My Daughter Has a Stomach Bug Where She Is Sick Feels Better a Few Days Then Getscom Sick Again

There you are, minding your own concern, when of a sudden it happens: Your child pukes on your shoes. (Or the couch, her brother, or all over their car seat. Take your pick.) And now you see the next few days of your life will exist dominated past barf, saltine crackers, and the worry that everyone in the house volition also fall ill. So what should you do? What can you lot do? Hither's everything yous demand to know about two of the most common stomach issues: gastroenteritis, or the breadbasket flu, and rotavirus.

Stomach Bug Illustration

What is the Tum Flu?

Officially called gastroenteritis, stomach flu is an infection of the digestive system—and it'south totally unrelated to the regular influenza (influenza), which affects the respiratory system. Stomach flu is the second most common illness kids go, later on respiratory infections like colds. Although unpleasant, breadbasket flu is ordinarily not serious. It's commonly acquired by viruses, but can likewise come from bacteria similar salmonella and E. coli, as well equally some parasites.

• RELATED: 'My Stomach Hurts': Common Causes and Cures for Stomach Trouble

"Babies and young children are particularly decumbent to infection considering their immune systems are still forming, so they oasis't however congenital upwards the antibodies to fight off germs," says Rita Steffen, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

How Long Does the Breadbasket Flu Last?

Near individuals will go a mild case of gastroenteritis. This means symptoms will usually resolve in 24 hours, or less. Notwithstanding, this digestive illness can linger for weeks. Occasionally, children will experience airsickness and/or diarrhea which last for and/or up to xiv days.

When Is Stomach Influenza Season?

While children can contract the stomach flu at any time, it is most prevalent in the winter months. Stomach flu "flavour" runs from November to April.

What Is Rotavirus?

Rotavirus is ane type of issues that causes stomach flu and may make children sicker than other types (like adenovirus, enterovirus, astrovirus, and Norwalk virus). Until recently, near children had been infected with rotavirus once by age two and nearly all had had at to the lowest degree 1 tour past age 5, co-ordinate to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This particular issues is responsible for about 400,000 doc visits and 200,000 emergency room trips in the U.S. every twelvemonth. Withal, the rotavirus vaccine drastically decreased the number of cases.

• RELATED: How to Stop Vomiting

How Long Does Rotavirus Last?

Rotavirus tin last anywhere from a few days to a full week. Most individuals volition experience vomiting and/or diarrhea for at least three days just upward to eight. If symptoms persist, even so, you can and should consult your child's doctor.

When Is Rotavirus Season?

Your kid's nigh likely to get infected with rotavirus betwixt November and May, especially if they're regularly exposed to lots of other kids in situations such every bit daycare or playgroups. Rotavirus is very contagious and tin hands spread among kids and teachers. As with other viruses, there'southward no quick treatment—you take to allow the problems run its course. Keeping your kid hydrated is the best fashion to help them feel better.

What Are the Symptoms of Tummy Viruses?

A classic breadbasket virus involves vomiting with diarrhea, low or no fever, and stomach pain that's worse when airsickness, says Josh Borus, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical Schoolhouse. "The closer a child sticks to that script, the more comfortable I feel diagnosing gastroenteritis."

Exist on the lookout for these scarlet flags:

• Fever
• Vomiting (more volume than usual everyday spit-up)
• Watery diarrhea
• Fussiness or irritability
• Acting more tired and sluggish than usual
• Decreased ambition

Older children may as well mutter of tummy cramps, musculus aches, and headaches. Symptoms generally set up in one to three days later on your kid's been exposed to the problems, and tin can last anywhere from a day or two up to 10. The main risks from stomach influenza are not from the symptoms themselves (although unpleasant), but the fact that upset breadbasket tin brand your child very dehydrated.

• RELATED: 7 Ways to Stay Salubrious When Your Kid Is Ill

How Long Are You Contagious With the Stomach Flu and/or Rotavirus?

