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

A highly contagious virus that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea in young children is circulating at elevated levels nationwide, including in Rhode Island, 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.

Rates of rotavirus have been steadily increasing since January, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. In New England for the week ending April 11, the percentage of positive tests spike to 9.6% from 3.23% the previous week.

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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 in New England from eight sites showed a high rate of rotavirus.

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Health experts say vaccination remains the most effective protection. The CDC estimates rotavirus vaccines are 85% to 98% 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% 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.

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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.

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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.”

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