Hyderabad: The Rotavirus infection in children suffering from acute gastro-enteritis below five years of age is as high as 18.3 per cent in the city, according to data generated from private and government hospitals in the state.
Childhood diarrhea due to this infection leads to a lot of fluid loss in the body and the virus takes five to seven days to come under control.
Senior pediatrician at Niloufer Hospital Dr Hima Bindu Singh explained, “The body loses a lot of water and there is a need to give the children symptomatic treatment where the fluid levels have to be managed in the body. But often the parents get so scared that they go from one doctor to another and take a lot of antibiotics which is of no use. The child has to be given oral rehydration, rest and also managed properly with fluids. The motions usually take five to seven days to come under control.”
Children below five years of age when they suffer from this infection and do not make it to centres on time develop complications that can lead to organ failure. For this reason, the rotavirus vaccine is being recommended as that would help to control the rate of infection and also recurrent diarrhea in children.
Senior pediatrician at OGH Dr Mohammed Iqbal explained, “The focus has been more on prevention by keeping the body hydrated to avoid complications and also loss of life. The WHO is now stressing on oral rehydration rather than prescribing drugs for diarrhea.”
Experts state that the overall incidence of diarrhea is as high as 30 per cent in the population and deaths are as high as 13 per cent.
