One of the most common infections now is rotavirus. This is a very contagious disease transmitted through dirty hands and by airborne droplets. Pathology is difficult, with high fever. Small children can be especially seriously ill, namely, they are considered the most vulnerable to rotavirus. Immunity to this disease lasts only for some time, so many are interested in how not to get a rotavirus infection.
Features of the disease
Until the mid-20th century, the most common intestinal diseases were salmonellosis, dysentery, and cholera. But with the advent of antibiotics, these diseases were defeated. Now the danger is viral infections. In the 40s, a rotavirus was discovered, which is named because of its similarity in shape to a wheel (in Latin, a "company" is a wheel). It is a highly contagious and resistant to various influences virus. It causes a disease that is also called intestinal flu. This is the most common cause of diarrhea with fever in children.
Rotavirus infection is found in all countries of the world, the virus is able to survive for a long time in the external environment, especially in places with a high population density. Therefore, there is no seasonality for this disease, unlike regular flu. The peculiarity of this disease is also that after a person has been ill, his immunity lasts only for several months, then he can be infected again.
Symptoms of the disease
Most often, rotavirus infection occurs in children. The disease begins with fever, sometimes up to 40 °. The child begins severe indomitable vomiting, diarrhea. The urge to the toilet is very frequent and sudden, and the chair is watery and foamy. Then increased gas formation develops, abdominal pains appear. Because of these symptoms, the disease is often confused with food poisoning. Therefore, some patients do not even see a doctor.
But a feature of rotavirus infection is that often the intestinal manifestations of the disease are accompanied by sore throat, runny nose, severe weakness. Therefore, the disease was called intestinal flu, as it is accompanied by symptoms of a common cold. In addition, diarrhea often lasts about a week, and vomiting usually goes away after 1-2 days.
Danger of infection
Adults usually carry rotavirus infection easily with the right treatment. In most cases, the cure occurs within a week, sometimes after a couple of days the patient feels better. This is due to the fact that adults have stronger immunity and higher acidity of gastric juice, which destroys the infection.
This disease is dangerous for children. Namely, under the age of 5 years, rotavirus infection is most often found. Particularly high risk of infection in children up to a year, at this age the disease is particularly severe. In babies, dehydration develops very quickly, which can lead to death. Therefore, approximately 30% of patients need hospitalization.
To avoid the danger of dehydration and other unpleasant consequences of the disease, all parents need to know how not to get a rotavirus infection. If the child is already sick, it is very important to treat him correctly under the guidance of a doctor. This will help to avoid damage to the patient's cardiovascular and urinary systems.
It is also very important to know how not to get pregnant woman from a patient with rotavirus infection. Some, while carrying a child, try not to visit crowded places, and if necessary wear a mask. After all, any infectious disease, even as mild as rotavirus infection, can be dangerous for mom and baby.
How is rotavirus infection transmitted?
Everyone should know how not to get infected from a sick person, since this disease is found all over the world very often. Moreover, there are several ways of transmitting the virus. First of all, it is airborne. Most often they become infected with this disease from a sick person. He may no longer feel unwell, but be a virus carrier. After recovery, a person remains contagious for 2 weeks or more. Therefore, it is very important to know how not to get a rotavirus infection from a person, because the disease is most often transmitted in teams.
A feature of this virus is that it is able to survive for a long time in the external environment. Contact-household transmission of infection is very common. Most often, infection occurs in kindergartens, hospitals, sports sections, schools. After all, the virus survives on door handles, clothes, toys, and other household items. If one family member falls ill, it is very important to know how not to get a rotavirus infection at home. To do this, it is imperative to observe the rules of hygiene and treat all surfaces that concern the patient.
Another way to transmit rotavirus infection is through food. You can get infected through water, food, especially dairy products. In this way, infection often occurs in the summer, when a person swallows water from a reservoir when swimming, eats unwashed vegetables and fruits. The virus is able to survive for a long time in the refrigerator, in tap water.
How can I get infected?
Infection with this virus can occur anywhere. Both children and adults are at risk. The risk of infection is especially great in places with a lot of crowds: in sports sections, schools, camps, hospitals, kindergartens, at festivals. Also, these are common areas, for example, train stations, shopping centers, transport. Often people become infected at the resort, since people are close to each other on the beach, and when swimming in a pond, a person can swallow the virus with water. Rotavirus is so stable that it is difficult to even wash it off with ordinary soap. Therefore, it is very important to know how not to get rotavirus infection at sea. After all, the disease can completely ruin the entire vacation.
The risk of infection is high because the virus is transmitted from a person who is sick, but still does not feel any symptoms. The first 2-3 days is the incubation period, but at this time the patient is already contagious. It also releases the virus into the environment within 1-2 months after recovery. Therefore, the child can communicate with completely healthy apparently children, and then get sick. Therefore, it is important for parents to teach children how to avoid contracting a rotavirus infection from the child with whom they play. If the baby follows the rules of hygiene, the risk of infection will decrease.
The risk of infection at home is especially high. Usually, if one member of the family becomes sick, it is very difficult to protect the others from infection. In this case, it is especially important to know how not to get a pregnant woman with a rotavirus infection. Indeed, despite the fact that in adults the disease is easier, dehydration and the need to take medications adversely affect the child.
