Determination of symptoms of intestinal flu in children and methods of treatment. Treatment and symptoms of intestinal (stomach) flu in children and adults What is intestinal flu in children

From childhood, parents teach their kids to be clean. And it is right. After all, elementary non-compliance can cause many diseases. In this article I would like to talk about what is intestinal and the treatment of the disease, we will consider in detail.

About the disease

So, at the very beginning, you need to define the concepts and figure out what this disease is. Intestinal flu - it can be attributed to diseases caused by the so-called "dirty hands". Also, the infection enters the human body along with water or food.

It is worth saying that most often this virus affects children aged 6 months to 3 years. After this period, the child's body already develops a strong immunity to the disease. Among children of primary school and adolescence, this infection practically does not occur (children with weakened immunity may be an exception). The illness itself lasts about a week. Mortality in this disease is very low and is approximately 2.4-3.6%.

About the virus

An insidious disease - intestinal flu. Symptoms and treatment in children is what interests many of us. It should be noted that rotavirus has a very high degree of resistance to various factors.

1. In the feces of a child, he can retain his viral nature for 6-7 months.
2. In household items and indoor air, the virus remains active for 5-8 days.

Doctors say that about 40% of the total adult population of the planet are carriers of this virus. And while the person does not have absolutely no symptoms. Therefore, if there is a small child in the house, adults should be extremely careful. Indeed, in this case, the likelihood of infection of the baby is very high.

The reasons

Studying the topic "Intestinal flu: symptoms and treatment in children", it is also necessary to talk about what are the causes of this disease in babies. This virus infects the mucous tissues of the intestines of the baby. The mechanism of its distribution is fecal-oral. And this happens, as mentioned above, through contaminated food or water.

If it is food, it is enough to touch it to an infected person to transmit the infection. If the baby takes contaminated food from the hands of an adult, he definitely cannot avoid rotavirus infection. The same applies to water. It is important to remember that young children should only be given boiled water (in this case, infection with rotavirus infection is minimized).

Symptoms

What else is important to say when considering the topic "Intestinal flu: symptoms and treatment in children"? About the symptoms that accompany this disease. However, first of all, it is necessary to clarify that all the signs of the disease will appear only a day after infection with the crumb virus.

1. The very first and most important symptom is an increase in temperature in a child up to 38-39 ° C.
2. The child has very frequent loose stools (up to 15 times a day).
3. The feces of the child are most often light in color, watery. Mucus may also be present.
4. The baby will have a stomach ache.
5. In the course of the small intestine, the child may rumble in the tummy (right side).

Symptoms of complications

Studying the topic "Intestinal flu: symptoms and treatment in children", it is also worth saying that it is very important to start timely and correct treatment. Otherwise, severe complications may arise, which are not so easy to cope with. So, it can be dehydration of the crumbs. In this case, the following symptoms may be observed:

1. Dryness of mucous membranes.
2. Lethargy.
3. The appearance of bluish spots on the skin.
4. Eyes may sink into the eye sockets.
5. The child may not urinate for 8 hours.
6. In infants, when dehydrated, the fontanel sinks.

Another complication that can occur with improper treatment or its absence is intoxication of the body. Symptoms:

1. Chills.
2. Lethargy.
3. Apathy.

Intestinal flu: treatment

In children, only a doctor can accurately diagnose this infection. So when the first symptoms appear, you should definitely go to the doctor. Only in this case, you can get competent and timely treatment. What is important to consider for determining rotavirus?

1. Baby's age.
2. Feces: color, character.
3. Time: the infection most often occurs during the cold season - from November to March.
4. The nature of the onset of the disease.

How to accurately determine that a child has an intestinal infection? To do this, it is enough to conduct a bacterial study of the baby's feces. Important: for prevention purposes, the doctor may advise all family members to undergo the same study. You should not refuse this, since by identifying the carrier of the virus, you can avoid re-infection.

About treatment

Is there a single cure for stomach flu? No. If the baby is sick, all the doctor's actions will be aimed at preventing intoxication of the body and dehydration. For this, the drug "Regidron" is often impregnated. You also need to ensure that the baby does not overheat (reducing hyperthermia). This will help drugs "Nurofen", "Panadol-baby". And, of course, it is necessary to increase the resistance (ie resistance) of the body. In this case, you can prescribe a drug such as "Aflubin" (helps improve immunity).

