What are the symptoms of rotavirus disease?
Rotavirus disease usually starts with fever, an upset stomach, and vomiting, followed by diarrhea. Rotavirus occurs most often in the winter and spring. Children are most likely to get rotavirus disease between November and May. Rotavirus is very contagious, spreading easily from children who are already infected to other children and sometimes adults. Once a child has been exposed to rotavirus, it takes about two days for symptoms to appear. Children who have rotavirus disease develop vomiting and watery diarrhea that may last from three to eight days. They may lose interest in eating and drinking and become dehydrated from loss of fluids. A child may develop rotavirus disease more than once because there are many different rotavirus types, but second infections tend to be less severe than the original infections.
