Our difficult treatment. Intestinal infection or rotavirus

Causes of the disease

The cause of infection is the establishment of an infection that destroys cells in the small intestine. The body responds by producing new ones, but they, in turn, cannot function normally, so loose stools appear. The infection also interferes with the absorption of fluid in the body, which only worsens the process of dehydration.

Orophrisus infection most often occurs through contact from an already sick person.

You can become infected:

• when communicating or when the patient sneezes or coughs;

  

• the infection can also be located on household objects or transmitted by shaking hands;
• unboiled water and milk can also be a source of infection.

A greater percentage of rotavirus diseases was observed from autumn to spring. According to age parameters, children under preschool age are most often affected. Newborns and children under 1.5-2 years of age experience the disease in a more severe form than children over 3 years of age.

The greatest outbreak of diseases occurs in kindergarten, since at this age there is closer communication. When exchanging toys, through dirty hands, or simply during a conversation, the pathogen enters the body. The infection is also found in the patient’s stool, and if hygiene measures are not observed (washing hands after using the toilet), the pathogen may end up on the hands.

Characteristic symptoms of infection

When an infection enters the body, no earlier than 12 hours later, the patient’s temperature rises (38.5-39.9) and a runny nose appears. This causes the throat to dry out, causing soreness and coughing. On the first day, all symptoms may indicate a cold. Although with a cold, the temperature rarely rises above 38.8 degrees.

The next day the following symptoms are added:

• vomit. The patient feels sick regardless of food intake. He can vomit even from a sip of plain water. The vomit may be larger than the child has eaten food or consumed liquids;
• pain throughout the abdomen with strong rumbling. Increased gas formation. When gas passes, underwear becomes soiled with feces;
• loose stool. It may bother you after every meal or drink. It has a pungent, unpleasant odor. The stool becomes liquid, but without mucus or other pathological secretions. They have a yellow or yellow-green color.

  

Despite high thirst, fluid is not retained in the body and leaves the body with vomit or diarrhea. It is quite difficult to bring down a patient’s temperature, since medications taken orally are expelled along with vomiting, and suppositories are expelled along with loose stools. High temperatures can cause seizures.

Why does a cough develop after rotavirus?

The occurrence of respiratory phenomena - cough, snot - after an intestinal disease is due to a decrease in the general immune status of the body, the addition of a secondary bacterial or viral infection.

The amount of interferon in the body decreases after exposure to rotavirus, and a cough with a runny nose begins in response to hypothermia. In case of intestinal infection, the cause of complications is staphylococcus, E. coli.

Recurrence of the disease is less severe. The likelihood of respiratory complications is much lower.

• Rotavirus infection in children

The older the patient, the higher the level of acidity in the stomach, the less likely it is that pathogens will enter the intestines.

Possible causes of cough

Against the background of weakened immunity, a number of upper respiratory tract diseases develop. The vast majority announce themselves by coughing:

1. Acute laryngitis is a common cause of cough in a child after rotavirus.
2. Acute and chronic bronchitis. Symptoms of the disease are dry cough, hard breathing.
3. Acute pneumonia.
4. In children with a weakened immune system, whooping cough occurs.

The cough is dry and wet.

Features of the course of the disease in infants

Treatment of rotavirus infections in children under one year of age depends on the course of the disease and whether the child is breastfed or bottle-fed. Since with a mild form of the disease, it will be enough for the baby to receive the necessary antibodies through breast milk. Drug treatment may not be necessary.

Rotovirus infection in infants can occur in 3 forms:

1. Mild form of the disease . Due to the low temperature of up to 37.5 degrees, the child feels slightly unwell and becomes capricious. Additionally there are symptoms:

• runny nose with slight nasal discharge;
• loss of appetite;
• vomiting can occur once a day, no more than 3 times per illness. Observed in the first days of illness;
• liquid stool with a yellow tint and foam, without mucus and other impurities. The frequency can reach no more than 6 times a day.

Other symptoms (intoxication, dehydration) do not appear or are mild. The disease, from the moment of infection to complete recovery, lasts no more than 5 days.

2. Moderate form of the disease. The temperature fluctuates between 37.6-38.8 degrees, so the baby becomes lethargic and has a sluggish reaction. The child, due to poor appetite, begins to lose weight. Vomiting can occur up to 4-5 times a day, no more than 3 days.

