Competent treatment of rotavirus infection in children: first aid and treatment regimen at home

Greetings, dear readers of my blog! In today's publication you will find the answer to how to treat rotavirus infection in children. You will learn why it is dangerous and will be able to effectively help your children. I scoured the Internet in search of complete information about this disease and collected the summary in this article.

Rotavirus infection, also called rotavirosis, stomach and intestinal flu - an acute intestinal infection caused by the pathogen Rotavirus. People of all ages are susceptible to the disease, but children aged 6 months to 5 years are more likely to get sick. Affects the nasopharynx and digestive tract. Adults can become infected from sick children, but their illness is much milder.

First aid

Rotavirus (also called intestinal flu) appears quite often in children. The disease “ripens” within 1-4 days, and its first signs can appear within a day after infection .
The standard course of the disease begins with:

• sudden increase in temperature;
• vomiting;
• loose stools;
• excess gas formation.

Thus, when deciding what to do if you suspect an infection, you should first of all pay attention to the most striking symptoms and start with symptomatic treatment .

How to quickly cure a baby

Treatment of rotavirus infection in children, if it is not accompanied by complications such as incessant vomiting or extremely high fever, follows a standardized scheme in accordance with clinical recommendations for providing medical care to children with rotavirus infection.

It is better to reduce the temperature with suppositories , since the tablets may not have time to be absorbed due to vomiting. You can go for walks with your baby, but only if the body temperature has returned to normal.

Important! Vomiting can be suppressed. To do this, you need to help the child take a horizontal position. You can sit him on your lap and hug him. However, vomiting is a protective reflex that protects the baby. Therefore, if the urge to vomit occurs, for example, after drinking or eating, then it is better not to give water or feed the child.

This rule does not apply to medicinal drinks , namely those that restore water balance (for example, Regidron) and do not allow the body to become dehydrated.

The main visible problems in the child are watery stools and frequent urge to have bowel movements . In this situation, the body loses a lot of fluid. Therefore, to replenish it, it is vital to give the child water. A suitable drink would be tea with lemon or berry juice.

put your digestion in order by taking age-appropriate medications:

• Activated carbon,
• "Smecta" or its analogues.

Specifics of nutrition for infants with rotavirosis

Let's look at how to treat rotavirosis in children under one year of age. Diet is a serious component of treatment. If your baby is breastfed, partially switch him to low-lactose or lactose-free formulas, because during the course of his illness his digestive tract will not be able to fully absorb milk. The best option would be to reduce breastfeeding to 1-2 times a day. When artificial feeding, it is necessary to completely replace milk formulas with low- and lactose-free ones.

How to treat rotavirus

Children aged 1 to 3 years are most susceptible to rotavirus. How many days the disease is treated depends on many factors:

• age,
• conditions of infection,
• detection time,
• immunity status, etc.

The average duration of the disease is up to 7 days . At an older age, the child’s body produces antibodies that significantly shorten the duration of the disease and facilitate its course.

Specific therapy, as a rule, is not used, but the main manifestations of the disease will have to be eliminated.

Fighting dehydration

One of the main problems with rotavirus is dehydration . A large amount of fluid and nutrients is lost or does not enter the body during diarrhea, vomiting, increased sweating, high fever, and refusal to eat.

Therefore, it is necessary to organize a regular supply of fluid to the body to meet its needs, as well as to quickly flush out and eliminate toxins through the kidneys. The volume of fluid consumed is adjusted depending on the age of the baby.

Treatment regimen for dehydration by age (from 1 year to 4 years – 5 years)

Up to a year you should give a coffee spoon of water. If it is absorbed, repeat the procedure every 10-20 minutes.

From one to 3 years old, you can start with a teaspoon, and if everything is in order, increase the dose to a dessert one.

At 4 and 5 years old, children can independently drink water from a mug in small sips if they do not feel sick.

There are special preparations for rehydration:

• Regidron,
• Oralit,
• Normagidron,
• Hydrovit,
• Humana electrolyte.

They are available in powders. 1 sachet of this product is dissolved in a liter of water and given to children according to the indicated dosage.

If treatment with these powders is unavailable , you can use:

• warm drinking water,
• light compote of dried fruits,
• chamomile flower tea,
• rice water

If the body rejects the liquid you drink, it is necessary to take the child to the hospital, where the baby will be given a drip to avoid dehydration.

Temperature reduction

High temperature is a sign of the body's active fight against infection . But if it reaches a value of 38.6 degrees or higher, you will have to reduce it - overheating can cause convulsions.

The most effective antipyretics for children :

• syrup with ibuprofen (used at a certain dosage according to age and doctor’s prescriptions);
• rectal suppositories (“Cefekon” or “Efferalgan”). They are installed every 2 hours.

