.

If dehydration has taken a more complex form, then you can help the patient with Chlosol, Trisol, Acesol.

With rotavirus infection, symptoms of a cold are observed in combination with a clinic of intestinal infection. The disease is called stomach or intestinal flu.

About 10 strains of rotavirus have been identified. Most of it poses a threat to human health.

Young children are susceptible to the disease. The disease is more complicated - the immune system is weaker than that of an adult.

Severe syndrome – dehydration. It is necessary to take medications for rehydration (Regidron), consult a specialist on how to take Regidron for children with rotavirus infection.

In adults, clinical manifestations are weaker. People do not attach any importance to the disease, they carry it and infect others. In adults, the disease occurs without clinical manifestations.

Routes of infection:

1. When eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water.
2. In case of household contact with patients with rotavirus infection or carriers.
3. When using common household items.

Viral activity is seasonal and occurs in the autumn-winter period. A person’s immunity decreases and becomes susceptible to disease. Re-infection with stomach flu is likely in young children. Often occurs when a child visits a preschool institution. When the disease recurs, the body's resistance is greater and the clinical manifestations are not intense. The resistance of an adult body is higher.

In the acute period of the disease:

1. Increase in general body temperature.
2. In the first days, signs of an acute respiratory infection are cough and runny nose, headache, sore throat.
3. Intestinal symptoms develop - diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain.

Causes of the disease

Rotavirus infection in children can be transmitted from other patients or carriers of influenza. When you notice the first signs of illness in your child, he becomes contagious. On the 5th day after illness, rotavirus is especially dangerous for others. It is easily transmitted by airborne droplets, through dirty hands, toys, door handles, etc.

You should not think that rotavirus infection threatens children who grow up in inadequate sanitary conditions. Even in families where the closest attention is paid to order and cleanliness, children suffer from it. Washing fruits and vegetables, observing personal hygiene rules - all this does not in any way affect the likelihood of contracting a viral infection. This is due to the high pathogenicity of the virus and its wide spread.

Most often, the virus gets into drinking water, not only into spring water, but also into tap water; existing purification systems cannot guarantee complete harmlessness of water. Often a baby gets rotavirus through milk and dairy products.

Etiology

The causative agent of rotavirus intestinal infection in children is a specific virus - rotavirus. It has a round shape and, under electron microscopy, resembles a wheel, which is why it got its name (the prefix rota in Latin means wheel). The virus is relatively highly resistant and can survive for a long time in water (up to 2 months), food products (up to 7 weeks), and can withstand refrigeration. It dies quickly enough when boiled and under the influence of conventional disinfectant solutions.

Main symptoms of rotavirus infection

The above symptoms are often accompanied by flatulence, accompanied by periodic rumbling, and pain in the abdominal area, which intensifies with palpation.

Vomiting appears on the first day of illness during a period of increased body temperature. For babies under 2 years old, repeated vomiting is typical, 3-7 times a day; for older children, it is a single vomiting; mild nausea may be observed for up to 3 days.

Also, on the very first day of rotavirus infection, involuntary loose stools are observed, which bothers babies for 3-4 days. In babies under 2 years of age, bowel movements are liquid, watery and sometimes foamy, have a strong unpleasant odor, are quite abundant, reaching 15 times a day, in more severe forms of infection - more than 25 times.

Symptoms

Rotavirus in children always manifests itself more aggressively than in adults. Many adults may not even understand that they are sick - a mild cold and an isolated case of diarrhea are in no way associated with a dangerous disease for children. Such people become virus carriers, infecting others.

Symptoms in children under one year of age can be extremely acute. Older children tolerate the disease much easier, they have fewer episodes of vomiting, and diarrhea is less pronounced.

There is no rash during the disease; if emerging rashes are detected, it is necessary to immediately notify the doctor about their presence. This may signal other, more dangerous infections.

Rotavirus is characterized by 3 types of symptoms: gastrointestinal, catarrhal and intoxicating.

Gastrointestinal:

• vomit;
• diarrhea (diarrhea);
• gas formation;
• moderate abdominal pain.

Catarrhal:

• sore throat and redness of the throat;
• fever, red eyes;
• swelling of the tonsils, slight cough, runny nose.

Intoxicating:

• lethargy, drowsiness;
• lack of appetite;
• severe immobility;
• the smell of acetone from a sick person.

In children with rotavirus infection, the temperature often jumps to 40°C, but in most cases it ranges from 38.5-39.7°C. Vomiting (only in the first 2 days of the acute period) can be one-time or occur after each use of liquid. Foul-smelling diarrhea is also variable - loose stools are possible from 5-7 times to 20 in severe cases of the disease.

These symptoms do not appear immediately, but increase as the disease progresses. You need to know how the infection begins to manifest itself - it can give different symptoms in different children. One baby will be lethargic without intestinal disorders, another may immediately demonstrate uncontrollable vomiting.

Incubation period of rotavirus infection

After infection, rotavirus infection lives in the body for several days, and becomes acute later. How long the incubation period lasts in children depends on the characteristics of the body. As a rule, it is 1-5 days. At this time, virus particles actively multiply and accumulate. Sick children may not express complaints and feel normal. However, by the end of the incubation period, the child will develop weakness, nausea, diarrhea and a temperature of 38 degrees.

To avoid complications and speed up recovery, parents can begin treating their children’s rotavirus infection at this stage. To do this, it is worth strengthening the diet, giving the sick baby vitamins and minerals. However, it is worth noting that this period may go unnoticed by parents due to the absence of symptoms, so preventive measures will not be superfluous if there is an outbreak of intestinal flu in a kindergarten or a healthy baby has had contact with infected children.

Onset of the disease

The incubation period of most rotaviruses lasts from 1 to 5 days, often not exceeding 24 hours. The timing depends on the baby’s age, his immunity and the volume of the attacking virus. The disease can be accurately diagnosed using a stool test in a medical facility or using a rota test sold in pharmacies.

The initial stages of the disease are divided into three types:

1. Cold.
2. Classic.
3. Intoxication.

Often, at first, the disease is disguised as an acute respiratory infection or a common cold. A slight cough, nasal congestion or redness of the throat appears, disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract begin after 2-3 days. In the second scenario, babies immediately begin to experience gastrointestinal disorders.

General intoxication in the third type of onset of the disease occurs without fever, the baby is either lethargic or too excited, the nasopharynx is normal, but abdominal pain soon follows. If an infant develops lethargy for no particular reason, you should be on guard - the intoxication onset of the disease is most often observed in such children.

Attention! Adults and adolescents are less susceptible to the disease due to the higher acidity of gastric juice. Symptoms in case of infection are erased, loose stools 1-2 times, vomiting may be absent, but such a person becomes a carrier of infection.

Parents should know all the signs of rotavirus infection and remember that the disease not only begins in different ways, it is also extremely contagious. They should also understand how to treat rotavirus infection in a child and not take this disease lightly.

First aid at home

If vomiting and diarrhea are intense, in addition to drinking plenty of fluids, parents should remember to take precautions when providing first aid. As already mentioned, the child must be put to bed. If your son or daughter is small, you should place the child on his side so that during a sudden attack of vomiting the baby does not choke on the vomit. You can't feed the child. The exception is for infants who are breastfed. Breast milk is not prohibited.

Rotavirus infection in children: treatment at home. The course of the disease depends on the age of the children and the general condition of the body.

Due to frequent vomiting and severe diarrhea, babies experience dehydration due to large losses of water. The state of dehydration is accompanied by dryness of the tongue, lips and skin of babies in general, severe thirst, increased anxiety and general agitation.

Further signs such as lack of appetite, rapid heartbeat and breathing problems are added, and severe apathy and lethargy are noted. In children under 1 year of age, there is a slight retraction of the large fontanel.

In babies, the frequency of urination and the volume of urine per day decreases, which also acquires a pungent odor and a dark tint.

When identifying the first symptoms of the disease, it is important to correctly provide first aid to the baby at home, before the doctor arrives.

The main direction of treatment of the disease is to eliminate signs of dehydration and replenish fluid in the body.

To stop vomiting in infants, do not give medications until you consult a doctor.