Loose stools up to 13 times a day, usually from the 4th day diarrhea stops. There is an average degree of dehydration of the body. The amount of urine produced per day decreases, the lips become red and chapped, and the oral mucosa is drier. When crying, few tears are produced. Recovery occurs on the 8th day.

3. Severe form of the disease. For newborns, it is the most dangerous and, if not treated in a timely manner, can be fatal due to severe dehydration and intoxication of the body. The temperature is already at prohibitive levels for a baby, 38.9-41 degrees.

The child sleeps almost all the time. When awake, he simply lies without unnecessary movements. Convulsions and loss of consciousness may occur. There is a complete refusal to eat and even drink.

Nausea and vomiting occur after every meal. Severe dehydration occurs. The urine may completely disappear, and when the baby cries, there will be no tears. The fontanel, which is not closed, flows strongly. Full recovery is possible on the 10th day.

The likelihood of infection in children under 3 months is low. Since maternal antibodies still protect the baby, even if he is fed artificially. From 4 months to 12 months, the baby suffers from a moderate or severe form of the disease. It is important to prevent severe poisoning and dehydration in the baby.

How to treat cough after rotavirus

Diseases of the upper respiratory tract due to rotavirus disease are caused by a decrease in immune defense. To prevent secondary infections, efforts must be made to restore the child’s immunity.

In addition to pathogenetic and symptomatic treatment, drugs with immunomodulatory and immunostimulating effects are used. Most immunomodulatory drugs are based on leukocyte interferons.

Treatment with Viferon

In pediatric practice, the drug "Viferon" is used. Available in the form of cream and rectal suppositories. The composition contains leukocyte interferon, vitamins C and E. The substances have antioxidant activity and facilitate the ability of interferons to act on cell walls. Under the influence of the drug, specific antibodies are produced at the site of inflammation.

Viferon suppositories should be used after rotavirus, 150,000 IU twice a day for 7 days.

Cough treatment regimen

Since coughing is caused by nasal secretions draining through the nasopharynx, nasal rinsing drops are used. You can use Aquamaris drops.

In infants, if a runny nose begins, mucus is pumped out from the nasal passages with a special aspirator.

A child's cough is caused by irritation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx and larynx.

• Dry cough leading to vomiting in a child

Antiseptic spray “Miramistin” is used to treat a sore throat.

The condition for getting rid of cough is to drink plenty of fluids and drink frequently. Chamomile infusions and warm tea are suitable for a child.

Give your child inhalations using expectorants. "Lazolvan" has a good effect. 10 drops of medicine are added to the inhaler. The procedure is carried out once a day.

If the child has a normal temperature, you can apply honey or semi-alcohol warming compresses to the chest area. Keep the compress for 40 minutes.

At night, you can rub your baby's back and chest with warming ointments. Badger fat, pork fat, and olive oil are effective.

To facilitate the removal of mucus from the bronchi of a child, it is useful to do a light vibration massage and therapeutic exercises. It is not recommended to interfere with physical activity.

If a child’s cough and runny nose are caused by bacterial flora, antibiotic treatment is used as prescribed by the doctor. Augmentin is effective in childhood. It is not recommended to treat a cough with antibiotics without consulting your doctor. Instead of recovery, complications will develop.

This disease causes inflammation in the upper respiratory tract and digestive organs. A child can become infected with rotavirus infection for various reasons, and an adult can also get sick from it. However, in children the disease is much more complicated than in parents.

Signs in a child of preschool and primary school age

Children aged from one to 3 years tolerate the disease worse than children from 4 to 7 years old, since all the antibodies received from their mother have already been used up, but they do not yet have their own. It is important for parents to be able to distinguish a rotavirus infection from a cold and an intestinal infection.

When the disease occurs in children, the temperature ranges from 37.5-40 degrees.

Symptoms of the disease are pronounced from the first day:

• loose stool with foam. May have a sour or strong unpleasant odor;
• vomiting, even without eating. Even water is not retained in the body;
• due to diarrhea, cramps occur in the stomach, the child complains of abdominal pain and rumbling (if the baby is not yet talking, then he points to the stomach and tries to sit down during the pain);
• the nose is stuffy, there is liquid mucus discharge from the nasal passages. Frequent sneezing;
• due to high fever and nasal congestion, a dry cough appears, the throat and tonsils turn red.

