How can rotavirus be prevented?
100 rotavirus particles are all that is needed to cause an infection. A teaspoon (5mL) of stool from a child contains about 50,000,000,000 rotavirus particles. Thus, a very small amount of stool can transmit enough virus to infect another individual. The following will help to prevent the spread of the rotavirus: • Proper hygiene and hand washing technique • Cleaning hard surfaces, toys, and doorknobs • Proper handling and disposal of dirty diapers, even after your child no longer has symptoms If your child develops rotavirus, she should not attend daycare or school while she is ill. If your child is hospitalized, she will be isolated from other children to prevent an outbreak in the hospital. A rotavirus vaccine (RotaShield) that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 was pulled from the market in 1999 because of an association between the vaccine and an increased risk of intussusception (telescoping of the intestine upon itself) in infants shortly after t
