Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe
diarrhea among infants and young children. |
Rotavirus is very easy to catch. Nearly all children are infected with rotavirus by
5 years of age. |
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| Rotavirus Is Highly Contagious |
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Rotavirus infection is very contagious. A child that is sick may spread billions of particles of rotavirus in their stool, but a healthy child needs just some of them to become infected. |
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Rotavirus can survive on objects for more than 60 minutes up to several weeks (e.g., toys and other household surfaces). |
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Most people become infected by hand-to-mouth contact after a contaminated surface is touched. |
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Washing hands, keeping a clean home and using disinfectants are always important, but these methods may not fully protect your baby from rotavirus. |
| Symptoms of Rotavirus |
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Rotavirus can cause fever and, in severe cases, multiple episodes of vomiting and diarrhea that can last from 3 to 9 days, and can quickly lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids). |
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Rotavirus symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. While many infected children may have few or no symptoms, it can be difficult to predict which children will have severe cases. |
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A severe case of rotavirus could send your child to the emergency room or your child may be hospitalized.
Approximately 78% of gastroenteritis episodes in young hospitalized children during the peak winter-spring months were due to rotavirus.
The greatest proportion of hospitalizations occur in children between the ages of 6 and 35 months. |
| Effect of Rotavirus |
| Rotavirus is a disease affecting over 95% of infants and young children around the world by the time they are 5 years old. In Canada, a study showed that approximately 78% of gastroenteritis episodes in young hospitalized children during the peak winter-spring months were due to rotavirus. In Canada, it is estimated that about 35% of children with rotavirus gastroenteritis see a physician, 15% visit an emergency room and 7% require hospitalization. |
| Now You Can Do More to Help Protect Your Baby |
RotaTeq® is a vaccine to help prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants. It was shown to help protect infants against the most common types of rotavirus.
> Learn more about how a vaccine can help protect against rotavirus. |
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| Important Safety Information |
As with other vaccines, RotaTeq® may not fully protect all those who get it. RotaTeq® helps prevent, but does not treat, rotavirus gastroenteritis. Allergic reactions may occur. It should not be given to children who are allergic to any ingredients of the vaccine. Like all vaccines, RotaTeq® may have side effects. The side effects of RotaTeq® are usually mild and do not last long. Side effects reported were diarrhea, vomiting, fever, runny nose and sore throat, wheezing or coughing and ear infection. Other reported side effects include hives. These are not all the possible side effects of RotaTeq®. Before your baby gets RotaTeq®, talk to your physician or pharmacist if he or she has any illness with fever; has diarrhea or is vomiting; has not been gaining weight; is not growing as expected; has a blood disorder; has any type of cancer; has an immune system that is weakened (this includes HIV infection or AIDS); gets treatment or takes medicines that may weaken the immune system; was born with gastrointestinal problems or has had an intestinal blockage; has regular close contact with a member of the family who has a weakened immune system.
Please read the Patient Product Information and discuss it with your doctor or healthcare professional. Also available is the physician Prescribing Information.
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This site is intended for residents of Canada.
® Registered Trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Used under license.
08-11-RTQ-10-CDN-84120523-WEB |
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