Children from one to 3 years old recover on the 8th day. Preschoolers can recover as early as the 5th day after infection. During the period of illness, the patient also complains of headache and general weakness, which are caused by an increase in temperature. When ill, it is important to prevent severe dehydration of the body; for children, a small amount of water is more dangerous than for an adult.

Changes in immunity after rotavirus

To understand what diseases occur in a child due to rotavirus infection, it is necessary to understand how human immunity changes after intestinal viral diseases.

Changes in the body's immune status

A pathogenic microorganism that enters the human body causes changes in the immune status. Leads to a decrease in immunity after the acute period of the disease. It takes time to restore the body's defenses.

• Rotavirus infection. Symptoms in children. How to treat at home?

Restoration of immune defense occurs within several weeks. The body is defenseless against any infections; children catch a runny nose and start coughing.

Features of specific immunity in children

The peculiarity of specific immunity to rotaviruses is that antibodies do not linger for a long period. The child suffers from viral pathology several times.

In some cases, the recurrent course is asymptomatic or sluggish. Over time, an adult develops immune defense after an intestinal infection.

Features of adult immunity

In adults, blood tests reveal specific antibodies to rotaviruses, which indicates previous intestinal infections. Similar indicators were found in adolescents and older schoolchildren.

In a number of Western countries, attempts have been made to vaccinate with a special vaccine against rotavirus for prevention. Vaccination leads to an increase in cases of inflammatory processes in the intestines. Scientific and practical research is being conducted to find means to prevent infection.

How does infection occur and how long does the incubation period last?

Infection is common in childhood, since children do not yet have strong immunity, and hygiene rules are not always followed. The microbe can get on objects from the patient, when sneezing, coughing, and survive for up to a month. In water, the infection can persist 2 times longer.

You can get infected in 3 ways:

1. When communicating with a patient. The infection gets into the air when talking or when mucus is released from the mouth/nasal cavity (sneezing, coughing). From the air, the pathogen penetrates the respiratory tract of a healthy person. It can also be transmitted through a kiss. Next, the pathogen penetrates the intestines and begins to actively multiply.
2. Through household items . The infection spreads to surrounding objects, from them to the hands, and from the hands to the mouth (or directly into the mouth, since small children pull many objects to taste them). The patient may not wash his hands after visiting the toilet (and the pathogen is also contained in the feces) and the infection can also spread from the hands onto objects or be transmitted through contact (shaking hands). It can also get into the food prepared by a sick person from dirty hands.
3. Unboiled water or milk, dirty fruit. The infection can also get into water and food through the secretions of a sick person, through airborne droplets. The pathogen can come from water by drinking it or by swimming in a pond or pool.

   

The danger of the disease is that an adult may have a rotavirus infection, but there are no symptoms. A person is contagious and can infect others.

Once a disease enters the body, it goes through 3 stages of incubation period:

• entering the body;
• absorption in the body;
• the beginning of reproduction and spread.

The routes of entry into the body were discussed above. Once you find yourself in a future carrier of infection, you have to bypass the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract, and get comfortable in the intestines. Rotovirus is exposed to saliva and gastrointestinal juice; not all pathogens can reach the intestines.

Those that make it to the breeding site are attacked by the body's immune system. If a person has a good immune system, then the disease may not begin to develop.

Having reached the intestines, the pathogen masters itself and begins to actively multiply, disrupting the functioning of the organ. Having reached a certain amount, the infection leaves the body. During this period, the first symptoms of the disease begin (fever, runny nose, cough).

The time period can vary from 13 hours to 1 week.

It depends:

• how many viruses have entered the body, how quickly they reach the intestines and begin to multiply;
• How strong is the immune system of an infected person?
• if the infection is repeated, then how many antibodies are available.

  

While the patient is in the incubation period, he does not yet have symptoms of the disease, but can already infect a healthy person. Since the disease occurs at this stage without symptoms, treatment cannot be started at the very first stage of the disease, until the infection has spread significantly.

