Recently, adults and children are increasingly suffering from intestinal infections. The main reason for their development are viruses, which are divided into several types. One of them is noroviruses. In this article, we consider a disease such as norovirus infection: what it is, causes, symptoms, treatment methods.
General information
Noroviruses and rotoviruses are the main causative agents of intestinal infections. Initially, there was no difference between these viruses, so the diagnosis was unequivocal: “rotovirus infection”.
In 1972, norovirus was first isolated, it happened in the United States, in the city of Norfolk (Ohio). In this connection, the first name of the virus was “Norfolk Agent”. In the course of genetic research, it was found that it belongs to the family Caliciviridae.
According to scientists, 90% of cases of non-bacterial enteritis worldwide are caused by norovirus infection. What kind of virus is this? Let's figure it out.
Infection transmission mechanism
The main ways of the virus to enter the body are:
A person infected with the virus is contagious to others during the acute phase of the disease and in the next 48 hours.
Norovirus infection: symptoms of the disease
The first signs of the disease occur 24-48 hours after infection. Severe nausea, turning into vomiting, diarrhea, fever, muscle and headaches, weakness - this is how norovirus infection manifests itself. Signs of the disease usually go away on their own after 12-72 hours. After recovery, the body develops an unstable immunity to the virus - up to eight weeks. After this period of time, a Norovirus infection can again develop in a person.
What is it and how does the disease manifest itself, we found out. Now let's talk about diagnostic methods and treatment methods.
Diagnostics
There is no particular need to determine the type of virus. Because the treatment of such ailments is usually the same. If it is necessary to determine norovirus, special blood tests (PFA or PCR) are performed.
Principles of treating a disease
In most cases, if a norovirus infection is detected, treatment is not required, since this type of infection has the ability to limit itself, and the disease goes away without any complications. The main recommendation for this ailment is the use of a sufficient amount of fluid to prevent dehydration. To relieve severe nausea or vomiting, medications such as Prochlorperazine, Promethazine, Ondansetron are prescribed. With a high degree of dehydration, intravenous administration of fluids containing electrolytes is required; in critical situations, hospitalization of the patient is necessary.
Preventative measures
For any diseases, including such an ailment as norovirus infection, treatment is always longer and more expensive than preventative measures, especially for severe cases. Therefore, it is necessary to do everything possible to prevent the development of the disease.
To date, there is no vaccine for this infection. Despite the fact that noroviruses are highly contagious, resistant and have long viability in the environment, the prevention of norovirus infection is elementary.
The following simple guidelines should be followed:
Follow personal hygiene (wash hands with soap before cooking and eating food, after going to the toilet, upon returning from the street).
Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly and consume thermally processed foods.
Use guaranteed safe water and drinks.
When swimming in pools and ponds, avoid getting water in your mouth.
Additional measures
Norovirus infection - what is it? This is a very serious ailment. Therefore, if one of the family members falls ill, it is necessary to carefully monitor hygiene. When caring for the patient or in contact with objects surrounding him, hands must be protected with gloves, wash them thoroughly with soap and treated with alcohol-containing antiseptics.
Wet treatment of all surfaces contacted by the patient should be carried out at least once a day. Norovirus has high viability, therefore, cleaning should be carried out with the addition of chlorine-based disinfectants.
The dishes used by the patient, as well as all washable items, must be boiled. Things stained with vomit should be washed immediately at a temperature of at least 60 º. By following these rules, you can prevent the further spread of infection and re-infection of people.
Norovirus infection: signs in children, treatment of the disease in childhood
As you know, kids are pulling all the objects in their mouths. And this phenomenon is not so dangerous if it happens at home, as the child plays with clean toys. But this situation can occur on the street, playground, in the sandbox and other places. In this case, of course, no one will give guarantees regarding the cleanliness of the surrounding objects. That is why a variety of intestinal diseases, including norovirus infection in children, is a fairly common occurrence. In addition, children are often in a team (kindergartens, schools, various circles), where any infection spreads quickly enough.
What should parents do in such a situation?
First of all, a child from early childhood must be taught to observe the rules of hygiene: wash hands more often, do not take food from the floor, and so on. Naturally, this will not protect the baby from infection, but will help reduce the risk of its development several times.
If norovirus infection occurs in children, the treatment has its own characteristics, since in children the dehydration of the body occurs much faster than in adults, which can lead to death. Parents need to be extremely careful and keep under control the condition of the child. With the first symptoms of a baby's disease, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of fluid. For this purpose, fractional drinking is used. The child is given a teaspoon of liquid every 15 minutes. It is preferable to use such means as "Regidron", "Glucosalan", "Humana Electrolyte". If these drugs are not available, you can give mineral water, having previously released gas. The amount of fluid that a child needs to drink in the first 6-8 hours of the disease is approximately 10 ml per 1 kg of weight for infants, 50-80 ml per 1 kg of weight for children after a year.
If the child does not stop vomiting, and therefore it is not possible to drink it, and even so, the baby's condition worsens, call an ambulance immediately. In the hospital, experienced specialists will carry out the necessary infusion therapy.
An important role in intestinal infections is diet therapy. Clinical nutrition is a constant and important aspect of treatment at all stages of the disease. The volume and composition of food is influenced by the age, weight of the child, the nature of previous diseases. Good nutrition is very important for the speedy restoration of bowel function.
Breastfeeding must be maintained even with diarrhea. Breast milk contains epithelial, insulin-like and transformable growth factors. These substances help to quickly recover the mucous membrane of the intestines of the child. In addition, breast milk contains anti-infection factors such as lactoferrin, lysozyme, lg A, bifidum factor.
If the baby is on artificial feeding, in the acute period of the disease, the use of soy-based milk mixtures should be abandoned. Since diarrhea increases the sensitivity of the intestinal mucosa of the child to soy protein.
Children receiving complementary foods, it is recommended to cook porridge in the water. You can give dairy products, baked apple, bananas, carrot and applesauce.
Remember!
Strict observance of personal hygiene rules and timely request for help at a medical institution are the main protection against intestinal diseases, especially for children.
From this article, you learned more about such an ailment as norovirus infection: what it is, how it manifests itself, and what are the principles of treatment. We hope you find the information useful. Be healthy and take care of your children!