Rotavirus - Can It Be Transmitted Through Vomit or Just Stool?

Updated on March 29, 2012
S.F. asks from Ogdensburg, NY
5 answers

I posted a question about the Rotavirus yesterday and the fact that my 1 month old daughter wil be getting the vaccine next month but my 2 year old never did and the Dr said that it is only transmitted through the stool/fecal matter so just to be careful when changing her diaper after she gets the vaccine to make sure that my older daughter doesnt get it. But how can a gastro virus not be carried and transmitted to others through vomit?

Is this true or should I be concerned about this as well? If I have to worry about the vomit too Im going to stress right out because really what 2 month old doesnt puke everywhere? If its just her poopy diapers we have to be careful with (which we already are) then its not so bad but how do you possibly keep the vomit away from anything in the house when she spits up periodically and everywhere in the house?

Thank in advance

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T.Q.

answers from Albany on

Hi There,
The Rotavirus is generally just a diarhea bug (though sometimes vomiting occurs) and generally only occurs in babies, because you become immune to it once you have had it and, now kids are vacinated. The Norovirus is the icky stomach bug that generally involves 24 hours of vomiting/diarhea and can hit any age- there are so many strains of this that you do not become immune. In this bug, vomit and stool are VERY contagious. So, your baby should not actually get Rotavirus from the vaccine and it most likely not make her vomit. There is a difference between vomit and spit up, and if she is not actually sick, spit up will not transmit the Rotavirus- just don't leave dirty bibs and rags around for your toddler to get into.
I am a germaphobe myself... I am always making my kids wash there hands when we get home from anywhere, wipe down shopping carts etc. But, keep in mind that they will get sick from time to time and they have to build up their immunity somehow. My kids all had this vaccination, no problems at all!

J.P.

answers from Lakeland on

It can be passed through vomit or saliva.

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M.B.

answers from New York on

Try not to worry so much. It's possible, but rare to transmit the virus after a vaccination. My baby got the vaccines (there were several in the series), I didn't take any precautions, and no one got sick. She had reflux too, so spitting up EVERYWHERE all.the.time.

So yeah, be careful, as in wash your hands after you change a diaper, wash her burp cloths, and don't let your daughter directly touch her stool or vomit. But this isn't a virus that will magically become airborne ... it's unlikely to be caught by someone else after the vaccine (the virus in the vaccine is weakened so that it cannot infect your baby, so it also shouldn't infect others), and even if it is infectious, it could only be caught if your older child touched it directly.

D.D.

answers from New York on

Yes it can spread through vomit also. Sorry. Hope it passes quickly.

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