After the first symptoms similar to a cold appear, the next day vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain appear.

The first signs of rotavirus infection

When the pathogen enters the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, people develop respiratory pathology syndrome and symptoms of toxemia in a short period - diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc. Doctors named the disease rotavirus infection, rotavirosis or rotavirus enteritis, and people call the pathology intestinal flu.

The disease is characterized by an acute course, and complications include severe dehydration, acetonuria, neurotoxicosis, convulsions, and ITS (infectious-toxic shock).

If a disorder of the digestive system is the first to manifest itself, people tend to mistake rotavirus infection for poisoning or damage to intestinal microbes. If at first there is a sore throat, runny nose, fever or cough, many people think that they have become infected with ARVI.

Due to the fact that respiratory and intestinal syndromes may not appear at the same time, people begin to be treated with antibiotics or antibacterial drugs. For rotavirus infection, such medications are ineffective. These remedies only cause complications. Medicines for RI are prescribed for symptomatic and antiviral therapy. Medicines and dosages are selected according to the age category of the sick person.

Preparations for treatment at home

Treatment of rotavirus infections in children can be carried out at home if the disease is mild or moderate. No special medications are prescribed to get rid of the disease. Antibiotics are not recommended. They will not help for recovery, but on the contrary, they will harm the gastrointestinal tract even more.

Recommended products:

• to relieve abdominal pain;
• against dehydration;
• to bring down the temperature;
• to eliminate loose stools;
• special diet.

The main thing is to prevent the development of complications of the disease. The body is able to get rid of the infection on its own. Additional drugs for treatment are rarely prescribed.

Prevention

Rotavirus infection is dangerous not only for children. It is difficult for older people and pregnant women to tolerate.

To prevent the development of the disease, you need to follow simple rules:

• Wash your hands after going outside and before eating;
• Do not drink tap water unless a filter is installed at home;
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially if the child eats them raw;
• For infants, sterilize dishes, bottles, and pacifiers. It is advisable to periodically treat toys as well. To do this, use a soap-soda solution.

Sterilization of children's dishes

Note! There is a vaccine that will protect a child from infection and, if infected, will reduce its symptoms. It is not included in the mandatory vaccination calendar; it is given at the request of the parents. The procedure must be carried out before the child reaches two years of age.

Not all young parents know how to treat their child with rotavirus. There is no specific drug to combat the disease; there is no remedy that eliminates all the symptoms. The main thing is to prevent dehydration and cleanse the baby’s body of toxins. Pediatricians often prescribe probiotics after rotavirus to restore the intestinal microflora. During illness, you need to provide the child with light food and plenty of water.

Pain Relief Products

To relieve pain, use No-shpa (ampoules or tablets) or Ribal (syrup, tablets). The drugs relieve muscle spasms, thereby reducing pain. It is not recommended to take the medicine without a doctor's prescription; only he can determine the correct dosage.

No-spa is taken depending on the patient’s age and weight category. For babies up to 5-7 kg in weight, 1 tablet is divided into 4 doses. Given when pain intensifies. Children up to 12 kg can be given half a tablet. If you weigh more than 20 kg, you can already give a whole tablet.

Ribal, it not only reduces pain, but also helps fight vomiting. For children under 3 months, a single dose is up to 7 mg. For babies under one year of age, the dose is doubled. From one to 2 years of age, the dose will increase to 25-30 mg. After 2 years, an adult dosage of no more than 50-60 mg is prescribed. It is recommended to take the drug no more than 3 times a day until complete recovery.

Recovery and prevention

Rotavirus infection in a child is successfully cured. After recovery, lasting immunity remains for about a year. In case of illness, after this period, the course of intestinal disorder is not so severe, and with age it ceases to be a problem at all.

To successfully rid a child of the symptoms of the disease, it is important to carefully follow all medical recommendations, including maintaining dietary nutrition for some time after recovery. Otherwise, there is a high probability of the so-called second wave of the disease: after a seemingly successful completion of the disease, symptoms suddenly return and health worsens. How long a rotavirus infection lasts depends on many factors, including:

• Child's age;
• State of health at the time of illness;
• Compliance with medical recommendations during treatment;
• Gradual exit from dietary nutrition;
• Have a calm recovery period after illness.

