Rotavirus Vaccine

Rotavirus is a severe virus that can cause severe diarrhea is small children, including infants. Other symptoms of Rotavirus includes fever and vomiting. It’s important to note that diarrhea is not the only cause of diarrhea, but it is one of the main causes.

Before the rotavirus vaccine was offered, the disease caused more than four hundred thousand of doctor’s visits. It caused more than two hundred thousand visits to the emergency room and between fifty-five to seventy thousand were hospitalized for rotavirus each year in the United States. Deaths due to the rotavirus were between twenty and sixty each year.

Young Children

Children commonly show symptoms of the rotavirus between the months of November and May. This depends on the country where the child is resides. If a baby is around a child who has the rotavirus diarrhea, s(he) will most likely become infected, too. The rotavirus will affect nearly all children in the United States before age five.

Rotavirus vaccine

Although most associate the rotavirus in unclean sanitary conditions, using better hygiene as well as sanitation has had little affect on the development of the rotavirus. This alerted the CDC of the need for a vaccination to protect from the rotavirus.

The vaccine is an oral vaccine rather than injection. If diarrhea or vomiting is caused by other bacteria, the rotavirus vaccine will not prevent it. Most infants who receive the vaccine will not get the rotavirus diarrhea.

Who needs the vaccine?

There are two separate types of this vaccine. An infant should have two to three doses. The amount of doses depends on the brands used. The first dose should be given at two months of age, the second dose at four months, and the third dose at six months. An infant can be six weeks old to receive this vaccine.

Who should not be vaccinated?

An infant who has suffered from a life-threatening allergic reaction to this vaccine should not receive another dose. An infant who has shown allergic reactions to latex shouldn’t be given the vaccine. An infant who has symptoms such as vomiting, wheezing, rapid heartbeat, swelling of the throat, hives, weakness, difficulty breathing, or looks pale in color should not get the vaccine. You should also discuss it with your doctor if your infant has HIV/AIDS, or other disease that can weaken the immune symptom. If your baby is receiving steroid treatments for a long period of time, you may need to wait before authorizing this vaccine.