Procedure

If a baby is diagnosed with intestinal it, the doctor should tell. After all, self-treatment in this case can be a very dangerous action. In addition to the use of various kinds of medicines, the parents of the child should also remember that certain rules of the daily routine must be observed:

1. The baby needs bed rest.
2. The child should be given as much to drink as possible.
3. If necessary, the crumbs can be given antispasmodics (half a No-shpa tablet, ground into powder).
4. Vitamin therapy is very important.
5. And, of course, you need a sparing diet.

Food

Diet is very important for intestinal flu. What foods can a baby, and what is still better to completely avoid? First of all, I want to talk about the smallest. If the baby is about 6 months old and is still breastfeeding, if possible, he should be breastfed as often as possible, while excluding other foods. If the baby is completely on an adult diet, in this case, you need to give up spicy, fried foods. The following foods are also not recommended:

1. Legumes.
2. Meat.
3. Cabbage.
4. Spices.
5. Carbonated drinks.
6. Sweets.

What should be the diet for intestinal flu? It is useful for the baby to give mucous porridges, mashed boiled vegetables, crackers, jelly, biscuits. It must be remembered that fresh and fruit juices should be excluded for the duration of diarrhea (although they are a source of vitamins). It is also important to give your child plenty to drink. Well, if it is mineral water (without gas), vegetable broths,

If the crumbs are surrounded by a bad epidemic situation, as a preventive measure, you need to pre-process food. Before giving the baby fruits, they need to be soaked for 10 minutes in a 3% solution of acetic acid.

Prevention

What else is important to say when considering the topic "Intestinal flu: symptoms and treatment"? It is important to pay attention to preventive measures. After all, thanks to certain actions, you can protect your baby from infection. The only and very important rule is the observance of hygiene rules by all family members. You also need to monitor the purity and quality of the food and water that the baby consumes. To avoid infection, it is important to keep the house clean. Clothes and all things crumbs should not only be washed, but also ironed on both sides.

ethnoscience

No medicine for stomach flu will work instantly. But in any case, it will help to fight the symptoms of the disease. However, if parents do not want to resort to the use of medicines, they can turn to traditional medicine.

1. St. John's wort. It is necessary to prepare a decoction from this plant. So, you can pour 2.5 tablespoons of dry raw materials with a glass of boiling water and simmer all this in a water bath for about 20 minutes. The medicine is cooled and taken in a third of a glass three times a day before meals. If the child is small, the dose can be reduced. The product is stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days.
2. Intestinal flu in children will also help cure this herb. To prepare the medicine, you need to pour a tablespoon of the dried plant with a glass of boiling water, leave for several hours. After that, strain. Take the drug should be 100 ml before meals three times a day.
3. And as a prophylactic, a child can be given compote from bird cherry. It helps the body resist viral infection.

That's all you need to know about the stomach flu. Treatment of this disease in children is not difficult and will not make you wait long for positive changes if the diagnosis is made in a timely manner. If you notice something wrong with your baby's health - do not hesitate, immediately consult a doctor. And be healthy!

Almost every child has an upset stomach at least once or twice a year. Most often, parents assume: the child ate something wrong, did not wash his hands. The second reason can provoke a rather serious disease - intestinal flu. We will talk about him.

The main question is what is the stomach flu? This is not a medical term, but a common folk name. It was assigned to rotavirus infection (RVI), caused by members of the Reoviridae virus family.

Comparison with the flu is explained in different ways: in both cases, the disease begins acutely, the causative agent is a virus, and if treatment is started on time, then recovery will come fairly quickly.

Disease without borders. Today RVI is recognized as the most common intestinal disease in the world.

The virus in question is very persistent. Its viability is not affected by sub-zero temperatures, chloroform, ultrasound. However, for strains, boiling, treatment with undiluted ethyl alcohol, acids and alkaline solutions is detrimental.

The method of infection with intestinal flu among physicians is called oral-fecal, but there is a more understandable analogy - “disease of dirty hands”. Penetrating into the body, the virus, which has a strong protein shell, easily passes through the stomach and is fixed in the small intestine. This leads to a violation of fermentation, the absorption capacity of the intestine, increased peristalsis and, as a result, gives the symptoms, which will be discussed later.