To prevent rotavirus infection, it is necessary to instill basic hygiene skills in children from an early age: the habit of washing hands should appear in childhood. Strengthening the immune system is also important - a healthy body resists viruses well, preventing the development of disease.

Rotavirus infection spreads easily in children. Good hygiene such as hand washing and cleanliness are important but not sufficient to control the spread of the disease.

A vaccine has been developed against rotavirus infection, which is administered orally. The rotavirus vaccine is the best way to protect your child from rotavirus. Most children (about 9 in 10) who receive the vaccine will be protected against severe rotavirus infection. At the same time, about 7 out of 10 children will be completely free of this infection. Vaccination is recommended for children under 2 years of age, since rotavirus infection in children of this age group can cause serious consequences, including death. It is not included in the vaccination calendar; parents buy the product.

It should be remembered that even vaccinated children can get rotavirus infection more than once. This is due to the fact that vaccination against rotavirus cannot provide complete protection against possible infection. However, vaccinated children are much less likely to get rotavirus infection, and when they do get sick, their symptoms are usually less severe than those of unvaccinated children.

Thus, rotavirus infection in children is one of many childhood diseases, the outcome of which depends entirely on the actions of the parents. Seeing a doctor on time is one of the components of success.

Remember that only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis; do not self-medicate without consultation and diagnosis by a qualified doctor. Be healthy!

It is not necessary to be treated for rotavirus infection in a hospital setting. You can cope with it at home, following the basic rules and recommendations. Infection throughout the baby’s life is unlikely to be avoided, so it is worth understanding how to treat rotavirus in a child, and what wrong actions can lead to.

Preparations for rehydration (elimination of dehydration)

When treating, the first step is to try to maintain a normal water-salt balance in the baby. Water is necessary for the body to fight infection, normal functioning of the entire body and remove toxins. If there is not enough fluid, the blood will quickly thicken and the blood supply will deteriorate, all organs will suffer. The patient's death is possible.

Plain water is also suitable for replenishing fluids in the body. But a solution of water (1 l), salt (10 g), sugar (50 g) and soda (up to 5 g) will be more useful. It will replenish the loss of water and essential substances.

Due to severe dehydration, the treatment of rotavirus infections in children must include a rehydration solution!

Compotes made from berries or dried fruits help with dehydration (a drink made from raisins is especially recommended). You can use a decoction of chamomile and rose hips. For preparation, take 1 part herbs and 10 parts water. When boiling, the drink is removed from the heat and left until it cools down.

You can purchase ready-made powders for solutions at the pharmacy:

• rehydron;
• yells;
• gastrolit.

In order for the medicine to be well absorbed, it is necessary to give the patient small portions of water. The fresher the drink, the healthier it is. Babies (up to 6 months) can be given a few drops to drink through a syringe. Older children (under 5 years old) should try to drink 15 ml of the drink at a time.

If there is vomiting, the volume decreases. The break between liquid intake is no more than 15 minutes. If the baby can drink just a little bit, then the time interval is reduced.

When the child’s condition does not improve, the amount of urine has not increased, the eyes also remain dry, or the ingested liquid immediately comes back out, the patient must be given IV drips, this is done in the hospital. The sooner drinks for dehydration are given, the less the patient’s body will suffer.

Komarovsky's advice

Children's doctor Komarovsky emphasizes that with rotavirus, the main thing is to give the child more fluids. A one-year-old baby can already be offered herbal teas, compotes, and any drinks that the baby likes. The main thing is that they do not contain sugar. Rehydration solutions help restore the water-salt balance. You can buy them at the pharmacy or make them yourself. To do this, you will need available means, namely salt, sugar and soda.

Important! The doctor emphasizes that the use of antibiotics, often prescribed to children, can only harm the health of the little patient.

Antibacterial therapy is necessary in rare cases:

• If traces of blood are found in the diarrhea;
• When a baby is diagnosed with cholera;
• For diarrhea that continues for 14 days, if Giardia is found in the baby’s stool.

Proper nutrition, plenty of fluids and antipyretics will help cope with the infection, and in a week the baby will be cheerful and active again.

How to lower the temperature?

