Rotavirus

rotavirus causes-
 * About 111 million cases of disease requiring home care only
 * 25 million clinic visits
 * 2 million hospitalizations
 * more than 500,000 deaths in children aged five or younger

Rotavirus can be mild or severe. Its incubation period is about two days. The disease causes vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 to 8 days, and frequently includes fever and abdominal pain. Infection appears to provide partial immunity, as repeat infections tend to be less severe. This disease pattern makes researchers believe that a vaccine could protect against the severe disease and death caused by rotavirus. who does it mostly infect- Every child in the world will have at least one rotavirus infection before age five. In industrialized nations like the US, around 70 child deaths are attributed each year to this diarrheal disease. In developing countries, however, nearly 1,400 children die from rotavirus infections each //day//, succumbing to severe dehydration that could be easily treated if they had access to lifesaving care often routine in richer nations. Children six months to two years of age are most vulnerable to rotavirus infection, along with premature infants, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Rotavirus in otherwise healthy adults tends to be mild. FINALLY the treatment- Neither antibiotics nor other drugs can cure rotavirus. The only treatment consists of preventing dehydration by providing fluids and salts until the disease runs its course. In the most serious cases, frequent vomiting makes oral rehydration ineffective. Children who cannot keep down fluids urgently need intravenous fluids, or they risk dying from dehydration. While illness is usually mild enough that parents can care for their children at home, about one in 65 cases requires hospitalization for intravenous fluids.* The poorest developing countries may lack hospital and laboratory facilities to meet this need. Where such care is unavailable, death rates are highest. Preventing serious disease in the first place is the best way to protect children in poor countries. who in the world discovered it????--



it is small and round