RVI is possible in a person of any age. But most often, intestinal flu is diagnosed in children and the elderly. From April to November, there are predominantly single cases of the disease; in the rest of the year, the activity of the virus increases sharply.

The key signs of the flu are diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. According to the frequency and strength of these manifestations, it is customary to distinguish three degrees of severity of the disease. They are listed in the table:

It is obvious that the considered symptoms of intestinal flu resemble other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: various food poisoning, salmonellosis. So the diagnosis is dictated not only by an external examination of the doctor, but also by laboratory diagnostics. Only the detection of a specific virus in the biological material can reliably confirm RVI.

Quite often, the so-called catarrhal syndrome is added to the listed symptoms. It consists of sore throat, cough and nasal congestion.

Statistics data. By the age of three years, 80-90% of children have time to get sick with the intestinal flu. For most, the disease proceeds quite easily. The transition to a chronic form is impossible.

How to treat intestinal flu in children? There are no medications specifically designed to get rid of the intestinal flu. In such situations, the most important thing is to help the body cope with the consequences of the activity of the pathogen. The following measures are required.

The most common drug that helps restore the water-salt balance is Regidron. In its absence / inaccessibility, you can prepare a solution at home from a teaspoon of salt and a liter of boiled water.

Every hour the child should drink 50 ml of this solution, the rest of the time it is necessary to give boiled water. You can not drink a lot at once, in most cases it is fraught with emetic reactions.

If the body temperature has exceeded 38 ° C, it's time to act. The choice of dosage form depends on which symptom - vomiting or diarrhea - prevails. In the first case, rectal suppositories are preferable, in the second - syrup or tablets.

Is your child intolerant of heat? Then the listed measures can be taken without waiting for a significant increase in temperature. If the medicine clearly does not have time to be absorbed due to vomiting or diarrhea, wiping with water at a comfortable temperature with the addition of vinegar will help.

This will require preparations containing bifidobacteria. There are many funds: Linex, Bifiform, Bifidumbacterin and others.

Should a doctor prescribe antibiotics? No, unless the disease is combined with some bacterial infection.

Since the digestive tract is under severe attack, the treatment of intestinal flu in a child must be combined with a diet.

It is possible that a sick child will completely lose his appetite. In the first four to six hours of the acute phase, this is rather a plus - there will be time for rehydration procedures. Then the patient must still be fed.

What can a child eat with intestinal flu? At first, the best food is chicken broth and rice boiled in water. Under a categorical ban are juices, milk, any fatty and heavy food. On the third day, you can give porridge, cottage cheese, lean meat.

In children under one year old, sour-milk mixtures should become the main food during the illness. They can be diluted with rice water or water. It will be necessary to switch to the usual diet for the baby gradually, after the symptoms of indigestion disappear.

Regardless of the age of the child, the flu diet requires very frequent feeding of tiny portions. Failure to comply with this rule will inevitably create an additional burden on digestion, even relapses of vomiting and diarrhea are not excluded. The final requirement is the restriction of carbohydrates, especially sweets.

The diet after the intestinal flu assumes sufficient calorie content of dishes (taking into account the age of the child) and at the same time - the ease of digestion of food. Everything fried, smoked, spicy, replete with seasonings and store-bought sauces is prohibited. Ideally, if the food remains fractional. Since the intestinal flora will recover gradually, it is important to carefully monitor the stool of an ill child.

The best way to prevent stomach flu is to wash your hands regularly under running water and soap. Antibacterial wet wipes and sprays will be ineffective, since the causative agent of the disease is not a bacterium, but a virus.

No less thorough should be washing dishes, vegetables and fruits. If it is known that there are many cases of intestinal flu in the area of ​​​​residence, then fruits and vegetables can first be kept for 5-10 minutes in a solution of vinegar (3% is enough), and then washed.

Many people still drink tap water. There is no guarantee that one day the causative agent of intestinal flu will not get into the glass along with the water. The only way to prevent this is to boil tap water.