Treatment of rotavirus infections does not always involve the use of antipyretics. It is recommended to reduce the temperature in children when it is above 38 degrees in children under 1.5 years old. And 39 degrees in older children and adults.

Before this, it is the body's normal reaction to an infection in the body. If the temperature is reduced before reaching these levels, the immune system will not be able to cope with the disease and this will slow down the healing process.

The best drug is paracetamol. It is suitable for all ages; you just need to correctly calculate the dosage at a time (this is done by a doctor). The tablets reduce fever and pain.

Very young children can be given:

• Nurofen, it is available in various forms (suppositories, capsules, syrup);

  

• ibuprofen, sold in tablets or syrup;
• Cefekon, only in the form of suppositories.

But all these drugs will help if they remain in the body. If a child has severe vomiting and diarrhea, then medications will not help. Then, to bring down the temperature, you can use wiping the baby with plain water at room temperature.

The child must be completely undressed and wiped with a damp cloth. Be sure to wipe the entire body for uniform cooling. After drying, put on socks. The patient should not be wrapped in a blanket. Let it rest open. It is not recommended to add vinegar or alcohol to water. They can cause additional poisoning of the body.

When the baby's vomiting and diarrhea go away, you can use medications to bring down the temperature if it is still high. Antipyretics should be taken according to instructions, and the dosage can be adjusted by your pediatrician.

Diagnosis of intestinal infection in children

Rotavirus in a child is usually determined by the symptoms of the disease: first of all, diarrhea, vomiting against a background of high fever. To make sure that these are indeed the consequences of a virus attack, it is necessary to conduct a laboratory test. Until the results are obtained, the presence of the disease can only be assumed.

You can find out the causative agent of the infection by having your stool tested. The child is also usually referred for a blood test. Based on the results, the doctor will determine whether bacteria have joined, which requires antibiotics to destroy. They can begin to actively reproduce when the baby’s body is weakened, which is observed during illness.

Is it possible to give drugs against diarrhea and how to restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract?

The patient must be given medications to consolidate the stool and to normalize the functioning of the digestive tract, since loose stools increase fluid loss by the body. It is advisable to take both types of drugs together. With normal colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by microflora, medications help fight infection.

To cleanse the body of toxins and consolidate stool, the following remedies have become popular:

• enterosgel;
• smecta;
• loperamide;

  

• stopdiar.

Depending on the course of the disease and the patient’s condition, the doctor prescribes a drug more suitable for treatment.

You also need to take:

• enterol;
• motillium;
• normobacta;
• linex;
• hilak-forte.

Medicines help restore peristalsis of the digestive tract. Reception continues after recovery up to 1 month. The exact course of treatment is prescribed by the pediatrician.

Dietary nutrition during illness

Treatment of rotavirus infections in children is accompanied by adherence to a strict diet. The main part, which is the correct drinking regime. The patient should drink as much fluid as possible. Drinks should be warm and in small portions.

What you can and cannot eat during a rotavirus infection:

In the first days of illness, the patient may completely refuse to eat. It is important to ensure that a sufficient amount of fluid enters the body. When the disease subsides, you can gradually introduce liquid porridges and low-fat broths into the diet.

First aid for a child at home

At home, parents' actions should be aimed at getting the baby to drink. He needs to take a few sips every 10-15 minutes. It’s good if the baby is breastfed. In this case, it is necessary to put him to the breast more often and not only when he asks. If the child refuses any liquid, then you can carefully inject it with a syringe, after removing the needle.

Way to give a baby something to drink

There are no special medications to cure the virus itself, you need to prevent dehydration, and be sure to cleanse the baby’s body of toxic substances. If the baby is not yet a year old, and the parents understand that they cannot cope, it is better to take the child to the hospital.

To know that the baby’s life is not in danger, you need to notice the main symptoms of dehydration in time:

• When a baby cries, he has no tears;
• The baby does not pee for more than three hours, even if he drinks constantly;
• The baby has dry mucous membranes and no saliva in the mouth;
• The child turns pale and his eyes may become sunken.

If you detect at least one of the dangerous signs, you need to call an ambulance.

Liquid alone is not enough to cleanse the child’s body of toxins – waste products of the virus. To normalize the condition and quickly get rid of harmful substances, sorbents are used. They are prescribed by a doctor, stipulating the dosage and frequency of administration.

