For the last 3 months, my kids have been exposed to all kinds of germs out there and this is especially so in a child care centre. There was the coxsackie viral attack and now, it's Rotavirus. Initially, we thought it was just a normal running nose and phlegm episode which would take its course with normal medication (Terbutaline and Hydrozine). However, the elder girl started developing fever after about 5 days. A check with the paediatrician revealed that there was a sore throat. So, we thought the fever was associated with the sore throat.

The fever did not go away after 3 days and she started throwing up and complaining that her tummy aches once a while. Sensing something not quite right, we brought her back to the paediatrician who then diagnosed that our elder daughter has the rotavirus. A reflection on the events that took place confirmed that this is the most likely cause - she has a bad habit of putting her fingers in her mouth at times and this may have caused the infection.

Rotavirus is a highly infectious disease caused by poor hygiene and attributable to stool contamination. The symptoms include fever, nausea, and vomiting, which are often followed by abdominal cramps and frequent, watery diarrhea. Children who are infected may also have a cough and runny nose. Last night, whilst she was sleeping, she threw up on the bed. Needless to say, her appetite is poor and we had to keep encouraging her to drink more water to keep her hydrated.

She's now with my parents together with the younger one. We don't want them to infect the other kids in child care. The younger one had fever yesterday and we hope she would be able to withstand the infection. They are feeling much better today, thankfully. Hopefully they would be up and about by Monday.