Carefully! It makes no sense to bring the temperature below 38 degrees, otherwise the body will stop fighting the infection. If the temperature rises above 39 degrees, paracetamol-based medications should be used . Aspirin-containing products should not be used by children except as prescribed by a doctor.

Pain in the intestines should be relieved with antispasmodics . “No-shpa” is considered a universal remedy. It can be used according to the age dosage.

The doctor may also prescribe the child an intestinal receptor blocker, Ribal . It reduces the urge to vomit and is suitable for relieving spasms in the gastrointestinal tract. Children over 6 years of age should be given it in tablets, 1 three times a day. for children from 2 to 6 years old . The daily dosage is 30-60 ml and is divided into 3 doses.

Detoxification

The fight against toxins that affect internal organs during rotavirus infection is an important part of treatment. It must be carried out with the help of enterosorbents.

To remove toxins, your doctor may recommend:

• Smecta;
• activated or white carbon;
• Enterosgel.

The main thing is to follow the dosage and not allow the timing of taking enterosorbents to coincide with antispasmodics and antipyretics.

Nutrition

The diet of a sick child should be dietary . Dairy, meat, fatty, fried, spicy and sour foods should be excluded from it.

Suitable for supporting nutritional strength:

• liquid rice porridge,
• mashed potatoes with water,
• low-fat chicken broth,
• crackers, bread sticks, dryers, bananas (as dessert),
• fruit drinks, jelly, dried fruit compote with a small amount of sugar (from drinking).

Normalization of digestion

During the course of the disease, the body is deprived of digestive enzymes. Therefore, two days after the onset of the disease, you should start taking medications that normalize digestion:

• Mezima,
• Creon and others.

It is good to restore the intestinal microflora with probiotics - preparations with bifidobacteria:

• Bifidumbakturin,
• Atsipol,
• Linux and the like.

They are taken starting from the third day of illness.

Antiviral protection against rotavirus

Whether it is worth resorting to it in the absence of specialized drugs for rotavirus - only the doctor can decide. immune support :

• Anaferon,
• Viferon,
• Lycopid.

Thus, antiviral treatment should be carried out comprehensively :

1. First we deal with the symptoms.
2. Then we remove toxins.
3. We organize dietary meals.
4. We normalize digestion.
5. We support immunity.

Diagnosis of rotavirus infection

Thanks to its characteristic symptoms, this disease can be suspected from the moment the first symptoms appear. To distinguish it from other infections, doctors use the following signs:

• The onset of the disease is acute;
• The virus is active all year round, the peak incidence is autumn and winter (but during the hot period in open water bodies it can easily become infected through water, swimming in the sea, there is always a risk of ingesting water);
• Skin rashes – no;
• Temperature – up to 39°C, but short-term;
• Characteristic clinical picture (described in the symptoms section).

In order to confirm the presence of rotavirus infection, conventional laboratory examinations (general blood tests, urine, stool) are not enough, since changes in them will be nonspecific. A definitive diagnosis can only be made using the following methods:

Treatment of the disease should begin immediately after the initial diagnosis is made. To do this, you do not need to wait for confirmation from the laboratory. Subsequently, treatment tactics can be adjusted, depending on the results obtained.

Antibiotics

Sometimes, when treating rotavirus, doctors prescribe antibiotics, diagnosing an unidentified acute intestinal infection. But they will not have much effect, since the disease is viral and not bacterial in nature .

It makes sense to use antibiotics when:

• the presence of blood in the stool,
• suspected cholera,
• prolonged diarrhea with Giardia in the stool.

In other cases, the prescription of antibiotics is more likely a reinsurance than a full-fledged treatment.

Antiviral therapy

Like any virus, reoviruses are sensitive to antiviral drugs. However, there is no direct cure for this group of viruses. When respiratory manifestations occur, Groprinosin is prescribed. Viferon tablets and Likopid are also suitable. The drugs are prescribed as a course of treatment for at least five days.

For acute intestinal symptoms, Nifuroxazide, Enterol or Enterofuril are suitable. They protect against bacterial infection and also exhibit strong detoxifying properties. Children's forms are produced in syrup. This group is prescribed for severe cases. The minimum course is three days.

If the diarrhea is not very severe, interferon can be used in suppositories to increase local immunity.

How to cure at home

Most often, children are treated for rotavirus at home. But sometimes you have to go to the hospital. In fact, there are few differences between these types of treatment - in both cases it is necessary:

• provide the body with sufficient fluid,
• stabilize body temperature,
• choose a therapeutic diet,
• ensure the strengthening of the body.