You can alleviate the condition of newborns by following these recommendations:

• do not place the baby on the tummy, especially after eating;
• The baby should be kept in an upright position for about half an hour after eating;
• Do not overfeed your child if vomiting begins after eating.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with Wrinkles on the upper eyelid to defeat
Dill water, which you can drink 1 tablespoon every hour, as well as green tea, has a positive effect on vomiting.

It is recommended to use Motilium 20-30 minutes before meals.

Children over 1 year of age who are vomiting are advised to drink more warm liquids and take one of the anti-intoxication medications - activated charcoal, smecta or others.

To improve the digestion of food, enzymes - Mezim or Creon - are used before each meal.

To replenish fluid in the body, children with rotavirus are given saline solutions, for example, rehydron.

• 1 sachet of rehydron is dissolved in 1 liter of chilled but previously boiled water. After each loose stool or vomiting, the baby should be given 50 ml of the resulting solution to drink.
• For moderate severity of the disease, use 10 ml of rehydron diluted in water per 1 kg of body weight every hour.
• If the condition improves, the volume of the solution is reduced to 5 ml.

If loose stools are repeated 2-3 times a day, the recommended volume of fluid per day should be at least 1 liter. Any permitted drinks or 5% glucose solution are given in small portions every 5-10 minutes.

To replenish fluid levels in the body, you should give your child a water-salt solution, which you can prepare yourself by diluting 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 liter of boiled water. This solution should be given to babies every 30 minutes, 100-150 ml.

Rotavirus is afraid of high temperatures and at the same time reduces its activity, so it is not recommended to take tablets if the mercury column of the thermometer has not risen to 38 degrees Celsius.

If the baby's body temperature rises above 38.5 degrees Celsius during rotavirus infection, the following antipyretics are used:

• Nurofen – 3 times a day, 150-900 ml, depending on age.
• Paracetamol.
• Efferalgan – up to 4 times a day, an hour after meals.
• Cefekon. After stool, rectally, 1-2 suppositories, up to 500 mg per day, depending on weight and age.

If the baby is bothered by headaches or pain in the abdominal area, antispasmodics are prescribed, which include Papaverine or No-shpa. These drugs are prescribed based on age, 2-4 tablets per day, 40 mg each.

To increase immunity and strengthen the body's defenses, children are prescribed Viferon in the form of an ointment, applied to the nasal mucosa up to 4 times a day, and Cycloferon tablets, up to 4 per day, half an hour before meals. The period of admission should be no more than 5 days.

Basic treatments for rotavirus

In treatment, the main task is to eliminate signs of dehydration and symptomatic therapy.
Antiviral drugs can increase the body's nonspecific immune response and speed up recovery. During the incubation period, the virus enters the body and spreads throughout it. The phase lasts 1-5 days. Nonspecific antiviral therapy increases the body's immune defense and prevents the infection from spreading.

The acute stage is accompanied by severe symptoms and leads to the development of complications in young children and weakened adults.

There is no point in taking antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin). Medicines are ineffective against viruses and can be prescribed when a secondary bacterial infection occurs.

Antibacterial drugs negatively affect the normal intestinal microflora, promote the development of dysbiosis, suppressing the growth of normal microflora.

If a secondary bacterial infection occurs, give the child medications with a local effect on the intestines. "Biseptol" or "Eterofuril". The substances kill pathogenic flora and do not cause dysbacteriosis.

Non-pathogenic types of intestinal microflora are not affected. It is necessary to do a bacteriological culture to determine the pathogen in the smear. Do not give Enterofuril tablets or capsules to children until they reach the age of seven. For young children, children's syrup is prescribed.

The doctor makes prescriptions and monitors the dynamics of the patient’s condition. The treatment is effective and does not cause harm to the patient with an intestinal infection. Sometimes a live vaccine is used.

It can be taken orally, in the form of rectal suppositories, or nasal drops. They are prescribed to patients with weakened immune systems.

It is recommended to take inexpensive drugs containing interferon and other antiviral components:

1. "Viferon".
2. "Arbidol".
3. "Tsitovir".
4. "Kipferon".
5. "Anaferon", "Ergoferon".
6. "Genferon."

"Viferon" for rotavirus infection is used to make treatment effective in children. The medicinal substance against rotavirus infection is synthesized on the basis of interferon and enriched with vitamins C and E. For young children - suppositories with “Viferon”.

The effectiveness of the drug in the treatment of rotavirus is based on the ability to influence the cell membranes of the structural elements of the human body.

It affects the affected cells of the intestinal epithelium, promotes their recovery, increases the resistance of the cell membranes of the intestinal epithelium against rotavirus infection.

The drug has immunomodulatory activity and is effective against E. coli. Taking it allows you to stimulate the production of nonspecific antibodies.

Treatment with Arbidol

Prescribed for treatment against rotavirus. When Arbidol is prescribed in parallel with the main pathogenetic treatment, the symptoms are less intense. Treatment for rotavirus infection is faster.

Treatment with Tsitovir

Treatment for intestinal infection is similar to the use of Viferon. Recovery occurs faster, symptoms are less intense. Rotavirus has a less intense effect on the intestinal walls.

These antiviral drugs are among the most commonly used. Pediatricians recommend Amiksin or Groprinosin - the best remedy for preventing the disease and reducing the intensity of the clinic with stomach flu. This is an excellent preventative drug

Rotaviruses are intracellular parasites that infect the cells of the mucous membrane of the human small intestine. Hence the popular name for rotavirus “stomach flu”. 100% of children from 6 months to 5 years are susceptible to infection. There are two ways to expel rotavirus from a cell: destroy the cell (which is unacceptable in our case) or activate cellular defense mechanisms.

Medicines for rotavirus infection act in several directions:

• alleviate the symptoms of rotavirus - high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, cough, runny nose;
• restore loss of moisture and electrolytes;
• normalize intestinal microflora;
• stabilize the immune response;
• eliminate the consequences of the disease.

Antiviral drugs for rotavirus infection are generously presented in our pharmacies, for every taste and budget.

After a diagnosis of rotavirus infection, an extensive list of antiviral drugs is recommended:

• Anaferon;
• Arbidol;
• Aflubin;
• Ingavirin;
• Viferon;
• Ergoferon;
• Cycloferon;
• Kagocel;
• Kipferon.

The principle of action of antiviral drugs is based on the activation of protective protein systems to suppress the expansion of viruses. The instructions for Kipferon suppositories, for example, say that they have antiviral properties and fight chlamydia and salmonellosis. However, the immunomodulatory effect of this group of drugs has not been proven.

As prescribed by a doctor, a complex immunoglobulin preparation or CIP is used. It is used for acute intestinal rotavirus infections, dysbacteriosis, weakened immunity in premature infants, the elderly, and acquired immunodeficiency. The instrument is a bottle of dry immunoglobulin powder. The powder is diluted with water and taken orally half an hour before meals. Use instrumentation 1-2 times a day for a week.

How to treat rotavirus infection: video from a doctor

There is no specific treatment for stomach flu. Therapy is aimed at eliminating symptoms. Diet for rotavirus infection is very important, because the baby needs strength to fight the disease. In addition, the doctor will prescribe medications: antispasmodics, immunotropic, antipyretic. It is very important to take children's antibiotics to kill the virus particles.

How to treat rotavirus infection:

1. Antibacterial suppositories are prescribed: Viferon or Lipferon. The dose should be calculated taking into account the age of the patient, the course of administration is from 5 days.
2. Fighting dehydration or rehydration. The patient is provided with plenty of warm fluids, which can replenish lost fluid and maintain normal kidney function. Start giving liquid from a teaspoon, gradually increasing the volume. Special solutions (Oralit, Regidron, Humana), chamomile decoction, boiled water, rice broth, unsweetened dried fruit compote are suitable for this.
3. To cleanse the body of toxins, take White Coal or Smecta.
4. To reduce body temperature, you can take Nurofen syrup, children's paracetamol or Cefekon suppositories.
5. It is recommended to wipe a sick baby with a solution of table salt (1 part water to 1 part salt). This will protect him from seizures due to high body temperature.
6. If the baby has a stomach ache, then they give No-shpu, the probiotic Lacidofil, Riobal.