And if the child still has been ill with the intestinal flu, will immunity to the causative virus be formed? Yes, but only relative. This means that you can get sick again if the immune system is significantly weakened or the body is affected by a virus of a different serotype.

You will need

• - plentiful drink;
• - rehydration therapy;
• - sorbents, probiotics;
• - antipyretic drugs.

Instruction

The disease is characterized by an acute onset. The temperature rises sharply, symptoms of a febrile syndrome appear and vomiting begins with diarrhea. The acute period can last for a week. The child feels spasmodic pain in the abdomen, he develops a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. Also, the child loses his appetite, he becomes weak and looks pale. In a week of illness, a small patient can become very emaciated. Children under 3 years of age are most often affected by rotavirus infection. Intestinal flu is a serious disease that threatens the life of the baby, so if you experience profuse vomiting and diarrhea, you should immediately contact your pediatrician.

Treatment of preschool children is carried out in a hospital. Before the arrival of a doctor or an ambulance, the child should be provided with a fortified warm drink. It can be sweet tea, compote, plain boiled water. Infants should not be left alone so that they do not choke on vomit. If the child is sleeping, it is necessary to strictly turn the head on its side and put a pillow under it. Mom should monitor body temperature and give antipyretics in a timely manner. In the case of a good appetite in a child, you can feed him soups on the water, liquid cereals and vegetable puree.

Treatment of intestinal flu in children is aimed at normalizing the body's water-salt balance, which is disturbed during the period of the disease. To do this, the doctor prescribes rehydration therapy, in which medications are taken orally to compensate for the loss of nutrients and fluids. An effective remedy is Regidron. Also, the child needs to take drugs in order to. "Activated carbon" or "Enterosgel" can help with this. At high body temperature, the child is given medicines based on paracetamol or ibuprofen. To improve the intestinal microflora, it is recommended to take probiotics, such as Bifiform, Acipol, Linex, etc. With severe vomiting, antiemetic drugs can be used.

A small patient must adhere to a semi-bed rest. It must be isolated from healthy people. It is also necessary to observe the diet. With intestinal flu, fatty, fried, dairy products, juices and carbonated drinks should be excluded. It is advisable to use vegetable soups, jelly, dried fruit compotes and cereals cooked in water.

Rotavirus infection in children can occur only in the hot season - many parents think so. This view is only partially correct. Infections such as salmonellosis and dysentery most often occur in the summer. However, in the cold season, a child can also become infected with intestinal infections. For example, in winter, the incidence of intestinal flu increases.

Rotavirus infection is very dangerous for the life of the baby, especially if his health is weakened. That is why if a child develops symptoms of intestinal flu, you should immediately contact a pediatrician.

If the baby has not yet encountered rotavirus, then you can get vaccinated (vaccination starts at 1.5 months). In order for the baby to be vaccinated, you need to contact the pediatrician. The specialist will examine the young patient and tell you where you can buy the vaccine.

Intestinal flu is an infectious disease that develops due to the ingestion of rotavirus in the body. Humanity learned about this pathogen not too long ago. Rotavirus was first discovered in 1974. It is very resistant to adverse environmental influences. Intestinal flu occurs in all children who have not previously encountered this disease.

Rotavirus infection in children is referred to as “diseases of dirty hands”. Most often, the disease is diagnosed at the age of 6 months to 2 years, when the child is just beginning to get acquainted with the world or attends nurseries, kindergartens and does not properly observe the rules of personal hygiene. Intestinal flu can also be detected in older children. By the age of 5, almost all babies suffer from this disease.

Compliance with hygiene rules, boiling water, careful processing of food before cooking cannot protect 100% from infection of children with rotavirus infection, since intestinal flu is very resistant to various influences and can enter the body in different ways. For example, the enteral route of infection (through the mouth) is not the only one. Pathogens can be transmitted by airborne droplets from a sick person or a carrier of the infection.

Rotavirus infection very easily penetrates into the intestines of a child. The protein shell of microorganisms is not destroyed by the action of gastric juice, bile and other enzymes. In the body of a child after infection with intestinal flu, the following processes occur:

1. Rotaviruses infect the cells of the tissue lining the intestines.
2. Microorganisms multiply.
3. An inflammatory process begins in the intestines.
4. There is a violation of the processes of digestion and absorption of nutrients into the blood.

