Rotavirus vaccination – facts and myths. How to prevent rotavirus?

Washing hands, taking care of hygiene, isolating – it’s all for nothing! Rotaviruses are cunning and long-lived, and vaccination is the only effective way to prevent rotavirus diarrhea. Learn the myths and facts about these dangerous microbes …

MYTH: Having a rotavirus infection guarantees that your toddler will not get sick again

Unfortunately not. Research shows that 69 percent. children under the age of five have two rotavirus infections, and 42 percent. – three. Primary infection, occurring before 6 months of age, has the most severe course – it is very violent and unpredictable.

FACT: Having a child with rotavirus diarrhea disrupts the functioning of the entire family

It’s true – parents experience a lot of stress due to the bothersome symptoms of rotavirus infections, such as diarrhea and vomiting. For many of them, the rotavirus infection of a child means absence from work or a decrease in efficiency, which in the long run is an economic loss for employers and the economy.

MYTH: Vaccination against rotavirus hurts

Vaccination itself is not painful – rotavirus vaccines are preparations administered orally. Therefore, they do not require skin breakage. There are two rotavirus vaccines available in Poland, which differ in the number of doses (2 doses and 3 doses). Both can be given from the child’s 6th week of life with a minimum 4-week break between each dose.

FACT: Rotavirus vaccinations are vaccinations recommended under the National Immunization Program in Poland

It is true, what is more – as the statistics show – the vaccination most often chosen and financed by parents among all recommended vaccinations.

MYTH: You can vaccinate your child against rotavirus at any time

The decision to give the vaccine must be made quickly. According to the Protective Vaccination Program, prophylaxis of rotavirus infections can be applied in a fairly narrow period of time – between 2 and 6 months of age. This means that the vaccine can no longer be given to a child after 6 months of age.

FACT: The rotavirus vaccine also protects against other diseases

According to JAMA Pediatrics, the rotavirus vaccine can reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes in children. The prestigious journal published the preliminary results of Australian researchers showing that among children up to 4 years old under the rotavirus immunization program introduced in 2007, the risk of developing type 1 diabetes decreased by 14%. compared to unvaccinated years. Preliminary analyzes show that rotavirus infection changes the immune shape of pancreatic cells, which may aggravate diabetes.

MYTH: The diarrhea will go away on its own

Acute watery diarrhea usually lasts for several days, but in severe cases it can last up to two weeks. If we do not take care of providing the child with water and electrolytes, which should be replenished in the case of rotavirus infection, the child may become dehydrated very quickly. It manifests itself as apathy, weakness, weight loss and sleepiness. However, long-term effects may be: disturbance of digestion and food absorption with reduced secretion of digestive enzymes, hepatitis or, less frequently, neurological complications. Therefore, if dehydration is suspected, the child should be taken to hospital immediately, where he or she will be given irrigation drips. This is the scenario for as many as 40 percent of patients with rotavirus diarrhea!

FACT: Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing rotavirus disease

Research shows that 70 to 90 percent. thanks to vaccination, children will not get sick at all, while from 90 to 98 percent. will be protected against severe rotavirus diarrhea, thus avoiding hospitalization. Immunity obtained after receiving vaccination lasts at least 3 to 4 years, which is sufficient protection for the youngest children who are most susceptible to rotavirus infection.

MYTH: Frequent hand washing and good hygiene are sufficient protection against rotaviruses

Rotavirus is very difficult to kill with disinfectants. Only a large amount of 90 percent alcohol or high concentration of chlorine is effective. Rotaviruses can survive in the hands of more than 4 hours and on toys for up to 10 days.

FACT: Spring and autumn are most cases of disease

Rotaviruses are extremely contagious. Rotavirus infections occur in Europe all year round, but in our climate zone during summer, the activity of rotaviruses is actually much lower than in spring and autumn.

MYTH: Isolating your baby helps to avoid contamination

Unfortunately, the mere fact that a child does not attend a nursery or kindergarten, and does not stay in large groups of people, does not provide sufficient protection – rotavirus can be brought home by household members despite maintaining basic hygiene rules. Rotaviruses are long-lived – they can survive for hours on the skin and for days on objects. So your toddler can get sick even without direct contact with other children.

FACT: Young children are most sick

Rotavirus infection is especially dangerous in the group of the youngest children, due to the insufficiently developed immune system and the risk of rapid dehydration.

MYTH: Premature babies should not be vaccinated against rotavirus

Neonatologists in the latest Neonatological Standards from March 2019, emphasizing that they recommend this vaccination both for premature babies and the entire population of infants. Preterm infants with a birth weight <2500 g, compared to those born at normal term, are at a 1,6–2,8 times higher risk of hospitalization due to rotavirus diarrhea in the first year of life, and the higher the risk, the lower the risk is. is the birth weight. Many institutions and scientific societies around the world recommend in their guidelines to vaccinate premature babies against rotavirus in accordance with the rules for infants born at the correct term of delivery.