Rotavirus
A Vaccine Preventable Illness
IDENTIFICATION AND DEFINITION
HISTORY OF ROTAVIRUS
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/rota.html#vaccines
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ROTAVIRUS
Symptoms normally include and begin with:
- Severe watery diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Abdominal Pain
Symptoms of Dehydration include:
- Decreased urination
- Dry mouth and throat
- Feeling dizzy when standing up
- Crying with few to no tears
- Being unusually sleepy or fussy
TRANSMISSION OF ROTAVIRUS
Rotavirus is spread via a fecal-oral route, and can be passed on by contaminated
- Hands
- Objects (i.e. toys and surfaces)
- Food
- Water
COMPLICATIONS OF ROTAVIRUS
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/rota.html#complications
RECOMMENDED CONTROL MEASURES FOR ROTAVIRUS
- Vaccine efficacy for any rotavirus gastroenteritis was shown to be between 74-87%.
- Vaccine efficacy for severe gastroenteritis was shown to be between 85-98%, providing never before seen protection against the worst this virus could cause.
- Both vaccines significantly reduced the number of physician visits for diarrhea in young children and reduced rotavirus-related hospitalizations.
However, in countries that lack vaccination protocols for rotavirus, rotavirus still causes 40-50% of severe acute cases of diarrhea in young children. It also still is one of the largest contributors to infant death in places around the world that do not have vaccination protocols for rotavirus.
Rotavirus is a simple disease with massive consequences to those young children who become infected. It is easily vaccinated for, and should be some thing that is added to vaccination protocols every where. This is especially evident when taking into account that 95% of children experienced at least one rotavirus infection by the age of 5. Its important to realize that these infections do not become more severe or require doctors visits or hospitalizations due to most of those children receiving the vaccine.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/rota.html#vaccines