Rotavirus intestinal infection how to avoid getting

Intestinal infections everyone faces at different ages. Rotavirus infection is one of them. Most often this disease affects children, but in adulthood it can also be found. The hardest part of the disease occurs when first confronted with the body. Throughout your life you can become infected multiple times because of the different pathogens. Because specific immunity is produced only to a specific type of virus, not protecting from others. What is rotavirus intestinal infection how not to get infected and to protect it from their children?

What is rotavirus

This intestinal disease has several types of viruses, which differ from each other. However, they all cause similar symptoms and course of the disease. It has several modes of transmission:

  • fecal-oral,
  • airborne,
  • contact-household.

This files most often occurs by the fecal-oral method, which it called "disease of dirty hands". Other ways to become infected less, but they are also present. The virus is very contagious and requires only a dozen of its particles to get sick. And since it is quite resistant and can survive for long periods on any surface, it often can be ill, all the family members.

The incubation period of the virus up to 5 days. All depends on the amount trapped in the body of the particles and the immune system. Therefore, in some cases, symptoms can appear within a few hours. Once in the body, it quickly multiplies in the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting them and leading to inflammation. As a result, develops gastroenteritis.

Symptom of disease

The onset is acute and manifests:

  • sharp and constant pain in the abdomen, vomiting every few hours and a lack of appetite,
  • General weakness and rise in temperature.

Later these symptoms associated diarrhea. Stool watery, with a yellow tinge and without different additives. He is a frequent and strong, that excretes a lot of fluid. In subsequent days, the color of the chair changed to grayish-yellow and becomes klinoobraznyj.

In addition to main symptoms, there may be several additional that will join a little later. Among them redness and dryness of eyes, redness of the palate and pharynx. The next after the onset of illness day, the infected will feel continuous drowsiness, apathy. This is due to a General weakening of the body.

Symptoms remains clear and bright for 4-6 days. In the future, the signs gradually disappear and the sick recovering. For adults is characterized by a more worn and not so pronounced symptoms. This lack of appetite, appears loose stools and possibly increase the temperature. But despite the satisfactory General condition, the person remains contagious.

How to diagnose infection and support the body

To diagnose using stool. As it is a virus, then find it easily. The methods used PCR or ELISA. Usually figuring out the answer will take 1-2 days. But leave the patient without treatment is impossible. So it starts with the first manifestations of the symptoms of intestinal infection.

To do this, carefully monitor the dehydration, constantly replenishing the body's water reserves. It can be a regular, mineral or liquid dehydration means. It is especially important to maintain fluid balance in the body of the child. Small children and water reserves they have significantly less. Therefore, dehydration may occur earlier than in adults.

In addition to taking water sorbents, capable to eliminate toxins and reduce the damage to the body. But tablets from abdominal pain, not recommended, not to miss an acute abdomen. For a first medical examination, which precisely define the severity of the disease will prescribe the necessary medications.

How to avoid infection

So how one can get infected in several ways, based on this and pass a safety precaution. The main ones are fecal-oral and contact-household. Therefore, preventive measures aimed at reducing contact with the virus.

Caution with food

If the products would be a rotaviruses, then they will get into the body through the product itself or through dirty hands. Therefore, it is recommended to thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables under running water and rinse with boiling water.

Water can also be the source of the virus, especially water. Thereforeyou need to boil it or filter it. The big danger is water in this case is young children that are most difficult to tolerate the stomach flu.

Prevention of children breastfed also does not shy away from. In addition to boiling water, mom it is desirable to monitor the cleanliness of the nipples and washing them before feeding.

Before eating always wash hands with soap and water. To ensure that children with dirty fingers do not touch the face, not licked them, rubbed his eyes.

Cleanliness of the room and items

The virus is quite resistant and does not die outside the human body. So it is not so easy to destroy the normal washing floors or dishes. For this it is necessary to use special disinfectants.

Pacifier and baby bottle is recommended to boil for a few minutes, which destroys all rotaviruses. Clothes should be washed in hot water using washing powder or soap.

Prevention in the outbreak of the disease

Sometimes you can get sick one of the family members. To protect others from infection, the patient should be isolated in a separate room for about 7-10 days. In mild form of infection it will remain under the supervision of the local doctor and can be treated at home. In severe cases the patient is sent to the infectious Department.

Infected allocate a separate bowl and after eating it thoroughly washed, placed separately. It can be boiled, because it kills the virus. House cleaning should be carried out using disinfectants. You can use a solution of chlorine bleach. For disinfection of hands good to use ethyl alcohol.

Vaccination

Not to get rotavirus infection by using preventive measures. Today, there are two vaccines that have proven themselves in Europe and the United States. The studies conducted and proven the effectiveness of vaccines against different serotypes of rotavirus.

To be vaccinated, you should double it to 24 weeks the newborn, with an interval of 4 weeks. Thanks to this prevention in 80% of cases it is possible to reliably protect the child from the virus. In other cases, the disease is quite mild.

Is it possible not to be infected several times a year?

When a person is sick with rotavirus, its immune system begins to fight with him. In this case antibodies. Usually they persist for two years, and then gradually, their titer falls.

But protect, these antibodies only to the serotype of the virus has been in the body. From other species it does not protect. So, if the person meets several times a year different types of rotavirus, it will hurt them. If he will meet the same serotype, the antibodies are ready will not allow the body to get sick.

After several years, antibodies lose most and you can become infected again. But the second occurrence of the same disease in severe form, the immune system is able to maintain antibodies at a significantly for a long time, increasing it 3 times.

Is it possible to protect yourself from rotavirus

In fact, to fully protect against this virus almost impossible. He is considered to be as widespread as SARS. So for once in his life he meets each. Increased incidence from October to April. Therefore, in this period it is possible to take all measures of prevention, few protect themselves. But it is important to remember that the incubation period can last in some cases up to 7 days and the measures taken after getting the virus will not help.

When the disease in severe form do not need to rely on yourself. Better to go to the hospital, where he will help to move easier and protect from adverse outcome. This is especially true of young children. Then developed immunity will help at least for some time not to be afraid to get sick again.

From an intestinal infection, no one is immune, so the main thing is to take care of yourself!