What to feed a child with rotavirus infection:

• rice porridge;
• mashed potatoes;
• bananas;
• crackers, bagels;
• infants are transferred to lactose-free formulas;
• exclude dairy products, sauces, fried, fatty, vegetable and meat additives.

To remove rotavirus from the body and the toxins it produces, the following drugs are prescribed:

1. Polysorb (up to 2 sachets per day).
2. Smecta (up to 4 sachets per day in the first 3 days of illness, on the 4th day and beyond - up to 2 sachets, treatment period - from 5 to 17 days). Add 1 sachet of Smecta to half a glass of boiled water and take it throughout the day.
3. Enterosgel (3 times a day, 1 tablespoon, 1 hour before meals, washed down with water).
4. Activated carbon (up to 5-6 tablets, depending on age and weight, preschool children usually take 3 tablets 3 times a day).

For infants, methods and doses of sorbents are prescribed by the doctor individually.

Many experts also recommend using the drugs Anaferon and Arbidol to shorten the duration of the disease.

When treating rotavirus infection, it is important to exclude all heavy foods and dishes from the baby’s diet in order to maximize the unloading of the intestines.

Rotavirus infection in children: treatment at home. Any disease is easier to prevent than to treat.

To reduce the risk of rotavirus infection, the following types of prevention are used:

1. Vaccination. Conducted for children under 2 years of age. Vaccines used for vaccinations are Rotatex, Rotarix.
2. Compliance with personal hygiene rules - washing hands before eating, after contact with animals, after walking.
3. Careful processing of foods before eating, especially vegetables and fruits, their proper preparation and storage.
4. Avoid drinking tap water.

After recovery from rotavirus, immunity is formed in the child’s body, but it lasts only for 2 weeks. Therefore, it is recommended to be vaccinated against this infection.

If you are going on vacation, be sure to take special antiseptic wipes with you, as well as individual bedding, dishes and cutlery for you and your baby. Also, do not forget to bring a first aid kit with medications and means to treat infections.

It is recommended to drink only processed, purified bottled or boiled water, and you should also use it to wash fruits and vegetables.

Avoid purchasing food on the beach and eating food in questionable establishments.

Features of the diet for rotavirus infection in children

When rotavirus causes inflammation in the intestines, it dramatically suppresses the production of certain enzymes. In particular, the production of lactase, an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar (lactose), is greatly reduced. When you begin to fight the virus, lactase production also begins to gradually recover. And yet it takes time - about 15-20 days.

So, the picture emerges: the baby caught rotavirus - his health has deteriorated sharply, his body is dehydrated and the child has no appetite. When we feed him with saline solutions, the baby physically feels better, and gradually his appetite returns. But lactase production at this time is just beginning to return to normal. As soon as you give the baby a little milk, he will become ill again, his intestines will “revolt”, and diarrhea will resume.

What to do? As soon as the child’s health improves with rotavirus and his appetite appears, there is no point in forcing him to starve. But you cannot feed him breast milk (as well as regular adapted formula) throughout the day.

The baby will have to be kept on a lactose-free (or soy) formula for 2-3 weeks. If your baby is breastfed, leave one or two milk feedings per day, and replace the rest (temporarily!) with feeding lactose-free or soy formula. If the child is already actively eating complementary foods, make sure that dairy products are not present in his diet for this period (at the same time, fermented milk products are possible, but in small quantities).

However, there is no therapeutic reason to keep the baby without his usual food for longer than three weeks; lactase production, as a rule, is completely restored during this time.

How to quickly cure a child from rotavirus infection

Treatment of the disease occurs on an outpatient basis, at home. Hospitalization in a hospital is required only in rare, most severe cases.

Complications of infection include:

• acute renal failure;
• development of bacterial pathology;
• association with disorders of the central nervous system.

In the absence of adequate treatment, the baby’s life may even be at risk.

To quickly eliminate the infection and avoid complications, you should stop vomiting, diarrhea, lower the baby’s body temperature, and also remove viruses that have entered the body from the body.

To do this, they adhere to a special diet, use pharmaceutical medications and traditional medicine.

The role of antiviral drugs in the treatment of rotavirus infections

In treatment, the main task is to eliminate signs of dehydration and symptomatic therapy. Antiviral drugs can increase the body's nonspecific immune response and speed up recovery.

During the incubation period, the virus enters the body and spreads throughout it. The phase lasts 1-5 days. Nonspecific antiviral therapy increases the body's immune defense and prevents the infection from spreading.

The acute stage is accompanied by severe symptoms and leads to the development of complications in young children and weakened adults.

There is no point in taking antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin). Medicines are ineffective against viruses and can be prescribed when a secondary bacterial infection occurs.

Antibacterial drugs negatively affect the normal intestinal microflora, promote the development of dysbiosis, suppressing the growth of normal microflora.

If a secondary bacterial infection occurs, give the child medications with a local effect on the intestines. "Biseptol" or "Eterofuril". The substances kill pathogenic flora and do not cause dysbacteriosis.

Non-pathogenic types of intestinal microflora are not affected. It is necessary to do a bacteriological culture to determine the pathogen in the smear. Do not give Enterofuril tablets or capsules to children until they reach the age of seven. For young children, children's syrup is prescribed.

Consequences

In most children, rotavirus infection is successfully treated at home and has no consequences. However, consultation with a doctor is mandatory because it is quite difficult for parents to understand on their own what form the disease has and how dangerous it can be.

Rotavirus infection is dangerous because it can cause acute heart failure and kidney failure. Immunity weakened by the virus creates excellent conditions for the addition of a secondary, predominantly bacterial infection. If the child has had problems with the digestive system, rotavirus infection can aggravate chronic diseases.

Intestinal flu if not treated correctly leads to many complications:

1. Dehydration, which can be fatal. To prevent this, you need to start desolating the baby in a timely manner or go to the hospital where a drip will be prescribed.
2. Acetonemic state of the baby. At the same time, ketone bodies accumulate in the patient’s body, which negatively affect the brain. This complication is provoked by a lack of carbohydrates, which are consumed during the disease process.
3. Convulsions can develop due to high temperature. To prevent them, the baby’s body is constantly cooled and rubbed with a salt solution.

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How to treat rotavirus in children

Rotavirus is a viral infection and cannot be treated with antibiotics. However, the infection must be carefully monitored because diarrhea can cause dehydration in young children. At the first symptoms of diarrhea, you should consult a doctor. Only in a medical institution is it possible to make a correct diagnosis, and only a specialist can prescribe adequate treatment for rotavirus.

Most often, the disease is treated at home and is aimed at relieving symptoms. Create the most comfortable conditions for your child to recover and direct all your actions to prevent dehydration. Encourage your baby to rest, drink enough fluids, and continue to eat if the illness is mild or moderate.

It is important to use saline solutions for oral rehydration; it is due to a lack of salt that dehydration occurs. Rehydration liquid can be purchased at pharmacies or made yourself.

Homemade rehydration solution recipe:

• water – 1 l;
• ordinary table salt – 3 g;
• ordinary sugar (sucrose) – 18 g;
• the solution must correspond to the child’s body temperature.

Water is a good choice for babies over 6 months. Many fruit juices or soft drinks can make diarrhea worse due to the amount of sugar they contain. If your child is vomiting, offer less liquid, but more often. If you are breastfeeding, continue - it will help keep your baby healthy.

Monitor your child's urination. Young children should urinate every 3 hours at a minimum, and older children should urinate at least every 6 hours. At the first suspicion of dehydration, you should call an ambulance.

Complications of rotavirus infection

Rotavirus infection is quite dangerous for children. During illness, complications may arise.

Dehydration of the body. The condition is characterized by large loss of fluid during vomiting and diarrhea. This condition is dangerous for the baby and can lead to death. The baby needs to drink a lot of lightly salted water. If it is impossible to give him something to drink, then treatment is carried out in a hospital, where saline solutions are administered intravenously.

Acetonemic syndrome. Due to dehydration of the body, metabolic disorders occur. At the same time, acetone and acetoacetic acid accumulate in the blood, causing poisoning, increasing vomiting, drowsiness, lethargy, and stomach pain. You can smell acetone from your mouth.

