Symptoms of rotavirus usually start about 2 days after a person is exposed to the virus. Vomiting and watery diarrhea can last 3 to 8 days.

Most common symptoms include:

• Watery diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Stomach pain

Rotavirus infections can lead to serious complications, especially in young infants and children , including:

• Severe diarrhea
• Dehydration
• Electrolyte imbalance (uneven amount of minerals in your body)
• Metabolic acidosis (too much acid in your blood)

• Rotavirus is spread through touching objects contaminated with infected stool (poop) or eating contaminated food.
• An infected person can spread the disease 2 days before having symptoms, during the time they have symptoms, and 3 days after symptoms have recovered.

• The best way to prevent rotavirus is to get the rotavirus vaccine.
• All infants and children should get 2 or 3 doses of the rotavirus vaccine, depending on the brand of vaccine used.
• There are two Rotavirus vaccines available in the United States:
• RotaTeq® is given as 3 doses beginning at age 2 months.
• 2nd dose – age 4 months
• 3rd dose – age 6 months
• Rotarix® given as 2 doses at age 2 and 4 months.
• All infants should get the first dose of rotavirus vaccine before turning 15 weeks old (less than 4 months old). All doses should be completed before 8 months old.
• Regardless of the vaccine brand used, the rotavirus vaccine is given by putting drops in the child’s mouth.
• The rotavirus vaccine is safe and effective.
• The rotavirus vaccine can be given during the same doctor visit along with other vaccines.
• Over 90% of infants who are fully vaccinated will be protected from severe disease and hospitalization. Unvaccinated children usually have more severe symptoms the first time they get rotavirus disease.

There are many places to get the Rotavirus vaccine. If you have insurance, talk to your doctor or check with your local pharmacy to see what vaccines are offered. Most health insurances cover the cost of all recommended vaccines for children and adults.

If you are uninsured or underinsured, there are programs available to help cover the cost of vaccines. Children who are 18 years of age or younger are eligible to receive vaccines at no cost through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program if they are:

• Eligible for or are enrolled in Medi-Cal
• American Indian or Alaskan Native
• Uninsured (do not have health insurance)
• Underinsured (private health insurance does not cover the full cost of vaccines)

Click to see if your child is eligible to receive VFC vaccines: English | Spanish

Uninsured or underinsured adults can access free or low cost vaccines at select clinics enrolled in the Vaccines for Adults (VFA) program. For more information on who is eligible, read VFA Eligibility Based on Insurance Status. You can use the following resources for more information on locating clinics:

• A list of free and low-cost clinics in Los Angeles County.
• Interactive county map to locate free and low-cost vaccine clinics.
• LACDPH Vaccines website for patients and their families to get more information on vaccines.

You can also dial 2-1-1 for a list of free or low cost vaccine clinics. This includes Vaccines for Children (VFC) provider locations that serve Medi-Cal eligible children and uninsured or underinsured adults. Learn more about specific vaccine information for different age groups:

• Vaccines for Infants and Children (LACDPH)
• Vaccines for Adolescents and Teens (LACDPH)
• Vaccines for Adults (LACDPH)

• Rotavirus: Questions and Answers (Immunize.org)
• Rotavirus (CDC)
• Rotavirus Vaccine Information Statement (CDC)

Infection with rotavirus can cause watery, non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dehydration.

It is not possible to diagnose rotavirus infection by clinical presentation because the clinical features of rotavirus gastroenteritis do not differ from those of gastroenteritis caused by other pathogens. Confirmation of rotavirus infection by laboratory testing is necessary for reliable rotavirus surveillance and can be useful in clinical settings to avoid inappropriate use of antimicrobial therapy.

CDC recommends routine vaccination of infants with either of the two vaccines available. Administer 2 or 3 doses of rotavirus vaccine, depending on the brand of vaccine used.

Administer the first dose of either vaccine before the child is 15 weeks of age. Infants should complete the vaccine series before age 8 months.

If prior vaccination included use of a different or unknown brand(s), a total of 3 doses should be given.

Administer rotavirus vaccines (RV1 and RV5) by mouth.

During an infant’s first year of life, rotavirus vaccine provides 85% – 98% protection against severe rotavirus illness and hospitalization.

Proper vaccine storage and handling practices play an important role. For general recommendations and guidance access the Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit.

Click here for more information on reporting a Vaccine Adverse Event.

• Clinical Overview of Rotavirus (CDC)
• Rotavirus (CDPH)
• CDC Rotavirus Laboratory Testing (CDC)
• CDC Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule (CDC)
• CDC Rotavirus Vaccine Safety (CDC)
• Rotavirus Vaccine Information Sheet (VIS) (CDC)
• Rotavirus Vaccine Fact Sheet (CDPH)
• Rotavirus Clinical Resources (Immunize.org)
• LAC PHL Gastrointestinal Multiplex Panel, Qualitative Real-time PCR (pg. 131) (LACDPH)