Specific disease prevention
Many people think that they know how not to get a rotavirus infection. They follow the rules of personal hygiene and do not use dirty water. But experts note that such prevention has low efficiency. After all, the virus is very tenacious. Therefore, it is recommended to protect yourself from it with the help of vaccination. In many countries, vaccination against rotavirus infection is one of the mandatory, in Russia so far it can only be done for a fee.
Now there are two vaccines that protect against this disease. Both are administered orally, so no injections are needed. This is especially important for young children. These vaccines are considered safe and are combined with other vaccinations. Most often, the Rotatek vaccine is used, which is administered into the body until the 32th week of the child's life. Another Rotarix vaccine is administered even earlier - up to 24 weeks. It is believed that if vaccinations are done later, they will not provide reliable protection against the disease. Vaccination is also not effective even after the onset of the disease.
The basic rules of prevention
To understand how not to get a rotavirus infection, you need to remember about some specific preventive measures. The most important thing you need to know about is that a sick person must be isolated from healthy people. He should not attend school or other institutions when the first signs of the disease appear. It is especially important for the patient not to contact with children who carry the disease harder.
It is very important to tell the child how not to get a rotavirus infection at school or kindergarten. You need to teach him some simple rules:
- Do not drink tap water;
- Do not put dirty hands or toys in your mouth;
- Do not bite off the same food with friends, do not drink from one bottle;
- always wash hands before eating and after using the toilet;
- Be sure to wash your hands also after coming from the street.
The same simple rules must be followed by all parents in order to protect the infant from infection. It is recommended to boil his underwear, water for washing dishes, carefully observe the rules of hygiene when cooking. For infants, it is recommended to even boil bathing water.
How to protect yourself from infection in different conditions?
The most effective way, how not to get infected with rotavirus infection, is not to communicate with sick people, not to visit crowded places during epidemics. A sick person should be left at home, it is advisable to provide him with a separate room. If at the same time children are ill, parents usually do not follow the rules of prevention. But it is very important to know how not to get a rotavirus infection from a child. Indeed, a long incubation period and a long time after recovery, when a person remains contagious, can lead to the fact that an adult will become a source of reinfestation for the baby.
Therefore, it is imperative to disinfect all the things that the patient uses, to allocate separate dishes, linen, and towels for him. To process household items, furniture and floor with disinfectant solutions. A person caring for a patient needs to wash his hands as often as possible.
The most favorable conditions for the reproduction of the virus are high temperature and humidity. Therefore, people at resorts often become infected. Many are trying to figure out how to avoid getting a rotavirus infection at sea before they leave. Reviews of various drugs note that they are not always effective, so you need to try to follow the rules of hygiene, do not swallow water when bathing, do not eat unwashed vegetables and fruits. It is also undesirable to eat in a cafe where sanitary standards may not be respected.
What to drink in order not to get a rotavirus infection?
Many people do not trust preventive measures and believe that infection can be prevented only with the help of drugs. Therefore, during epidemics, in the summer on vacation, before the need to visit crowded places, they try to take antiviral drugs for prophylactic purposes. There are few such funds, not all of them are equally effective. In order not to take the medicine in vain, it is better to find out from the doctor what to drink so as not to get a rotavirus infection. There are only a few effective drugs for this, since most of them are designed to prevent colds and flu.
- "Arbidol" is an effective antiviral agent that can be used to protect not only from viruses that affect the respiratory tract. It contains the substance umifenovir, which is also effective for the prevention of intestinal infections. You can take the drug for children and adults during pregnancy.
- Viferon can also protect a child and an adult from rotavirus infection. This drug is able to increase the resistance of the intestinal mucosa to viruses. In addition, it activates the production of specific antibodies. For small children, Viferon is available in the form of candles.
- "Tsitovir" is an immunomodulatory drug. Available in tablets for adults and in powder for the preparation of a solution for children. Its intake is effective in order to increase the body's resistance to infection.
- Amiksin is considered the best way to prevent rotavirus infection. This drug stimulates the production of antibodies, strengthens the body's defenses and inhibits the production of viruses.
- Groprinosin also effectively increases the body's resistance to infection. The drug has an immunostimulating effect and is well tolerated even by children and elderly patients.
How to kill a virus?
Rotavirus is very resistant to various influences. It does not die even after surface treatment with detergents, chlorinated solutions or after freezing. Only very concentrated solutions, alcohol and boiling for longer than 10 minutes can kill him. Therefore, those who want to learn how not to get a rotavirus infection from a patient should keep this in mind. It is necessary to boil the clothes of an infected person, to process objects that he uses, with alcohol or iodine-containing solutions.
The virus also dies at a body temperature of 38 °. Therefore, adults are not recommended to immediately bring down the temperature. But the danger is that children are harder to tolerate this condition. They have an increased temperature can cause irreversible damage to cells. Therefore, it is necessary to bring down the temperature in babies. In general, the treatment of rotavirus infection is to relieve symptoms: abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and to prevent dehydration. There are just a few specific drugs that can kill the virus: these are interferon-based drugs. Most often, they recommend taking Viferon, Interferon, and Lipoferon.