Cramps. They can occur in babies due to high body temperature. It needs to be brought down with the help of antipyretics. Damage to the nervous system, which manifests itself as fainting and delirium. In this case, seizures appear at normal or slightly elevated temperatures. This complication occurs as a reaction of the body to toxins.

Considering the possibility of such severe complications, if a child experiences diarrhea and frequent bouts of vomiting, it is imperative to consult a doctor so that the baby can receive timely help.

How to diagnose rotavirus

Accurate diagnosis is also necessary because rotavirus infection is easily confused with dysentery, salmonellosis, gastritis, and food poisoning. Each case requires completely different medications. Incorrect treatment can cost the patient his life, especially if he is an infant.

To establish a diagnosis, a general blood and urine test is done, which allows you to confirm the fact that the cause of the disease is an infection. After recovery, blood counts (leukocytes, red blood cells) return to normal.

Photo source: shutterstock.com

What should be in a first aid kit in a home with children?

Sorbents are better if it is Enterosgel or Smecta.

“Enterofuril”, “Stopdiar”: for children - suspension, for adults - capsules.

“Enterol” - similar: sachets, capsules.

Probiotics are those that do not need to be stored and transported in the refrigerator: “Florok”, “Natuma-bactoflor”, “Normobakt-L”.

Prebiotics – “Hilak forte” or “Normoflorin D”.

Rehydrants – “Natuma-floraktiv”, “Regidron-bio”, “Hydrovit”, “Humana electrolyte”.

“Motilium” in suspension is for children, “Cerucal” in tablets is for adults.

Syrups to reduce fever - Nurofen, Paracetamol, Nise.

Prevention

Preventive measures to prevent rotavirus infection are taken at the state level. Water is chlorinated, and children's institutions adhere to a certain sanitary regime. Hand washing and careful attention to the cleanliness of foods, especially fruits and vegetables, as well as mother’s advice not to put toys and fingers in your mouth on the street - all these are nonspecific prevention measures.

If your child is sick, you should not contribute to the further spread of rotavirus. If the temperature is high, the baby should stay in bed. When the fever subsides, the patient can walk, the child can be bathed, but you should not visit playgrounds or places where other children walk and play in order to prevent them from becoming infected with the aggressive and insidious rotavirus.

Specific measures to protect a child include only vaccination. We will tell you more about this vaccination below.

To avoid infection with rotavirus infection, it is recommended to practice good hygiene. In addition, you should feed younger family members only with fresh, heat-treated foods. Humidify the air in the children's room and constantly ventilate the rooms in the house. If someone in the family has a cold, then limit the baby’s contact with him.

Prevention of rotavirus in children

Now we know what “stomach flu” looks like and what causes it, too. It should be noted that frequent hand washing and keeping your home perfectly clean will not protect against stomach flu. The virus is so contagious that even sterile conditions will not help. But for more rare encounters with intestinal infections, it is important to observe and teach children the basic methods of prevention:

• Before eating vegetables and fruits bought at the market, wash them thoroughly and pour boiling water over them.
• Do not buy melted ice cream in a cafe, as well as fast food in cafes that are questionable from a hygienic point of view.
• Carry bottled drinking water with you, do not drink from fountains or soda fountains, and do not buy kvass and lemonade on tap.
• Buy cakes only in specialized stores - pastry shops.
• Milk is only in tetra pack packaging. When buying it in stores, take it from the refrigerator and with the date of manufacture as close as possible to today.
• There are no splash pools for kids on vacation. Better is the sea, where the water is running.
• Wash your hands as often as possible, and use alcohol-containing bactericidal agents (gels, wipes) while traveling.

Hand washing tips:

• Use warm water, making sure it is not too hot for your baby.
• Use soap - any kind. Lather the soap for 10-15 seconds, then wash your hands thoroughly, making sure to pay attention to the skin between your fingers, under your nails, and on your wrists.
• After washing, dry your hands thoroughly with a towel.

How does infection occur?

The stool of a person with rotavirus contains tens of trillions of viral particles. To infect another person, no more than a hundred of these particles are needed, so one disease can infect many thousands of people. This is the reason for the extremely high infectiousness of rotavirus. The virus can enter the body of the “carrier” in different ways - most often through the mouth, but in some cases it was possible to register infection through aerogenic means, that is, through close contact with the sick person.

Rotavirus infection is considered one of the so-called “diseases of dirty hands”. It is impossible to hide from her. Where there are children who test everything, there will always be cases of infection with it.

Standard sanitization measures do not work against rotavirus. After the virus enters the child’s body, it may take about 1-5 days until the first symptoms appear. This is the average standard time, which is considered to be the incubation period.

The viruses target the villi of the small intestine. It is they that rotaviruses attack, destroying the structure of cells. There the virus replicates, entire “factories” are created that produce new viral particles. When they accumulate in excess, the villi of the small intestine are unable to absorb nutrients and take part in digestion, and symptoms of intestinal disorder appear.

Diarrhea is caused by the death of villi, as well as the fact that viruses produce special protein substances that interfere with the normal absorption of water and promote the accumulation of lactase.

Then the process of recovery of the body begins - it lasts about 5-6 days. After an illness caused by rotavirus, a child is contagious for about a week. Even if the baby feels well, all the symptoms of the disease have subsided, particles of rotavirus continue to be excreted in his feces, and this is unsafe for others.

Most often, children between six months and 5 years old are infected with it. Newborns rarely suffer from this infection, since in the first months after birth they are protected by innate maternal immunity - a set of antibodies that are transmitted by the woman to the fetus in the blood during pregnancy, as well as antibodies that the baby receives during breastfeeding.

Transmission routes

The causative agent of rotavirus intestinal infection is released into the environment with the feces of a sick child or a virus carrier, therefore the main route of transmission is fecal-oral. Infection of healthy children occurs through the virus entering the digestive system with contaminated water, food, and insufficient personal hygiene (hand washing). There is also often a contact-household transmission route, in which the virus first gets onto environmental objects (dishes, toys), and then into the child’s intestines, which is facilitated by poor sanitary and hygienic culture in children. In children's organized groups, the virus spreads quite quickly, leading to an epidemiological outbreak of rotavirus intestinal infection.

Diagnostics - how to distinguish from poisoning?

Common food poisoning, with which rotavirus can be confused, is only at first glance similar to this viral disease. If you look closely, these two states are easy to distinguish from each other.

Food poisoning is predominantly a bacterial process. Poisoning often occurs with vomiting, but without diarrhea or fever. It also often manifests itself as diarrhea without fever or with its rise to subfebrile levels (about 37.0 degrees).

High temperature is the main distinguishing symptom of rotavirus infection. In addition, in case of poisoning, the stool will resemble a mush in consistency, and in case of a viral disease it will be watery. Be sure to tell your doctor about these symptoms to make it easier for him to make the correct diagnosis. It should be noted that the doctor can only question the diagnosis of “rotavirus infection” when examining a child.

It is possible to accurately confirm the presence of rotavirus only on the basis of laboratory tests, which primarily include the examination of stool for the presence of its particles in them. A blood test is also carried out to detect specific antibodies to rotaviruses, as well as other laboratory methods.

Vaccination against rotavirus

Many parents do not know whether their child can get rotavirus again and, after the first case of infection, think about vaccination. After an illness, long-term immunity is formed, practically eliminating re-infection. Only people with poor health can become ill again.

Two types of vaccines can protect children from rotavirus infection. They are practiced only in infants without the slightest sign of any disease over the age of 1.5 months. Both types of vaccines are relevant up to six months of age and are carried out in several stages. The Belgian drug Rotarix is ​​available in the form of double injections, the American RotaTek is used 3 times orally.

There are many debates about the need for this vaccination. It is not included in the list of mandatory vaccines, but you need to remember that rotavirus is highly contagious and can be life-threatening. If a child vomits or has diarrhea, parents should be wary, if possible, conduct a rota test purchased at a pharmacy, or immediately call a doctor.

Treatment

The desire of parents to treat their child at home under their own constant supervision is easy to understand. However, with regard to rotavirus infection, mothers and fathers must be fully aware of what is happening. Only mild forms of the disease can be cured at home; for moderate and severe forms of the disease, hospitalization and treatment in a hospital are indicated.

