The word virus comes from a Latin word meaning poison. Viruses
are any of a number of organic entities consisting of genetic
material surrounded by a protective coating. The term virus was
first used in the 1890s to describe agents that caused diseases
but were smaller than bacteria. By itself a virus is a lifeless
form, but within living cells it can replicate many times and
harm its host in the process. There are hundreds of known viruses
that cause a wide range of diseases in humans, other animals,
insects, bacteria, and plants. Virologists tell us that there are
probably thousands of viruses that have not yet been discovered.
Viruses are smaller than bacteria and can only replicate within
living cells. Examples of viruses creating problems for humans
today are HIV, hepatitis A, B, C and D, herpes Simplex I and II
and rotaviruses.
What are Rotaviruses?
Rotaviruses, are among the most important infectious causes of
acute diarrhea, frequently causing outbreaks in hospitals,
daycare centers, schools, and nursing homes. In the United
States, rotaviruses cause about 3.5 million infections every
year, resulting in nearly 70,000 hospitalizations and 75 to 125
deaths annually in children. Outbreaks of rotaviral infection are
common in infants and young children in hospitals, daycare
centers and schools. The elderly also are at a higher risk of
acquiring rotaviral infections.
Rotaviruses can remain viable on inanimate surfaces for many days
and infectious rotavirus particles have been recovered from hands
and a variety of surfaces and objects. Casual contact can lead to
the transfer of these viruses from contaminated to
non-contaminated surfaces. Proper cleaning and disinfecting of
the environmental surfaces; And proper and regular washing of
hands by caregivers are an important part of infection control
against the rotaviruses. Conventional quaternary ammonium
chloride disinfectants are not effective against these stubborn
viruses.