Prevention

To reduce the spread of rotavirus, wash your hands thoroughly and often — especially after you use the toilet, change your child's diaper or help your child use the toilet. But even strict hand-washing doesn't offer any guarantees. And commonly used alcohol-based hand sanitizers have little effect on rotavirus.

The World Health Organization recommends that all countries give infants a rotavirus vaccine. There are two vaccines available:

• RotaTeq. This vaccine is given by mouth in three doses, often at 2, 4 and 6 months. The vaccine isn't approved for use in older children or adults.
• Rotarix. This vaccine is a liquid given in two doses to infants at ages 2 months and 4 months.

The vaccines are considered safe and effective, and studies show that they prevent thousands of children from developing rotavirus every year. However, rarely, they can cause a part of the intestine to fold back on itself (intussusception), resulting in possibly life-threatening intestinal blockage.

Children who have had intussusception are more likely to have it again after receiving the rotavirus vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that the vaccine not be given to children who have a history of intussusception.

For children who don't have a history of intussusception, there is a very small risk that it can develop after the rotavirus vaccine is given. Even so, the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks.

If your child has stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in his or her stool, or a change in bowel movements after getting the rotavirus vaccine, contact your doctor immediately.