Treatment must be timely, which means that the sooner the mother and father of a sick child call a doctor, the more favorable the prognosis will be and the less likely complications will be. You should not wait several days to make sure that diarrhea and vomiting are permanent. On the first day, you should seek medical help and begin the prescribed treatment.

Since the disease is of viral origin, it is almost impossible to fight the rotavirus itself, like most other viruses known to mankind. Only the baby’s own immunity can cope with them, but it takes several days for it to become active. Therefore, the essence of therapy comes down to symptomatic treatment, which should prevent the occurrence of dehydration, seizures, and changes in the cardiovascular and excretory systems. Diarrhea, if you follow a diet or special nutrition, goes away in two to three days, but the recovery period will require a more careful attitude.

Diarrhea, as already mentioned, can cause dehydration, and it is to prevent it that all efforts of parents should be directed from the very first hours of the onset of the acute stage of the disease.

In mild forms, it is carried out at home; in moderate and severe forms, the lack of fluid in the body is replenished by intravenous infusions in a hospital setting.

Also, you should not refuse hospitalization if the child has severe vomiting, and he cannot drink or “hold” liquid at all - he immediately vomits. It is also better for such a baby to start injecting intravenous saline as soon as possible.

At the first symptoms of rotavirus infection, parents should provide the child with peace and regular bed rest. Reducing your physical activity will help you get through the difficult early days of high fever without increasing your risk of complications.

From the very first minutes, you should ensure sufficient drinking regime. By drinking regime we mean that the baby should take a large amount of liquid. The more intense the diarrhea and gag reflex, the more fluid he needs to be given.

An important condition is the temperature of the liquid. Drinks should not be hot or cold. Only drinks at room temperature can be absorbed faster in the intestines and absorbed by the body. If the child is small and refuses to drink, parents can use a syringe without a needle to inject liquid by drip. In this case, you need to direct the syringe at an acute angle along the inner surface of the cheek, so the baby will not choke and will not be able to spit out everything that the parents poured back.

We suggest you read: How to treat a callus on a child’s foot

If, despite persuasion and tricks, it is not possible to get the child to drink, parents should call an ambulance, since dehydration is easier to prevent than to cure. The remaining symptoms of rotavirus infection are relieved as they appear. For fever - antipyretics, runny nose - with vasoconstrictor drops. We will discuss below what medications can be prescribed for a child with rotavirus infection.

Complications

In general, rotavirus intestinal infection in children has a favorable course. The main complication of the infectious process is dehydration of the child’s body - a pathological condition associated with a significant loss of fluid and salts from the body, provoked by severe diarrhea and vomiting. At the same time, against the background of dehydration, almost all organs and systems of the child suffer, in particular the cardiovascular, nervous system and kidneys. The likelihood of developing dehydration is determined by several factors, which include:

• The severity of the development of the inflammatory reaction in the mucous membrane of the small intestine.
• Features of the type of rotavirus that caused the development of an infectious disease.
• Individual characteristics of the child’s body.
• Volume and frequency of stool and vomiting.

These factors must be taken into account by the attending physician to determine the prognosis of the risk, speed and severity of the development of dehydration in a child.

Drugs

A child who is struck by an acute intestinal infection will definitely need medications that will help relieve unpleasant symptoms and reduce the duration of the disease. These primarily include products for oral rehydration (to replenish the water-salt balance). Such products should always be at hand, as part of a home first aid kit.

Since rotavirus infection occurs suddenly, the medicine cabinet may not have the necessary drug. There is nothing wrong with this, since the saline solution, which is best to give to a child when vomiting and severe diarrhea, can be prepared independently from simple ingredients that are available in any kitchen.

In second place in importance for recovery are sorbent drugs. These include “Activated Carbon”, “Enterosgel”, “Enterol”, “Smecta”. They will help to quickly remove decay products from the body and reduce intoxication. The use of antiviral drugs seems logical, since the disease is viral. However, in practice everything does not look so rosy.

Of course, a doctor called to your home will most likely recommend Anaferon, Cycloferon or Kagocel. It’s just that the pediatrician knows very well that the viral infection will go away on its own, but worried parents definitely need to “treat” their child with something, because if the doctor limits himself to recommendations to drink more fluids, mom and dad may think that he simply doesn’t want or doesn’t know how to treat their child .

Antiviral drugs are expensive, and therefore it is worth balancing your family budget. The conscience of parents can be completely calm - there is no need for such medications. Their effectiveness has not been proven. Quite often, parents repeat terrible mistakes when trying to prescribe medications to their child on their own.

Moms and dads who know well that antidiarrheal drugs help with diarrhea may think that a dose of Enterofuril or Furazolidone will help the baby recover faster. These drugs can only cause harm during rotavirus infection. There is no point in fighting diarrhea as such. It is necessary for virus particles to leave the body. It is a kind of defense mechanism.

It is a serious mistake to prescribe antibiotics to a child during a rotavirus infection. Antibacterial agents have no effect on the virus, do not help relieve symptoms, do not alleviate the child’s condition, and additionally have an aggressive effect on the intestinal microflora. Thus, the baby also acquires dysbiosis.

Sometimes parents may encounter a doctor who advises taking antibiotics for rotavirus “just in case” in order to “avoid complications.” It is better not to have anything to do with such doctors who do not seek to provide assistance, but primarily to insure themselves. Antibiotics for rotavirus infection are prohibited! This is a rule that has no exceptions and is not negotiable.

Antipyretics can be used, but Aspirin and any drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid should be avoided, as it can cause life-threatening Ray's syndrome in a child.

At the recovery stage, vitamins and probiotics are often prescribed, which allow the intestines to be populated with normal beneficial microflora.

Diagnostics

Clinical manifestations in the form of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea accompany a significant number of intestinal infections of various origins. To reliably determine the cause of the disease, identify and identify the pathogen, an additional objective study is prescribed. It involves the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which detects virus antigens in the test material. To diagnose rotavirus intestinal infection, feces are examined. Stool ELISA is a specific and highly sensitive method of laboratory objective diagnosis. It allows you to detect rotavirus even with a small amount of the pathogen per unit volume of the material being tested. To obtain the most reliable research result, it is important to correctly collect feces, for which you should follow several simple recommendations:

• It is advisable to collect material within a period of time not exceeding 3 days from the onset of the disease.
• Stool collection from infants is carried out from the diaper.
• In older children, feces are collected using a glass rod or wooden spatula after a natural bowel movement, for which the child must defecate in a pot.
• The stool sample taken is placed in a special sterile container (sterile disposable plastic containers are available for taking stool tests in the pharmacy chain).
• The optimal amount of stool that is sent for testing for rotavirus using the ELISA method is 1-2 g.
• It is advisable to collect biological material for research before starting therapeutic measures, including the prescription of enterosorbents and antibiotics.
• Transportation and storage of the taken biomaterial sample is carried out in sterile containers at air temperatures from +2 to +8° C.

An objective diagnostic examination of stool for the presence of rotavirus using the enzyme immunoassay method has several main diagnostic purposes, which include:

• Making a diagnosis of rotavirus intestinal infection specifically in a sick child.
• Detection of virus carriers.
• Comprehensive epidemiological research to determine the possible source of infection.

After the study, the doctor receives a positive or negative result. Interpretation and interpretation of the results is carried out in conjunction with a clinical, epidemiological examination, as well as other objective diagnostic methods. A positive stool ELISA result for rotavirus usually indicates an acute infection or virus carriage. A negative result in most cases indicates the absence of the pathogen in the child’s intestines. If necessary, the study can be repeated. Receiving a positive result from a repeat ELISA indicates a false negative result from the previous study.

Nutrition

From the moment the symptoms of infection manifest, it is better to abstain from eating altogether. If the child really asks, you can give him low-fat puree or slurry porridge. But only in very small quantities. A therapeutic diet involves a complete abstinence from spicy foods, fatty foods, sweets, juices and dairy products. Citrus fruits (orange, lemon, tangerines), as well as carbonated drinks, are prohibited.

