Over 200 children from the countries Magadan Region have been hospitalized after eating imported fruits from China according to the Rossiya TV channel.
The majority of the children affected were under the age of three. The imported fruits were bananas, apples, and citrus fruits. The source of the infections was contaminated fruit skins with the intestinal virus, rotavirus.
Health officials predict the infection should subside this spring when domestic food supplies can reach the sub arctic region.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 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.