The main difference between a hospital is that people go there in difficult situations , for example, with incessant vomiting and diarrhea, when the child’s dehydration becomes critical. Another difference is that at home, in addition to medications, folk remedies are sometimes used.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies should be used exclusively:

• in combination with medications,
• after consultation with a doctor,
• if the child is not allergic to the components of the product.

Dried blueberries have anti-inflammatory and disinfectant properties . Blueberry compote will be useful for the gastrointestinal tract - it will help remove toxins from the body faster.

Water based on dill seeds helps cope with intestinal colic. A teaspoon of seeds is infused in a glass of boiling water. For children over 2 years old, you can give 500 grams of infusion every 2 hours.

Raspberries will help reduce fever . You can brew tea from raspberry leaves - a tablespoon of the product per glass of boiling water. You can make a fruit drink from raspberry jam and drink it 1-3 times a day. You can also relieve the heat with water rubdowns (without alcohol).

How to treat at sea

At a resort, rotavirus can be caught from a patient or carrier while eating food. The disease spreads especially quickly in children's groups. It is very difficult to protect yourself from infection - even following the rules of personal hygiene may not help.

At sea, treatment of infection will not differ from treatment at home. Since the infection is acute, medical insurance will cover the costs and the receiving party will be obliged to provide the baby with qualified care.

However, you should take care in advance to help your child and protect yourself as much as possible from “acquaintance” with the disease , observing the following rules:

• Take enterosorbents, antipyretics, and antiviral drugs with you in your first aid kit so that you can provide help faster.
• Do not buy food from beach vendors - they can carry rotavirus.
• Try to eat at catering establishments less often . If possible, it is better to cook your own food.
• Wash purchased foods thoroughly before eating.
• Wash your hands before eating.
• Boil water and milk for drinking . Use bottled, not tap water.
• Wash toys periodically.
• Always have disinfectant wipes and gels with you.
• If you have the opportunity to choose disposable or reusable tableware in catering establishments, it is better to give preference to disposable tableware .

Symptoms and course of the disease

Doctors say that 50% of cases of childhood diarrhea are associated with the work of rotaviruses. It is possible to catch the infection as early as six months, when the specific immunity received from the mother ceases to function. After contact with an unfavorable agent, it takes from one to five days until the first symptoms appear. In this case, the child becomes contagious from the first day. During this period, an outwardly prosperous baby is a source of illness for others.

Rotavirus is distinguished by the absence of a unified pattern of development of clinical manifestations. This makes diagnosis difficult.

Table of clinical manifestations of rotavirus disease

The stool has an unpleasant sour odor and a gray-yellow, clay-like color. The malaise is accompanied by a rise in temperature to 38 -39 degrees. Food and drink provoke vomiting attacks, and antipyretics help little.

At a younger age, the course of the disease is acute. Immunity is subsequently developed. It does not protect against infection, but it makes the infection easier, so adults get sick more easily. No fever, isolated episodes of gastric reflux and minor diarrhea.

How to help a child: Komarovsky advises

1. Do not under any circumstances allow the body to become dehydrated . Not only the digestive system, but also the nervous system can suffer from this, and the functioning of the lungs can also be disrupted.
2. If the child does not want to drink, the solution should be instilled into the mouth with a regular disposable syringe.
3. The first infection (from 6 months to 2 years) is a severe intestinal infection.
4. The diagnosis can only be made in laboratory conditions , so the treatment tactics for watery stool will always be the same.
5. You should not force feed a child when sick . 1 day of fasting will not cause mortal harm to the body.
6. You should always have oral rehydration products in your first aid kit at home . If you don’t have them, you can prepare it yourself - dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a liter of water.
7. Vaccination is the only effective method of prevention . protects by 80% from the disease and by 90-95% from its severe forms.
8. It is worth getting vaccinated between the ages of 1.5 and 8 months . Later, the child’s body will begin to produce antibodies on its own.

Prevention of rotavirus infection

How to protect yourself or your child from rotavirus infection? There are two main methods for this. The first is compliance with basic hygiene standards:

• Regular hand washing (mandatory before eating/water);
• Boiling any water you consume (except bottled water);
• Thoroughly wash any consumed vegetables, fruits and berries with soap, followed by rinsing them with boiling water.

In most cases, these simple rules help avoid the development of the disease. However, it is quite difficult to ensure that the child adheres to them. As a special prophylaxis, which can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing pathology and completely eliminate the occurrence of severe forms of infection, vaccination can additionally be used.

Currently, 2 vaccines against this disease are available in Russia - RoTatek and Rotarix. They are only effective on children under two years of age. The drugs are manufactured in Europe, where they have undergone multiple clinical trials and proven their effectiveness. They are not included in the vaccination schedule, so in order to give them to your child, you must buy them yourself. The average cost of a vaccine is about 5,000 rubles.