Rotavirus

• Virus causes diarrhea and vomiting        
  

Signs and Symptoms

• Vomiting, diarrhea and low-grade fever. The illness usually lasts for 4-6 days.  

Spread

• Touching objects that have been infected. 
• The virus can also be in the respiratory tract (lungs) so it can spread through coughing and sneezing.
• It usually takes from 24-72 hours for a person to get sick. 

Treatment

• There is no specific treatment for rotavirus
  
• Preventing dehydration is the priority, so be sure to drink plenty of fluids
  

Prevention

• There is a vaccine for rotavirus. It is included in the childhood immunization schedule.
• Good hand washing is best.  Make sure hands are properly washed after using the toilet, changing diapers, helping others toilet, before preparing food, etc.
• People ill with diarrhea or vomiting should be kept away from others.  Children should not attend childcare centres with diarrhea until a few days after the symptoms have stopped.   
• Wash plush toys and cloth items
• Clean and disinfect washroom surface and all objects that the sick person touches every day. 
• Use bleach to kill Rotavirus on objects. Mix 1 part bleach with 9 parts water for washroom surfaces. Mix 2mls bleach with 1 liter of water for surfaces that contact food. Do not mix bleach with soap or any other chemical.