Rotavirus: The Smelly Disease

Your child goes into the hospital ill from having very smelly and green diarrhea along with puking. The doctors tell you that your child is very dehydrated and lethargic. Most likely they will have to insert an IV and admit them for a few nights. You are scared and are wondering to yourself, what is going on?

After admitted, the doctor explains to you that your child has rotavirus, which can be very common in children under the age of 5 and younger and when it is a baby it can be very severe. This virus is very contagious and therefore, the nurses make the parents wear robes once they leave the child's hospital room.

The most popular time for rotavirus to occur is between the months of November and May. Rotavirus is very common in the US, sending an estimated 500,000 people to the hospital and doctors offices each year. With that many cases, it really surprises me how many people have never heard of it.

I am a mother of four and I hadn't heard of it until one night my one year old girl was starting to go lethargic and had a fever of 102. I couldn't keep the fluids down for anything and she had become dehydrated. She hadn't even had the rotavirus diarrhea until after she got to the hospital. But once it happened, the doctors knew right away that it was rotavirus. You can't ever forget that smell! I was finally feeling more comfortable and not as upset and went to sleep in that hospital that night knowing that she would be ok. However, the next morning, when I woke up, she was moaning and I told the nurse that she was very hot. She was and her temperature was 107 degrees. I could only see the whites of her eyes and I can tell you that it was the scariest experience of my life. Four doctors came running and trying to get her to cool down and react. Finally, she did and she left the hospital two days later.

If you have never heard of rotavirus, like I hadn't, and you have children, get more information on the internet about the symptoms of it. The more you know about it, the safer and healthier your child will be. There is now a shot that can be given as an immunization to babies. I would definitely advise it.

 

Jedidiah Taylor, author, is a father of four and has been married for 11 years. He has a lot of information on babies and toddlers, which can be viewed at http://www.diaperyears.com