Tum bugs are highly contagious. Playing with an infected child is the main way the virus spreads, since germs can live on toys and wearing apparel for hours or even days. If the infection results from bacteria or parasites, your kid may take consumed contaminated nutrient or water (most probable while overseas or camping, for instance).

What makes tum influenza particularly virulent is that children are contagious before they actually show any symptoms. As well, adults with their heartier immune systems may harbor the germs and pass them along without ever getting sick themselves.

Analogy of a Ill Child Drinking Water to Stay Hydrated

Tin can You Prevent the Stomach Influenza and/or Rotavirus?

Obviously, yous desire to keep your family unit from getting sick. "It but takes a few virus particles to infect someone, and there are billions in but a drib of vomit or diarrhea," says Aron Hall, a researcher for at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Viral Diseases, in Atlanta. Nevertheless, you can have steps to prevent a full-scale invasion.

Get vaccinated. Your babe will get two or 3 doses of the rotavirus vaccine (depending on which brand your doctor uses), which protects confronting 85 to 98 percent of severe rotavirus disease. Nevertheless, in that location is no vaccine confronting norovirus.

The vaccine only prevents the four most common strains, so kids who have been vaccinated can still catch different types of rotavirus or other bugs that cause stomach flu. Nonetheless, symptoms volition likely exist less astringent in children who've been vaccinated, says Stanley Cohen, Yard.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Children'southward Center for Digestive Wellness Care in Atlanta, Georgia.

• RELATED: The Rotavirus Vaccine: Health 101

Launder your hands. "Nosotros can't stress plenty how important hand-washing is," says Dr. Cohen. For a thorough scrub, apply soap and warm water and rub your hands together for at least 15 to xx seconds (sing "Happy Birthday" for a gauge of length); this helps prevent passing germs around your family unit.

It'south a good idea to launder not only after using the bath, just subsequently coming dwelling from public places like malls or movie theaters or after existence around other kids on playdates, for example. Also wash your easily after handling a sick child and earlier preparing food. Evidence your toddlers and preschoolers how to launder properly, and ask their childcare providers whether kids are required to make clean their easily throughout the mean solar day (not merely subsequently using the bath and before meals).

Isolate sick kids. Continue your sick child in their room or the family room, away from siblings and the kitchen. If you take more than 1 bathroom, accept them stick with 1 (direct the rest of the family unit to the other), and dry their hands on paper towels instead of a hand towel. Follow these arrangements for at least two days after they feels ameliorate, says Hall.

Disinfect the house. To kill of microscopic viruses, get through the house ofttimes with disinfectant wipes (use ones containing bleach) and assail places your kid may take touched (faucets, doorknobs, countertops, light switches), and places where they pooped or vomited. For areas that you lot know are germy, like the bathroom, catch a bleach-based disinfectant and go to town on the unabridged area. Wearing disposable gloves and a face mask can dramatically lower your odds of communicable the bug while cleaning, says Hall, as can using paper towels rather than reusable rags. Put whatsoever germy laundry in the washing machine (crank the heat and opt for the longest cycle!) and toss your gloves in the trash. Launder your hands with soap and h2o for at least 20 seconds to ensure that whatever particles that transferred from the gloves to your skin go down the drain.

• RELATED: Diarrhea Symptoms and Treatment

What Is the All-time Manner to Treat Stomach Viruses?

Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for rotavirus and/or the viral stomach flu; they just have to run their course. Simply replacing lost fluids and nutrients will assistance your child experience better more quickly and prevent the issues from getting worse. Here'south what to do:

Avoid medications. Information technology may exist tempting to offering over-the-counter remedies, but experts strongly recommend caution against giving kids adult breadbasket meds without consulting your pediatrician. That's because some, such every bit Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate, incorporate aspirin or aspirin-like ingredients that increment the take chances of Reye's syndrome in children younger than 12. This rare merely serious status causes swelling in the liver and brain.  Likewise, antidiarrheals like Imodium can atomic number 82 to side furnishings in young children and should exist avoided.