As the vomiting subsides, you can gradually and carefully introduce foods into your child's diet. It's best to start with low-fat vegetable broth and homemade croutons from white bread. Then add porridge (without milk and butter), banana, and vegetable purees. You can eat soups, steamed cutlets made from lean meat or fish.

Diet after rotavirus in children

The doctor has been called, the treatment has been prescribed and is already bringing results - the child has an appetite, and it is important to follow a diet. Diet is an important assistant in defeating rotavirus. And now it’s time to remember which of the symptoms was leading (vomiting, loose stools, high temperature) and for how long. This will determine how long and what kind of diet you will need to follow.

Of course, there are general recommendations. For at least 2 days we completely exclude:

• Dairy products - the exception is breast milk, with the proviso that we try to feed the baby with “front” milk in the first days - to provide it with antibodies, which means we often put it to the breast, and more nourishing, “hind” milk - to provide calories, as soon as the child will recover.
• Rich broths - first of all, exclude chicken broths.
• Soft pasta, rice, corn, pearl barley, semolina. Buckwheat and durum wheat pasta are ok in small quantities.
• Heavy proteins - cottage cheese, meat (including poultry), fish, legumes, eggs.
• Fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as juices from them.
• Carbonated drinks (in principle, even healthy children should not drink them).
• Sweets - there is no need for extra stress on the pancreas, because insulin is also a protein, like antibodies and blood cells involved in the fight against harmful bacteria, and we need them more now.
• Bread and rolls, especially those made from white flour.

In the first days the child will not have any appetite. And when it appears, you can, under the guise of enzymes (Creon, Pancreatin, Mezim), gradually expand the diet, which you will have to adhere to from 10 days to 1 month (depending on the degree of damage to the gastrointestinal tract by the virus).

Products that are allowed:

• Fermented milk products are 1-2 days old, if these are homemade yoghurts, then just great (1 liter of milk + 1 bottle of starter or a jar of Actimel + yogurt maker/thermos for 8 hours), homemade kefir is also better.
• Porridge on water: buckwheat, oatmeal (including multigrain), barley.
• Steam cutlets from veal/beef, turkey, duck (breast), turkey, lean pork. You can also have homemade manti with dumplings, but without fanaticism.
• Sea fish - steamed and in the form of cutlets/meatballs.
• Stewed vegetables - any kind. But we remember that boiled corn (like peas) is a difficult product to digest even for the strong and healthy stomach of an adult, let alone the stomach of a child, and even after rotavirus.
• Unrich broths made from lean meat, drain the water twice after boiling, and soups based on them.
• Fruits include bananas, 1-2 pieces per day, if the child loves them and they do not cause fermentation in him. If you don't have loose stools, you can eat apples and pears. It is better to avoid peaches and apricots.
• Classic biscuits and biscuits, no chocolate gingerbread or cookies with fillings.

And finally, how to give enzymes. "Creon" is given to children under 5 years old at the rate of 1 thousand IU/kg, to children over 5 years old and adults - 400-500 IU/kg. For example: a child weighs 10 kg, which means that for each full meal we give him 1 capsule of “Creon” in a dosage of 10 thousand IU, and a child 25 kg, over 5 years old - 1/2 capsule of 25 thousand IU or also 1 capsule of 10 thousand ME. Of course, it is better for the child to swallow the capsule whole and it begins to act where it should, in the duodenum.

If we are talking about babies, it is permissible to pour the contents into a spoon with food and let them eat it as is. The enzymes are partially inactivated by stomach acid, but some will still have time to do their job. You can also give enzymes during a snack, especially if the snack is heavy, but reduce the dose by half. That’s what a snack is for; the volume of food in it is reduced and is aimed at holding out until a full breakfast/lunch/dinner.

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Child after rotavirus infection: care and nutrition

Food products familiar to the child should be introduced with extreme caution and very gradually. Otherwise, a child’s lifestyle after rotavirus infection will differ little from life before it. The only exception is for babies who are breastfed.

Sometimes after a rotavirus infection, the digestibility of breast milk in babies decreases. This period can last up to 3 weeks. During this time, mom can replace her milk with soy or lactose-free formula (partially) while continuing to pump to keep her breast milk supply from fading.

Review of the most popular drugs

When eliminating vomiting in children, you can use only safe medications that have a minimal list of contraindications and side effects.

"Cerucal"

The manufacturer of the drug uses Metoclopromide Hydrochloride as the active substance. The medicine is supplied to pharmacy chains in tablet form, as well as in the form of an injection solution. Pediatricians prescribe this drug for severe vomiting, which is followed by repeated vomiting. It can be given to children who are already two years old. The daily dosage is calculated depending on the patient's weight. For children whose age varies in the range of 2-14 years, the dose is determined in this way: 0.5 mg per 1 kg of weight. The medicine should be taken 30 minutes before meals. The pharmacological effect will begin 15-20 minutes after administration and will be observed for six hours.

The manufacturer of the drug notes the following as contraindications:

1. Development of glaucoma.
2. The presence of individual intolerance to the components of the drug or lactose.
3. Development of intestinal obstruction.
4. Epileptic seizures.
5. Presence of hypotension.
6. Suspicion of internal bleeding.

As for side effects, the manufacturer warns about the possible development:

• drowsiness fatigue;
• dizziness;
• persistent migraine;
• allergic reactions;
• nervous tic;
• irritability;
• fears and anxiety;
• diarrhea.

"Motilium"

The drug is supplied to pharmacy chains in the form of a suspension and in tablet form. It is indicated for use in cases of digestive processes in which stagnation occurs. The medication is also prescribed for infants with systematic regurgitation, and for older children with hiccups, heartburn, vomiting and flatulence. The dosage is calculated based on the weight of the babies: 2.5 ml per 10 kg of body weight. You should take the medicine no more than three times a day, 30 minutes before your main meals.

How to treat intestinal flu

A universal cure for rotavirus has not been developed. Drugs used in complex therapy for the diagnosis of “intestinal infection”:

• means for stabilizing water and electrolyte balance - prevent dehydration;
• enterosorbents;
• antipyretic and enzyme medications;
• antiemetics.

Baked apples

• baked apples with honey;
• crackers;
• cereal porridge with water;
• vegetable and fruit purees;
• bouillon.

If symptoms worsen and general condition worsens, meat products, soups and freshly squeezed juices are excluded from the diet. During the period of illness, there is no appetite: a person practically does not eat - the diet is based on a meager and monotonous menu. The foods included in the diet are necessary to maintain metabolism and water-salt balance in the body.

Drugs for the treatment of rotavirus infections in adults include agents for rehydrating the body. As the pathology progresses, the person suffers from severe dehydration. It is necessary to prevent further fluid loss through vomiting and loose stools. To restore water balance, medications are used:

• Regidron;
• Enterodesis;
• Citroglucosolan.

Intravenous and oral administration of medications is possible. Rarely, taking a small amount of liquid provokes a new attack of vomiting. As a result, the dehydration process can continue for more than 24 hours. To prevent the development of complications, the patient is hospitalized and given IV drips in a hospital setting. To replenish fluid, infusion of saline and 5% glucose solution is used.

Sorbents

Ground activated carbon

To remove toxic substances from the blood, it is recommended to take sorbents for rotavirus. These are active substances that form a safe complex with the waste products of viruses and remove them from the body. The drugs have a detoxification effect: they prevent muscle weakness, dizziness, vomiting and nausea. The products alleviate the general condition of the body. For intestinal flu the following medications are indicated:

• Polysorb;
• Dioctahedral smectite or Diosmectite;
• Smecta;
• Enterosgel;
• Activated carbon;
• Attapulgit.

The use of probiotics is indicated against rotavirus infection. The products restore the intestinal microflora, which consists of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Viruses suppress the growth and development of beneficial bacteria on the 3rd–4th day of the disease. It is recommended to take one of the following drugs:

• Linux;
• Acipol;
• Normobact;
• Acylact;
• Bifidumbacterin;
• Bifistim.

When a secondary infection develops against the background of intestinal flu, Enterol, Intestopan and Enterofuril are prescribed. Damage by pathogenic microorganisms occurs due to weakened immunity.