The causative agents of intestinal flu in a child are excreted from the body with feces. In 1 g of feces they contain a huge amount, about 10 trillion. It takes 10-100 microorganisms to infect a healthy child with rotavirus.

The acute period of the disease can last from 3 to 7 days. In severe cases, the symptoms of rotavirus in a child may be observed for a longer period. This will be followed by a recovery period (4-5 days).

Why is rotavirus infection dangerous in children?

Rotavirus infection is dangerous for a child because it leads to dehydration. It can occur a few hours after the onset of the first symptoms of intestinal flu. The baby, due to vomiting and frequent diarrhea, very quickly loses water and useful minerals (potassium, chlorine, sodium salts). The condition of the sick child is getting worse.

When dehydrated, the nervous system of the baby is affected. He starts having seizures. They may end in respiratory arrest. Dehydration also affects the lungs. A complication of rotavirus infection in children can be pneumonia (pneumonia). Another danger of dehydration with intestinal flu in a child is the loss of potassium, which leads to disruption of the cardiovascular system.

Symptoms of rotavirus infection in children

After rotavirus enters the body of a child, symptoms do not appear immediately, but after 12 hours or a day. In some cases, the incubation period of rotavirus infection in children can last up to 5 days. This disease has an acute onset. Signs of rotavirus in children:

• a sharp increase in body temperature;
• frequent vomiting;
• multiple and watery stools (up to 15 times a day);
• redness in the throat;
• runny nose;
• loss of appetite;
• deterioration in well-being.

In the future, signs of dehydration and intoxication join the above symptoms of intestinal flu in children. The baby becomes lethargic, weak, can cry without tears. Urine darkens, acquires a pungent odor, the number of urination is sharply reduced. The life of the child in such cases is in danger. The help of a doctor is necessary, because only he can determine whether it is possible to replenish the lost fluid at home or whether it is necessary to immediately go to the hospital.

Experts distinguish several forms of intestinal flu in children:

• light;
• moderate severity;
• heavy.

With a mild form of rotavirus infection, the child's condition worsens slightly. The kid complains of discomfort in the stomach. Body temperature rises slightly. Fecal masses are mushy. Bowel movements occur 3-5 times a day.

With moderate severity, body temperature rises to 37.5–38.5 degrees. The child has a stomach ache, weakness occurs, symptoms inherent in a cold are observed. A characteristic sign of an intestinal flu of moderate severity is a watery stool of a yellowish hue up to 10 times a day.

A severe form of rotavirus infection in children is rarely diagnosed by pediatricians. A sick baby has very pronounced symptoms of intoxication. He is gloomy, lethargic, refuses to drink and eat. Body temperature can rise up to 40 degrees. The child is suffering from severe abdominal pain. He also has frequent watery frothy stools (more than 10 times a day), repeated vomiting. Urination with a severe form of intestinal flu is rare, and the skin becomes flabby.

What should I do if my child has a rotavirus infection?

To treat rotavirus infection in children at home, it is necessary to give the child water before the doctor arrives. Portions should be small. A large amount of liquid drunk by a child at a time will provoke vomiting, as well as increase dehydration. Soldering children with rotavirus infection is recommended with saline solutions. They can be purchased at any pharmacy. They are sold in the form of a powder, which must be diluted with boiled water.

If it is not possible to go to the pharmacy, then decoctions of rose hips, raisins, mineral waters, dried fruit compote are suitable. If there is nothing at hand, then ordinary water should be given. You can solder according to the following scheme:

• babies need 1 tsp. fluids every 5 minutes;
• older children can increase the dose to 2-3 tbsp. l.

The temperature of drinks should be the same as body temperature. Due to this, the absorption of fluid from the stomach into the blood will be as fast as possible.

Treatment of intestinal flu in children can be carried out at home or in a hospital setting. If the pediatrician determines that the child is losing a huge amount of fluid due to diarrhea, then you will need to go to the hospital. At home, you will not be able to restore the lost volume. In the hospital, the baby will be helped. He will be replenished with the missing amount of fluid by injecting drip solutions intravenously.

