Severe Stomach Virus On The Rise In NJ: What To Know

NEW JERSEY— A highly contagious virus that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea in young children is circulating at elevated levels nationwide, including in New Jersey, health officials warn.

Infants and toddlers are at the highest risk of developing rotavirus, which can result in dangerous dehydration, sometimes requiring hospitalization. Symptoms can include frequent vomiting, watery diarrhea and fever, and may last several days or a week.

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Rates of rotavirus have been steadily increasing since January, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Rotavirus activity across Region 2, which includes New Jersey and New York, has declined in recent weeks after peaking earlier this year, according to federal data.

The most recent data shows 9.60 percent of Rotovirus tests came back positive for the week ending April 11 in the Northeast. This percentage is nearly triple the positivity rate from the beginning of March, according to the CDC.

Data from Wastewater Scan, a cooperative effort between Stanford University and Emory University, shows rotavirus rates are increasing the highest in the Midwest and the West.

Data was collected at multiple wastewater treatment facilities across New Jersey, including the Somerset Raritan Valley Sewerage Authority in Bridgewater, the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority in Union Beach, the South Monmouth Regional Sewerage Authority in Belmar, and the Township of Ocean Sewerage Authority in Oakhurst.

Health experts say vaccination remains the most effective protection. The CDC estimates rotavirus vaccines are 85 percent to 98 percent effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization in infants. Before rotavirus vaccines became available about 20 years ago, severe illnesses accounted for around 200,000 emergency room visits, up to 70,000 hospitalizations, and dozens of deaths every year, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

Still, vaccination rates have slipped in recent years, according to the CDC. About 74 percent of U.S. children are vaccinated against rotavirus by 8 months of age, a decline that concerns public health officials as the virus spreads.

The rise in cases comes amid broader debates over vaccine policy and recommendations. Earlier this year, federal health officials removed the rotavirus vaccine from the routine childhood immunization schedule, a move that drew criticism from pediatricians and public health experts who fear it could further reduce vaccination rates.

New Jersey officials joined a multistate lawsuit filed in Trenton challenging federal changes to the childhood immunization schedule, alleging the Trump administration unlawfully overhauled vaccine recommendations and replaced federal advisory panels with unqualified appointees.

Rotavirus spreads very easily, especially among young children. It usually passes from person to person when tiny amounts of stool from an infected person get into someone else’s mouth — often because hands, toys, surfaces, food or water are contaminated.

Symptoms generally last longer than those of norovirus, and include more severe watery diarrhea that can cause dehydration alarmingly quickly, according to health experts.

There is no specific treatment for rotavirus, and care typically focuses on preventing dehydration through fluids. Health officials continue to urge parents to consult pediatricians about vaccination and to seek medical care if children show signs of severe dehydration, such as lethargy or reduced urination.

The virus can live on surfaces for long periods of time. Vigorous hand-washing and cleaning surfaces can help, but it may not kill the virus.

“The problem with rotavirus is it’s a vomiting illness,” Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told NBC News. “You vomit and vomit and vomit. It’s very hard to rehydrate someone by mouth who’s vomiting, and that’s why they end up coming into the hospital for intravenous fluids.”