Antiviral drugs for rotavirus infection are an effective way to combat the pathogenic pathogen. Medicines prevent the penetration of viral ribonucleic acid into human cells and have a toxic effect on foreign microorganisms. Medicines used to treat intestinal flu:

• Viferon;
• Anaferon;
• Tsitovir 3;
• Arbidol.

Panadol tablets

The disease is accompanied by an increase in temperature. If the reading exceeds 38 °C, there is a need to take antipyretic drugs:

• Panadol;
• Ibuprofen;
• Nurofen;
• Cefekon.

High temperature in children is a protective reaction of the body in response to an irritant. The activity of viruses decreases at a temperature of 37 °C; above 38 °C, the death of pathogenic microflora is observed. At the same time, the indicators have a negative effect on the cells of the nervous system.

Enzyme preparations are used as auxiliary agents, which facilitate the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine and reduce the time of food digestion:

• Mezim;
• Creon;
• Pancreatin;
• Hermital;
• Micrasim.

Medicines improve the digestion process.

You can take antiemetics for rotavirus infection: Damelium, Motilium. The drugs eliminate nausea and relieve spasms of the smooth muscles of the stomach, which cause bouts of vomiting.

What means to take to normalize stool:

• White coal;
• Hilak Forte;
• Polyphepan;
• Lactofiltrum;
• Baktisubtil.

Medicines stabilize intestinal peristalsis, restore the natural process of absorption of nutrients in the small intestine and the passage of feces through the digestive tract.

Currently, there is no remedy aimed at treating rotavirus infection directly, so the therapeutic course for patients is complex.

Rehydration

The specific manifestations of the disease are such that the body suffers from dehydration: during diarrhea and vomiting, liquid is removed from the body in large quantities. Therefore, an important point in treatment is rehydration - replenishment of lost fluid. The most effective drug for these purposes is Regidron.

In order not to provoke new attacks of vomiting, in the acute period of the disease the liquid should be taken in very small portions, up to a teaspoon.

Sorbents

To remove toxins from the body, sorbents are used - special preparations that bind and remove waste products of a spherical pathogen: Smecta, Enterosgel, Polysorb.

• During the treatment of the disease, restoration of the intestinal microflora is required. Starting from the 3-4th day of illness, it is recommended to take the following medications: “Normobakt”, “Bifidumbacterin”, “Linex”.
• Against the background of the disease, pathogenic flora often develops in the intestines. To prevent this, the drugs Enterefuril and Enterol are prescribed.

Signs of rotavirus infection and the best cure for rotavirus for children and adults

This disease is otherwise called intestinal flu or rotavirus gastroenteritis; the course of the disease is severe and manifests itself in debilitating vomiting and bouts of diarrhea. In addition to the main symptoms, others appear.

This is a sharp increase in temperature, spasmodic pain in the abdomen, loss of appetite, the appearance of a headache and, as a consequence of all the above ailments, the child becomes lethargic, weak and, worst of all, dehydration develops.

Prevention

Naturally, it is better to prevent any disease than to suffer later during the treatment process. This is exactly what prevention is for. Rotavirus is also referred to as a disease of dirty hands, that is, viruses are transmitted through unclean hands. For example, you went to the cafeteria to have a snack, but didn’t wash your hands before. Or you decided to have a snack on the beach with food that local sellers tempt you with.

The result in both cases threatens to result in an intestinal infection, so it is better not to take risks and avoid such cases. This means, always wash your hands thoroughly before eating, avoid snacking on the beach, and always wash your hands after going outside. If there is no water nearby, then buy an antiseptic gel and carry it with you so that you can use it if necessary.

Treatment principle

Sorbents

The provocateur of the disease is a spherical virus that looks like a wheel with short spokes, which is reflected in its name. After all, in Latin the word rota means wheel.

The causative agent of intestinal infection is very small in size - it ranges from 67 to 75 nm. Contains RNA, covered with a three-layer protective shell that protects from external influences, as well as from enzymes of the digestive tract.

Rotavirus is characterized by extremely high survivability: it does not die for several months even under the influence of adverse external influences.

It tolerates low temperatures well, can remain in water for a long time, and persist on surfaces, foods, and feces. Chlorine, formaldehyde and ether are powerless against it.

Only boiling, as well as alkalis and acids can cope with it.

After penetration into the body, rotavirus settles in the epithelial tissues of the small intestine.

As a result of its vital activity, mature cells die off and are replaced by unformed ones that are unable to fully absorb nutrients.

As a result, the normal digestion process is disrupted, which leads to the development of diarrhea, inflammatory processes, and dehydration.

The source of infection is the feces of a sick person. Rotavirus is excreted from the body in feces over three weeks, after which it ends up on food, water, dirty hands, toys, and various surfaces. Infection occurs through the oral cavity. The peak of rotavirus infection usually occurs in cold weather - epidemics occur from November to April.

The main factors of infection are:

• Poor hygiene, unwashed hands, vegetables, consumption of uncooked foods
• In children, the immune system is not properly formed and the enzymatic system is immature
• Gastritis, disturbance of enzymatic reactions.

The latent period from the moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms lasts from 1 to 5 days. In isolated cases, it can be about 15 hours if a severely weakened organism is attacked by the pathogen. If the rotavirus fails to penetrate the cells, the disease develops asymptomatically.

After infection with rotavirus, antibodies are formed in the body, which form immunity to a certain type of virus. Unfortunately, this does not protect against future diseases. But if infection occurs with the same type of rotavirus, then intestinal flu will occur in a milder form. The acute period is usually about 4 days, and in general the disease lasts about two weeks.

In the first days, signs of a respiratory disease appear: the patient may complain of a runny nose, sore throat, redness of the throat, and cough. Symptoms of gastrointestinal distress occur later. For this reason, the infectious disease is often called intestinal or stomach flu. In some cases, all symptoms develop simultaneously.

Typical features of rotavirus infection:

• Headache, general weakness, lethargy. The patient's appetite worsens or is absent. In adults, intoxication manifests itself slightly, most often in the form of weakness.
• Attacks of vomiting, which are perceived as a consequence of food poisoning.
• Frequent diarrhea. The feces are watery, pale yellow or white coated, with a pungent odor. Urine is dark in color and may contain traces of blood.
• Spasmodic pain in the epigastric region and navel area.
• Strong rumbling in the stomach.
• In children, the temperature increases; in adults, it is within normal limits or increases slightly.
• Dehydration of the body, decreased amount of urine excreted.

Due to the mildness of symptoms in adults, malaise is most often mistakenly perceived as food poisoning. Therefore, they rarely turn to doctors, preferring to cope with the disease on their own. But this does not mean that patients are not dangerous to others. In fact, they are the source of the spread of rotavirus.

No reliable remedy has yet been invented that would completely eliminate intestinal flu. Therefore, an individual regimen is selected for each patient, based on his condition and symptoms. This includes selecting antiviral drugs that weaken rotavirus and help strengthen the immune system.

Ingavirin

Intended mainly for the treatment of the respiratory system. It is drunk for influenza, acute respiratory viral infections and other inflammatory and infectious diseases, and is used for prevention in cases of increased epidemiological danger. Ingavirin can also be prescribed for rotavirus infection.

The medicinal component is vitaglutam. The substance has a strong inhibitory effect on infection: it prevents the formation of full-fledged viruses and blocks their further spread.

In addition, vitaglutam stimulates the immune system, forcing it to produce endogenous interferon.

As a result of using Ingavirin, the duration of illness is reduced, symptoms lose intensity, and the risk of complications is minimized.

The drug is produced in capsules, which prevents changes in the properties of the medicinal substance after oral administration. In addition, the capsule is less irritating to the affected organ.

The medicine is available with different contents of the active substance - 90 mg (for adults) and 60 mg (for children over 7 years of age).

The antiviral drug is taken for a week - one pill per day.

Ingavirin is well tolerated and causes almost no side effects - except in cases where contraindications are not observed. It should not be drunk if you have problems with lactose sensitivity, congenital lactase deficiency, glucose-galactose malabsorption, pregnancy or during breastfeeding.