Hospitalization is necessary not only for dehydration, but also in the following cases:

• rotavirus infection in a child under one year old;
• the baby has severe comorbidities;
• stomach flu in a child presents with life-threatening symptoms (eg, convulsions, loss of consciousness).

Diagnosis and treatment of rotavirus infection in children

Only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis. The pediatrician takes into account the complaints of the baby, asks the parents what suspicious symptoms they noticed in their child. The epidemiological situation is also taken into account. As a rule, outbreaks with a large number of sick children are characteristic of rotavirus infection.

In the treatment of rotavirus infection in children, the doctor will not prescribe any antiviral drugs. Currently, there are no drugs that would have a negative effect on pathogens. The main method of treatment is rehydration. For the treatment of intestinal flu, the child is recommended to give saline solutions.

Together with rehydration therapy, a doctor may prescribe drugs such as dioctahedral smectite, activated charcoal, attapulgite. These medicines for rotavirus infection in a child help with intoxication. They remove toxins from the body, which are waste products of pathogens.

With intestinal flu, the body temperature of the baby is very high. It is difficult to influence it with antipyretic drugs. The temperature can last up to 5 days. Despite this, doctors prescribe antipyretics in order to at least slightly alleviate the condition of a small patient. Pediatricians prescribe drugs in the form of rectal suppositories or syrup. In parallel with antipyretic therapy for rotavirus infection in children, physical cooling methods can be used - applying a bandage soaked in cool water to the child's forehead, wrapping the shins with a wet cloth. To increase heat transfer, it is recommended to undress the baby.

After recovery, the child will not have other health problems due to the illness. The body will develop protective antibodies, thanks to which in the future there will be no symptoms of intestinal flu in children and treatment will not be needed. After two cases of transferred rotavirus infection, the child will be almost completely protected from this disease.

What to give a child with rotavirus infection

During treatment for rotavirus, the baby needs a strict diet. The following products are recommended:

• porridge (rice, buckwheat) cooked in water;
• lean meat (beef, chicken breast);
• apple compote;
• fish;
• vegetables (potatoes are best);
• fruits (bananas are preferred).

Dairy products must be abandoned for a while.

Parents should not overly restrict their child in food. Fasting does not contribute to a speedy recovery. The child's condition will only get worse. The baby's immune defenses will be significantly weakened. However, a small unloading in the diet is still needed. The amount of food eaten earlier by a child per day is reduced by 15–20% with a mild form of rotavirus infection, by 20–30% with moderate severity, by 30–50% with severe intestinal influenza.

If the condition improves after treatment when the first symptoms of intestinal flu appear in children, then the food is brought to the usual volume, and then the range of foods consumed is gradually expanding.

If a rotavirus infection occurs in a breastfed infant, then parents should adhere to the following feeding rules:

• feed more often, but in small portions;
• on the first day of therapy, reduce the amount of food consumed up to 40%;
• on days 2-3, slightly increase the amount of food consumed and make longer intervals between feedings;
• within 4-5 days to restore the usual amount of food;
• feed the child only with cereals cooked in vegetable broths or water (provided that complementary foods were introduced before the illness).

Refusing to breastfeed with rotavirus in infants is not worth it. It is possible only with the permission of a doctor to partially replace mother's milk with lactose-free or low-lactose mixtures (lactose, which is part of mother's milk, is poorly digested during rotavirus infection).

We looked at the symptoms and treatment of intestinal flu in children. Rotavirus infection occurs in all babies (usually between the ages of 6 months and 5 years) and it is impossible to avoid this if the vaccine was not given in a timely manner. Compliance with the rules of hygiene practically does not save from the disease, since it is very contagious. When watery diarrhea occurs, you should immediately call a doctor. Only he can determine whether the child is in danger of dehydration. Rotavirus infection in children is dangerous with complications, so it is not worth doing home treatment without a doctor's prescription.

Informative video on the topic

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Intestinal flu is called rotavirus infection. This disease is caused by rotaviruses that enter the body by contact-household method. The disease is characterized by an acute onset. Patients have symptoms of enteritis and gastroenteritis, usually mild. At the initial stage, a combination of respiratory and intestinal symptoms can be observed. Rotavirus infection requires timely diagnosis and proper treatment, only effective measures can eliminate the complications that the disease causes.

