Early of May 2012 my son was infected by Rotavirus....infected from my brother's son..since his son was admitted to PPUM 2 days before my son was having all the symptoms...pity Lil Haziq..at first i thought he was having a normal fever..but then he started with vomitting..then diarrhea and followd by a high fever....
A little info on Rotavirus AGE
Rotavirus is a virus that infects the bowels. It is the most common cause of severe
diarrhea among infants and
children throughout the world and causes the death of about 600,000 children worldwide annually. The name rotavirus comes from the characteristic wheel-like appearance of the virus when viewed by electron microscopy (the name rotavirus is derived from the Latin
rota, meaning "wheel").
Almost all children have become infected with rotavirus by their third birthday. Repeat infections with different viral strains are possible, and most children have several episodes of rotavirus infection in the first years of life. After several infections with different strains of the virus, children acquire immunity to rotavirus. Children between the ages of 6 and 24 months are at greatest risk for developing severe disease from rotavirus infection. Adults sometimes become infected, but the resulting illness is usually mild.
Each year in the U.S., rotavirus infection results in the hospitalization of an estimated 55,000 children, 200,000 emergency-room visits, and 400,000 visits to doctor's offices. It is estimated that 100 children die each year in the U.S. from complications of rotavirus infection. Rotavirus affects populations in all socioeconomic groups and is equally prevalent in industrialized and developing countries, so differences in sanitation practices or water supply are not likely to affect the incidence of the infection.
In the U.S., rotavirus infections usually peak in the fall months in the Southwest and spread to the Northeast by spring, so infections are most common during the winter months from November to May. However, infection with rotavirus can occur anytime of the year.
What are rotavirus symptoms?
The time period from initial infection to symptoms (
incubation period) for rotavirus disease is around two days. Symptoms of the disease include
fever,
vomiting, and watery diarrhea.
Abdominal pain may also occur, and infected children may have profuse watery diarrhea up to several times per day. Symptoms generally persist for three to nine days. Immunity from repeated infection is incomplete after a rotavirus infection, but repeated infections tend to be less severe than the original infection.
Rotavirus infection can be associated with severe
dehydration in infants and children. Severe dehydration can lead to death in rare cases, so it is important to recognize and treat this complication of rotavirus infection. In addition to the symptoms of rotavirus infection discussed above, parents should be aware of the symptoms of dehydration that can occur with rotavirus infection or with other serious conditions.
Symptoms of dehydration include
- lethargy,
- dry, cool skin,
- absence of tears when crying,
- dry or sticky mouth,
- sunken eyes or sunken fontanelle (the soft spot on the head of infants), and
- extreme thirst.
He refused to drink milk or even eat..i was so worried that i have decided to bring him to see his former PAED, Dr Khairul Zaman Omar in Columbia Asia Hospital Setapak...it's a new branch btw...nice hospital...friendly nurses..and very efficient....
He was issued out a card...some sort of medical card aside to his appointment card..cool eh?!!
After a few test...Dr Khairul said he wants to give my son another one more day to rest at home..he was given a few medicines....and i need to go back the next day to do a follow up check up..
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| Blood test perfomed... |
But as per Dr Khairul's observation..my son was very weak......and he even lost his weight from 12.6kg to 11.3kg...how devastating to see him like this....
Being at home he's still the same...no progress...we forced him to eat ice cream....bought him a dozen of Dutch Lady Milk (for 1-6 years old kid) just to replace his current milk since he refused to take anything inside...
The next day, we brought him back to Dr Khairul...and he decided to admit my son the hospital so that we can observe the progress since my son was dehydrated badly...
Luckily we bought a medical for him from Prudential...Columbia Asia Setapak was not yet a panel for Prudential...So i requested to Dr Khairul to transfer my son to Prince Court for admission....
Then we rushed to Prince Court......after half an hour waiting...he was admitted...
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| Pity him...he looked so weak... |
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| My lil baby... |
The service was not bad...the food was nice and everything was ok..but i do feel that Gleneagles was better in terms of the efficiency of the staff...
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| The food in PCMC...yum2!! |
Luckily Lil Haziq was admitted only for one day under the care of Dr Anthony James (PAED)....he was very nice...very gentle with the baby...and their treatment was quite good...
Alhamdulillah...everything went well and my son was recovered...but the diarrhea stil continues... As Dr Anthony said that it can last up to 1-2 weeks...but as long as my son was not dehydrated...then he should be fine.....
As for the bill...for one night stay...it was about RM800++...and I'm only paying RM300 (requirement by the insurance :either 10% or RM300,whichever is higher)......not bad huh?!!