It is recommended to lower the temperature after 38.5 degrees. If a child already feels bad at 37.9, there is no need to wait. For babies under one year of age, it is recommended to use rectal suppositories; they are used no more than once every 8 hours. If you need to give an antipyretic over a shorter period of time, you need to purchase a drug with a different active ingredient.

If you have rotavirus, your baby should eat only at his own discretion. He needs only light food. Milk and dairy products must be removed. If the baby wants porridge, you can cook it in water. It is not recommended to feed millet and pearl barley.

You should avoid the following products:

• Sweets and carbonated drinks;
• Bread;
• Pasta;
• Fatty food;
• Cabbage;
• Cucumbers;
• Radish;
• Onion and garlic;
• Sausage;
• Fresh fruits.

Light soups, boiled vegetables, and baked fruits are allowed. You can give your baby low-fat fish. In addition to rice porridge, you can cook oatmeal and corn.

Oatmeal for baby

Note! During illness, it is prohibited to introduce new foods into the diet.

During a rotavirus infection, you cannot feed a child if he does not want to. His body is weakened, and additional stress will only worsen the situation. You need to offer him light food, when his appetite begins to return, the baby will stop refusing. The emphasis should be placed specifically on the drinking regime. In this situation, water is vital for the baby.

For your information. It is not recommended to give painkillers before the doctor arrives - this will blur the picture of the disease and interfere with making a diagnosis and prescribing treatment.

Will folk remedies help?

Folk remedies include wiping with water to relieve fever when medications are not absorbed. It is important to remember that it is recommended to lower the temperature when it rises beyond 38.5 degrees.

The use of medicinal drinks is also used:

• Blueberry compote is recommended. It helps the body cleanse itself of toxins, disinfects and relieves inflammation;

  

• A decoction of dill seeds reduces bloating and pain. Take 15 g of seeds per 300 ml of boiling water and steam for at least 80 minutes. Drink as well as to combat dehydration (small portions and often);
• To relieve heat and strengthen stool, you need to steam 20 g of raspberry leaves in 150-180 ml of boiling water. Drink when it cools down. A fruit drink made from raspberry jam also helps.

Traditional medicine can help with mild forms of the disease or already during the recovery period. It is important to remember to discuss traditional treatment methods with your pediatrician.

Personal hygiene

Treatment of rotavirus infections in children, if all conditions are met, proceeds quickly and without complications. But there are cases when the disease causes severe damage to the patient’s health.

Therefore, to prevent the disease, it is recommended to maintain personal hygiene, since most infections occur through contact:

• Be sure to keep your hands clean. Wash before eating, after visiting a store or walking;

  

• do not use other people’s personal items (mug, spoon);
• drink milk and water after boiling;
• wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating or preparing them;
• do not eat in unfamiliar places, especially in cheap cafes along the road;
• Whenever possible, clean the apartment using infection-killing drugs. The toilet and bathroom should be cleaned more often.

This will not provide 100% protection against the disease, since the disease is also spread by airborne droplets, but it will reduce the risk of disease. Will not allow the infection to develop again after recovery.

Rotavirus vaccine

There is a vaccination against rotovirus, although it is not a mandatory medical requirement; it can be done in a paid clinic. The vaccine is administered orally in the form of drops. From 2 to 3 times, depending on the vaccine.

The first drops must be given to the baby before reaching 3 months, since in the first year of a baby’s life the disease occurs in severe forms. Then it is more easily tolerated by the body. Vaccination protects the baby for several years. Even if a child becomes infected, the disease will be mild.

Possible complications of the disease

If rotavirus infection is not treated in a timely manner, pathologies may develop. Death occurs in 3% of cases. Most often due to the fault of the baby's parents. Severe dehydration may impair brain function.

Unrestored microflora in the digestive tract threatens the development of dysbacteriosis and disruption of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The complication can affect the functioning of the heart and the condition of the blood vessels.

Treatment of rotavirus infections is recommended in children under the supervision of a pediatrician. If there is no improvement with home treatment, then it is necessary to urgently go to the hospital and continue treatment in the hospital with the help of droppers.

Author: Kotlyachkova Svetlana

Article design: Vladimir the Great