Arbidol

The antiviral effect is provided by the active component - umifenovir. The substance suppresses the formation and spread of viruses, prevents their penetration into body cells, and stimulates the formation of interferon. As a result of the use of Arbidol, the intensity of the infectious process is reduced, the spread of pathogens and cell damage is slowed down, the duration of the disease is shortened, and recovery is accelerated.

The drug is available in several pharmaceutical forms with different umifenovir contents, which allows the use of Arbidol against rotavirus in patients of different ages:

• Pills. Available with 50 mg or 100 mg of active ingredient in one pill. The first type of tablets can be taken from the age of 3, the second - from the age of 6.
• Arbidol Maximum capsules contain an increased concentration of the substance - 200 mg, and are intended for the treatment of patients over 12 years of age.
• Powder for preparing a suspension for children. 5 ml of the prepared solution contains 25 mg of the active ingredient. The drug is intended for the treatment of children from 2 years of age.

The method of use for rotavirus infection is determined by the doctor, based on the patient’s condition, his age and concomitant diseases. According to the recommendations of the developers, a single dosage is taken every six hours:

• Children from 2 to 3 years old – 10 ml of suspension
• Children from 3 to 6 years old – 50 mg (or 10 ml solution)
• Children from 6-12 years old – 100 mg (or 20 ml)
• Adolescents from 12 years of age and adults – 200 mg (or 40 ml of suspension).

Treatment of rotavirus infection with Arbidol takes 5 days. If the drug does not eliminate the intoxication, or symptoms return, you should contact your doctor to determine a further treatment regimen.

A distinctive feature of Arbidol is its safety. The drug is well accepted by the body and does not cause side effects or overdose.

All negative conditions that may arise during treatment with this drug are caused solely by the individual characteristics of the body or failure to comply with contraindications.

It should not be taken if there is an individual sensitivity to the components, during pregnancy and breastfeeding (during these periods it is prescribed only as a last resort). Not prescribed for lactose intolerance, congenital lactase deficiency, glucose-galactose syndrome. When using, it is necessary to use only those forms of drugs that are suitable for a certain age.

Acyclovir

It is used to treat diseases caused by pathogens of herpes, CMV, as well as in the treatment of rotavirus infection. The therapeutic effect is provided by the active component of the same name. After penetration into the cell, the substance is transformed into a new compound, integrated into the DNA of the pathogen and promotes the breaking of bonds, which makes the formation of full-fledged pathogens impossible.

• functional immaturity of the child’s gastrointestinal tract - this leads to the fact that intestinal cells are more susceptible to the action of the virus, and that any infection can disrupt the functioning of the intestines and pancreas, leading to the development of acetone syndrome and dysbacteriosis;
• the widespread prevalence of the virus, which is why 70% of children encounter it before the age of 2;
• After illness, a strong immunity is formed, which prevents rotavirus infection at an older age.

1. Elimination of symptoms of intoxication:

• the child is unsoldered;
• if necessary, reduce the temperature using nonspecific anti-inflammatory drugs. It makes sense to lower the temperature if it exceeds 38.5°C, or lower if it is very poorly tolerated;
• if the child has cold extremities, then antispasmodics are used, such as no-spa, papaverine, riabal;
• in case of severe intoxication, you can use adsorbents - smecta, enterosgel, which mechanically “absorb” toxins from the intestinal cavity.

1. Restoring water balance:

• frequent and abundant drinking: you can give water, tea, water-salt solutions - whatever the child agrees to drink;
• if it is impossible to give the child something to drink due to vomiting, you can give him an enema, the purpose of which is not to cleanse the child’s intestines, but to prevent dehydration and replenish the body with fluid. Therefore, the amount of water administered through an enema in this case should be small.

1. Elimination of abdominal pain. For this purpose, antispasmodics are used, since the basis of abdominal pain is intestinal spasm;
2. For acetonemic syndrome the following are used:

• a diet limiting fatty, fried, protein and sweet foods, dairy products;
• enzymes to replace impaired pancreatic function;
• soda water for drinking or giving an enema.

1. Elimination of dysbacteriosis. For this, prebiotics are used - drugs that are food for normal intestinal microflora, actually beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines of a healthy person;
2. Antiviral drugs are not used to treat rotavirus infection;
3. The use of antibiotics in the treatment of this disease is not applicable, as it can complicate its course, provoking the development of dysbiosis. There are only a few rare indications for their use, which can only be determined by a doctor.

Drugs used

So, treatment that is carried out at home necessarily requires contact with medical specialists. For treatment and prevention as prescribed by doctors, as a rule, the following groups of medications are used:

• The use of antiviral drugs in the form of “Viferon” and “Interferon”.
• "Enterofuril" and "Enterol" as the prevention of rotavirus infections in children.
• The use of rehydration agents in the form of "Regidron" and "Gluxonal".
• Use of "Polyoxidonium" for the prevention of rotavirus infections in children.
• The use of absorbent drugs, for example, Enterosgel and Smecta.
• “Bacteriophage” is also quite often prescribed for the prevention of rotavirus infections in children.
• The use of probiotics, such as Linex and Hilak.

Without consulting a doctor, it is highly undesirable to use any medications either for the prevention of rotavirus intestinal infection or for treatment. Before examining a doctor, it is best to give the patient plain, but boiled water. Antidiarrheal drugs, along with drugs to restore microflora, are not always prescribed during the acute period. After this is completed, enzyme preparations in the form of “Pancreatin” and “Creon” are sometimes prescribed along with beneficial bacteria.

It is important to emphasize that it is strictly forbidden to give antidiarrheal medications to an infected person without a doctor’s prescription. Among other things, in the absence of direct indications, it is prohibited to take certain antibiotics. They have no effect on the virus, but can greatly harm the intestinal microflora. They are prescribed only when bacterial infections are diagnosed.

Parents believe that with home therapy with drugs for the prevention of rotavirus infections in children and treatment, it is enough to know how long the pathology lasts in order to be completely sure that the disease has been overcome. But this is a completely wrong approach, since recovery can only be confirmed by repeat testing for the absence of rotavirus.

It is worth noting that there is such a thing as a “second wave”. For example, after a week the patient gets better, but after three days the symptoms reappear. In infectious diseases hospitals, insurance tests are always done to confirm recovery.

Use of initial preventive measures

In order for the rotovirus to settle in the intestines and begin its pathological processes, it needs to enter the body through the oral cavity. As a rule, this can happen with the help of dirty hands, but also through household items and through food, for example, poorly washed vegetables and fruits. In order to select effective preventive methods to prevent this disease, it is necessary to consider different situations.

On vacation, the main place of infection with rotavirus is the sea. In this regard, the child should be protected and clearly explained to him that when bathing it is necessary to prevent swallowing water, and if this suddenly happens, then parents must be informed about it as soon as possible. Next, you need to carry out emergency prevention, the method of which will be described below.

The next route of infection is drinking untreated water, that is, drinking from the tap. Another route of infection is the consumption of vegetables and fruits that have been poorly processed. Fruits and vegetables must be thoroughly washed and then thoroughly doused with boiling water.

Next, you need to pay attention to your bedding, because usually, when coming to the sea, parents and children stay in hotel rooms. Unfortunately, not all hotels use methods of disinfecting linen; therefore, it is best to take your own set with you on vacation.

First of all, you need to know about rotavirus infection that it is a disease of dirty hands, so first you need to properly teach your child to wash them thoroughly after going outside. It would also be a good idea to use antibacterial agents in the form of gels and wipes, especially after playing with sand and swimming in the sea.

What do doctors say about the prevention of rotavirus intestinal infection in children?

Emergency prevention of rotavirus infections in children with medications at sea consists of stopping the subsequent development of pathogens in the child’s body. As a rule, immunostimulating medications are prescribed, which are aimed at increasing the protective properties of the immune system in the fight against various viruses.

We should not forget that rotavirus can provoke severe defecation failure, namely diarrhea. To eliminate this symptom, you need to take sorbents, for example, Smecta, along with solutions to restore water and salt balance in the body. For example, a drug called “Regidron” is perfect for this purpose.

Medicines for the prevention of rotavirus infections should be taken only in accordance with the instructions. This will help avoid overdose and side effects.