Rotavirus warning: 5 signs your child needs medical help
South Africa’s 2026 rotavirus season is continuing, with a rise in cases reported in Pretoria. Parents should know the warning signs of dehydration and how to safely rehydrate a child.
Parents and caregivers in South Africa are being warned to watch for the early signs of dehydration in children during the ongoing 2026 rotavirus season. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reports a surge in cases in Pretoria, with one death linked to the infection. Rotavirus, a common childhood illness, typically causes vomiting and severe, watery diarrhea.
Parents should look out for symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, tiredness, and mild abdominal discomfort. However, dehydration can develop rapidly and become life-threatening if not recognized and treated promptly. Key warning signs include a child who cries with few or no tears, dry mouth, sunken eyes or a sunken soft spot in babies, reduced frequency of urination (no wet nappy for six to eight hours in infants), unusual sleepiness, listlessness, excessive tiredness, or limpness.
Refusal to drink or feed, or inability to keep fluids down, also indicates severe dehydration and requires immediate medical attention.
Severe dehydration symptoms may include dark urine, cold or discolored skin, rapid breathing or heartbeat, and skin that remains puffy after being pinched. Parents should continue breastfeeding infants and increase fluid intake when a child has diarrhea. Oral rehydration solution is recommended to replace lost fluids, and can be given to children with diarrhea symptoms, along with continued breastfeeding or feeding, if possible.
Parents should administer oral rehydration solution and seek medical care while traveling to a healthcare facility if possible.
Routine rotavirus vaccinations, available in South Africa since 2009, help protect children from severe disease. Parents should not ignore persistent vomiting or watery diarrhea, particularly in babies and young children, as dehydration can progress quickly. They should also continue breastfeeding or feeding a child with diarrhea, unless advised otherwise by a healthcare professional.
Antibiotics should not be used to treat rotavirus as it is caused by a virus. Recognizing dehydration early and seeking treatment promptly can prevent serious complications, prolonged hospitalization, and death.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
