Rotavirus can cause many digestive problems in infants and young children. Therefore, parents should protect their babies from acute diarrhea caused by Rotavirus by giving them the vaccine as early as 6 weeks of age.
The following article will provide necessary information about the Rota vaccine, such as when to take the vaccine and how to take care of your baby after taking the vaccine.
How dangerous is diarrhea caused by Rotavirus?
Rotavirus is very contagious and difficult to destroy because it can live for several hours on human hands, several days on surfaces and is almost immune to soap, alcohol, Javel water…
In the world:
- Every year 500,000 children die from diarrhea .
- Up to 90% of cases of acute diarrhea leading to death are caused by Rotavirus, especially in low-income countries.
In Southeast Asia:
- The number of hospitalizations for acute diarrhea caused by Rotavirus is the highest in Southeast Asia.
- 50% of hospitalizations due to diarrhea in children under 5 years old are due to Rotavirus.
What is Rota vaccine?
Rota vaccine is an oral vaccine. This vaccine helps children avoid dangerous digestive diseases caused by Rota virus.
Who needs to take preventive vaccines?
Rotavirus often attacks children under 2 years old. Because at this stage, children have the habit of holding and sucking on objects. At the same time, children under 2 years old are also at high risk of exposure to Rota virus in the environment. While good hygiene habits are important, they are not enough to control the spread of disease.
Children with acute diarrhea caused by Rotavirus often have symptoms such as diarrhea with loose, watery stools, fever and vomiting. This condition leads to dehydration, weakness and possibly death in children. The younger children are, the more likely they are to die from diarrhea caused by Rotavirus.
Furthermore, there is currently no specific medicine to treat diarrhea caused by Rota virus. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children receive a dose of Rotavirus vaccine as soon as possible. It is best when the baby is 6 weeks old to ensure the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing disease for the baby.
In what cases should children not receive Rotavirus vaccine?
According to experts, if your child has ever had a serious allergic reaction to a previous vaccination, you need to consider carefully before getting a booster shot or even not get vaccinated at all. In addition, in case it is time to receive the Rotavirus vaccine and your child is recovering from an illness, parents should wait until the child has fully recovered before getting vaccinated.
In addition, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that parents take their children to the hospital so that a doctor can check whether the baby’s immune system is weakened or not. Factors that can affect the immune system include:
- Exposure to HIV/AIDS or any other disease involving the immune system
- The baby is being treated with long-term steroid use
- Cancer or cancer treatment with radiation ( radiotherapy )…
When can children take vaccines and how many times do they need to take them?
The recommended dosage for Rotavirus vaccination is as follows:
- First dose: 2 months of age
- Second dose: 4 months old
- Third dose: 6 months of age (if needed)
Babies should receive the first dose of Rotavirus vaccine before 15 weeks of age and the last dose before 8 months of age . Rotavirus vaccine can be given at the same time as other vaccines.
How much does one dose of Rota vaccine cost and where to take it?
Temporarily, Rota vaccine has not been included in the expanded vaccination program . Therefore, parents can give their children vaccines to prevent diseases through vaccination services. In addition, depending on the origin of the vaccine and where the vaccination service is provided, the cost for 1 dose of vaccine will range from 490,000 – 665,000 VND or more.
Side effects after vaccination
Some side effects after Rotavirus vaccination that your baby may experience include:
- Irritability
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Any vaccine carries a risk of serious allergic reactions. Therefore, parents should pay attention to observe the following unusual symptoms in order to take their children to the hospital for timely examination and treatment if there is an unforeseen case:
- Shortness of breath
- High fever
- Wheeze
- Heart beats fast
- The body becomes pale
Even so, don’t worry too much because the Rota virus vaccine is quite benign and rarely causes serious side effects.
Caring for your baby after vaccination to prevent acute diarrhea
After your baby is vaccinated against Rotavirus, if you see your baby has a mild fever or diarrhea, you should:
- For babies under 6 months old, still breastfeeding: Breastfeed your baby more.
- For babies over 6 months and already on solid foods: Breastfeeding combined with drinking more water, eating easily digestible foods such as porridge, soup, milk, crushed fruit…
In addition, you need to pay attention to the treatment of children’s waste because viruses can be present in stool and have the risk of spreading if you do not pay attention.
