Rotavirus

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among children, resulting in the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 children each year in the United States and the death of over 600,000 children annually worldwide. The incubation period for rotavirus disease is approximately 2 days. The disease is characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 - 8 days, and fever and abdominal pain occur frequently. Immunity after infection is incomplete, but repeat infections tend to be less severe than the original infection.

Rotavirus Structure and Classification

Rotavirus is an acute infection that can have lethal consequences if left untreated. This article describes the structure and classification of the virus.

Rotavirus Symptoms

Rotavirus Transmission

Rotavirus Mechanisms

Rotavirus Structure and Classification

Rotavirus Diagnosis

Rotavirus Treatment

Rotavirus Epidemiology

Rotavirus Prevention

Rotavirus in Animals

Latest Rotavirus News and Research

Lower temperatures increase the risk of gastroenteritis among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

Colder temperatures are linked with increased risk of diarrhea among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, emphasizing the need for climate-sensitive health strategies in refugee settings.

18 Apr 2025

How your diet and probiotics can improve vaccine effectiveness

Researchers uncover how probiotics and diet shape the gut microbiome to boost vaccine efficacy, offering new avenues for precision immunization.

23 Mar 2025

Study uncovers key role of NSP4 in rotavirus disease severity

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have improved our understanding of how rotavirus, the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in children, makes people sick.

17 Jan 2025

Global study reports significant decline in diarrheal disease mortality

New global study reports a 60% drop in global mortality from diarrheal diseases, but children and the elderly still have the highest death rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

19 Dec 2024

Widening childhood vaccination inequality in England raises concerns

Inequalities in childhood vaccination are widening in England, with uptake rates of five key vaccines consistently lower in young children living in areas of higher deprivation from 2019 to 2023, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

11 Dec 2024

CHOP study shows safety of rotavirus vaccine in neonatal intensive care unit

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that transmission of rotavirus vaccine strains in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is rare and without clinical consequences, strongly suggesting that giving the rotavirus vaccine to eligible infants during their hospitalization provides immune benefits that outweigh any risks.

9 Dec 2024

WHO report highlights the role of vaccines in reducing antibiotic use

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that vaccines against 24 pathogens could reduce the number of antibiotics needed by 22% or 2.5 billion defined daily doses globally every year, supporting worldwide efforts to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

10 Oct 2024

Breast milk antibodies linked to protection against rotavirus in infants

A study led by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that breast milk provides protection against rotavirus, a common gastrointestinal disease that causes diarrhea, vomiting and fever in infants.

1 Oct 2024

Japanese bats found carrying high levels of novel viruses, raising concerns about zoonotic outbreaks

Researchers identified over 60% of bats in Japan's Yamaguchi prefecture carrying multiple zoonotic viruses, including 10 novel herpesviruses, highlighting rapid viral evolution and migration risks.

26 Sep 2024

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in rotavirus vaccine efficacy

Certain types of gut bacteria can hinder the efficacy of the rotavirus vaccine, according to researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

27 Aug 2024

Childhood vaccinations save trillions in societal costs while preventing millions of illnesses and deaths

Routine childhood vaccinations among children born between 1994 and 2023 have prevented millions of illnesses and deaths in the U.S., saving $540 billion in direct costs and $2.7 trillion in societal costs.

12 Aug 2024

Acute gastroenteritis linked to higher rates of irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia

Researchers examine the prevalence of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome and post-infectious function dyspepsia following acute gastroenteritis.

18 Jul 2024

Global childhood immunization coverage: Stalled progress and growing gaps

Global childhood immunization coverage stalled in 2023, leaving 2.7 million additional children un- and under-vaccinated compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to data published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

15 Jul 2024

4 ways vaccine skeptics mislead you on measles and more

Measles is on the rise in the United States. So far this year, the number of cases is about 17 times what it was, on average, during the same period in each of the four years before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

22 May 2024

50 years of lifesaving vaccinations: WHO's EPI saves 154 million lives

The World Health Organization’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) has prevented 154 million deaths since 1974, significantly reducing global infant mortality and contributing 10.2 billion years of healthy life due to vaccinations.

7 May 2024

Rotavirus vaccine in NICUs does not lead to outbreaks, study shows

Rotavirus vaccines do not cause significant outbreaks of the disease in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), according to a new national study.

3 May 2024

154 million lives saved: Landmark study highlights power of vaccination

A major landmark study to be published by The Lancet reveals that global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives – or the equivalent of 6 lives every minute of every year – over the past 50 years.

25 Apr 2024

Breast milk's secret weapon against RSV revealed in new study

Researchers explored how human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), suggesting that these components in breast milk may prevent or reduce the severity of RSV infections through multiple mechanisms including gut microbiome modulation and direct antiviral actions.

15 Apr 2024

Viral infections contribute to more cases of intussusception in kids

Viral infections trigger more cases of intussusception, the common cause of bowel blockages in young children, than previously thought, according to a new study.

14 Mar 2024

UVA researchers join international consortium to study climate-related childhood diarrhea

UVA Health researchers have joined a new international consortium that will work to understand how climate change could affect dangerous diarrheal diseases, a leading cause of death for children under 5 years old.

13 Jan 2024