The reasons

A baby can get an intestinal infection in different ways:

• by airborne droplets,
• through saliva
• personal hygiene items.

As a rule, the most common way of infection from a sick adult is through close contact with a baby.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of intestinal flu occur about a day after infection. The disease in children begins rapidly and immediately in an acute form. Parents need to be attentive to the appearance of some especially characteristic signs:

• the child is weak, tired, naughty,
• the baby refuses to eat, as he feels unwell and his stomach hurts,
• the baby has a cough and runny nose,

• you can hear how the patient’s stomach growls, the baby begins to feel sick, then vomit,
• diarrhea appears, stools can be watery and frothy, greenish-yellow or yellow in color, with the inclusion of mucus, with a milder form of the course of the disease, the stool has a mushy texture. Diarrhea may continue for 5-7 days.

Sometimes the symptomatic picture of this disease allows you to confuse it with food poisoning, but if the symptoms persist for more than 2-3 days, you have to talk about a rotavirus infection in a baby. An increase in temperature usually makes it possible to suspect the development of intestinal flu in a child.

Diagnosis of intestinal flu in a newborn

The doctor examines a sick child, examines the history of the disease, asks about the development of characteristic symptoms, the presence of stool, behavioral patterns, and temperature.

Diagnosing intestinal flu using clinical data is not easy enough. The complexity is due to the fact that other intestinal diseases, for example, ordinary dysbacteriosis, have similar symptoms.

Of the common diagnostic methods for newborns, a general blood test is usually used, in which special attention is paid to the presence of leukocytosis, an increase in the ESR value, a general urine test is also carried out, changes are noted in it in the form of: protein-, leukocyte- and erythrocyturia. All indicators return to normal after recovery.

Complications

Intestinal flu in babies is primarily dangerous because such a dangerous condition for the first years of a child's life as dehydration can occur. Children do not have a large amount of fluid in the body, so this process can happen quite quickly. With it, the work of many internal organs is disrupted, the child may die.

In general, with adequate timely and effective treatment, this disease does not leave consequences and complications.

Treatment

What can you do

If you notice that your child is clearly unwell, he has a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, he is naughty and refuses to eat and drink, cries without tears, you need to urgently consult a doctor. It is highly not recommended to self-medicate a baby, you can give a drug that will not be effective.

It is necessary to give the child more to drink so that there is no dehydration. The baby can refuse water, sour drinks and even breast milk, here parents will have to try. In infants, dehydration occurs very quickly, this is noticeable in dry mucous membranes.

What does a doctor do

First of all, measures are taken to isolate the infected baby from healthy people. In severe cases of dehydration and high fever, the child is placed in the infectious diseases department of the children's hospital, and the treatment is carried out in a hospital. If the disease proceeds in a milder form, then the treatment takes place on an outpatient basis.

The doctor prescribes antiviral agents and seeks to prevent dehydration in the baby, which can occur against the background of frequent loose stools, vomiting and refusal to drink. Therefore, remedies are shown that can prevent this symptom, which is dangerous in intestinal flu. You can reduce the temperature in many ways, both by physical methods (wiping with vinegar) and by chemical ones, mainly preferring rectal remedies due to problems with the gastrointestinal tract and the presence of vomiting in the baby.

In the acute stage of the disease, enzymes are prescribed to help digest food in the intestines.

The doctor prescribes the intake of sorbents, lactobacilli.

During treatment and immediately after treatment, dietary nutrition is indicated.

Prevention

Many parents ask how to prevent the development of an intestinal infection in an infant. Unfortunately, vaccination against rotavirus infection, which is often a form of intestinal flu in children, is used in Europe and the United States. In our country, such vaccinations are not done.

Preventive measures include a standard list of typical procedures regarding personal hygiene and compliance with sanitary standards. It is necessary to monitor what foods you give your baby if the process of complementary feeding has already begun. You can give a newborn boiled or purified water to drink. If this is a baby, then before giving him a breast, you need to monitor the cleanliness of the mammary glands. Of particular importance is attention to what the baby takes into his mouth, he must have clean hands, clean and short nails.

Care should be taken to allow the presence of a newborn in crowded places, among them there may be infected.