National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Rotavirus Infections is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Rotavirus Infections
Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe diarrhea. It can also cause vomiting, fever and dehydration. It is the leading cause of diarrhea in infants and young children. Almost all children in the U.S. are likely to be infected with rotavirus before their 5th birthday.
Infections happen most often in the winter and spring. It is very easy for children with the virus to spread it to other children and sometimes to adults. Once a child gets the virus, it takes about two days to become sick. Vomiting and diarrhea may last from three to eight days.
Treatment is replacing lost body fluids. Having your child drink products with water, sugar and minerals usually helps. Some children need to go to the hospital for IV fluids. A vaccine can protect your child against the virus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
- No links available
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
- Rotavirus(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Rotavirus(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Rotavirus Frequently Asked Questions(National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)
-
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Stool Tests(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Treatment
- Diarrhea(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Gastroenteritis: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-
Prevention/Screening
- Rotavirus Vaccination(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Rotavirus Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Vaccine Information: Rotavirus(National Network for Immunization Information)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Specific Conditions
- Viral Gastroenteritis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Related Issues
- Rotarix Rotavirus Vaccine: Rare Side Effect Possible(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Stomach Flu: How Long Am I Contagious?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Return to top
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Rotavirus Infections(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Rotavirus Infections
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Acute rotavirus gastroenteritis in children younger than 5 years of...
- Article: Clinical neonatal rotavirus infection: association with necrotising enterocolitis.
- Article: Fulfilling the promise of rotavirus vaccines: how far have we...
- Rotavirus Infections -- see more articles
- Return to top
-
Organizations
-
Children
- Protect Your Child from Severe Rotavirus(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Rotavirus(Nemours Foundation)
- Return to top
-
Patient Handouts
- Rotavirus Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Rotavirus Infections - Multiple Languages
