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photo of rotavirus |
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Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among children, resulting in the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 children each year in the United States and the death of over 600,000 children annually worldwide. The incubation period for rotavirus disease is approximately 2 days. The disease is characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 - 8 days, and fever and abdominal pain occur frequently. Immunity after infection is incomplete, but repeat infections tend to be less severe than the original infection.
A rotavirus has a characteristic wheel-like appearance when viewed by electron microscopy (the name rotavirus is derived from the Latin rota, meaning "wheel"). Rotaviruses are nonenveloped, double-shelled viruses. The genome is composed of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA, which code for six structural and five nonstructural proteins. The virus is stable in the environment.
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 | NY Times 16 Jul 08
Prevention: Rotavirus Vaccine Said to Be Working
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MMQC-07-1182 22 Jun 07| | LABELING REVISION FOR MERCK'S ROTATEQ (ROTAVIRUS, LIVE, ORAL, PENTAVALENT) VACCINE / FDA MEDWATCH
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MMQC-07-1045 16 Feb 07| | MERCK AND CO. INC / ROTATEQ (ROTAVIRUS VACCINE) / FDA MEDWATCH PUBLIC HEALTH NOTIFICATION
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MMQC-99-1310 15 Oct 99| | ROTAVIRUS VACCINE ROTASHIELD/VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL
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