Keep up the fluids. Dehydration is a concern because fluids are leaving your child'southward torso faster than they are existence replaced. Prevent dehydration with the post-obit methods.

• For breastfed or formula-fed babies: Permit your infant'southward belly rest for fifteen to twenty minutes after a bout of vomiting or diarrhea and then effort nursing or bottle feeding once more. "Chest milk is actually well tolerated by sick babies; plus the antibodies in it tin can help strengthen their immune systems," says Dr. Cohen.

• For toddlers and older kids: Ask your doctor about rehydrating drinks, like Pedialyte, which are captivated better than water. These solutions replenish the crucial salts and sugars lost when your child is throwing up or has diarrhea. Kids as well tend to beverage more flavored beverages than plain water, considering they gustatory modality skilful.

Your child may take a hard time keeping downwards fluids at first, but sticking to small, frequent doses (try a teaspoon every couple of minutes) may help rebalance fluid and salt levels in the trunk, which can actually assist stop airsickness over fourth dimension. If your kid goes longer than 8 hours without peeing or your infant has fewer than 3 moisture diapers per day, you should call your pediatrician, advises Dr. Kovacic.

• RELATED: ix Things a Pediatrician Wishes Yous'd Finish Doing

Become back to a normal diet. Don't worry nigh food while your child is still throwing upward. But one time their tummy calms down, yous tin get dorsum to a (mostly) regular diet. While the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) used to exist the standard advice subsequently a tum bug, doctors at present say there'due south no reason to keep your child'southward food bland for more than a twenty-four hour period, since the nutrition lacks balanced diet, points out Dr. Kovacic. Withal, take information technology easy on high-fatty and high-sugar foods, which can irritate their notwithstanding-sensitive digestive tract, and continue to push button plenty of fluids until their diarrhea is gone.

Treat the fever. If a higher-than-normal temperature is making your child uncomfortable, y'all can use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring their temperature down. This may help relieve other aches and pains also.

Let him balance. Your child volition probably be sleeping and napping more than usual, which is normal. But if your infant or toddler has been asleep more than 4 hours (and has been having diarrhea or vomiting), you may want to wake them up to offer fluids. "Think that infants can get dehydrated more chop-chop than older kids," says Dr. Steffen. "Employ mutual sense, like watching for signs of aridity."

When to Call the Doctor

If it'south your baby's kickoff tour with stomach flu, call the md right abroad. This way they can rule out bacterial infections, which may require treatment with antibiotics.

If the diarrhea is severe, persists for more than iv or five days, or contains any claret, your child may have a more serious foodborne illness, such as Campylobacter or E. coli, and you should see your pediatrician. Other alert signs that warrant a call include a persistent fever, significant intestinal pain, airsickness without diarrhea (a stomach virus nearly always has both), or tenderness when you affect your child's tum (which could indicate appendicitis or pancreatitis), says Katja Kovacic, G.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist at Children'southward Infirmary of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee.

• RELATED: Aridity Symptoms and Handling

Well-nigh doctors desire to come across babies under 3 months with rectal temperatures of 100.iv F. or higher. If your child is between 3 and six months, yous should alert the md if your child has a rectal temperature of 101 F. or higher. If your child is older than 6 months, let the doctor know if your child has a rectal temperature of 103 F. or higher.

The medico volition likely also ask whether your child has whatever of these signs of aridity:

• Fewer than vi moisture diapers a 24-hour interval for babies or 8 hours without peeing for older kids
• A sunken soft spot on top of babe'due south head
• Few or no tears while crying
• Interim unusually sleepy, sluggish, or unresponsive
• Wrinkled skin
• Dry mouth or croaky lips
• Dizziness, headaches, or muscle pain in older kids
• Urine that's dark yellow (instead of light or clear)
• Weight loss

If a child of whatever age seems severely dehydrated, call the md right away. The child may demand to go to the hospital to get rehydrated through 4 fluids.

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Source: https://www.parents.com/health/cold-flu/flu/rotavirus-stomach-flu/

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