In the United States, before initiation of  the rotavirus vaccination programme, rotavirus caused about 2.7 million cases of severe gastroenteritis in children, almost 60,000 hospitalisations, and around 37 deaths each year. Public health campaigns to combat rotavirus focus on providing oral rehydration therapy for infected children and vaccination to prevent the disease. The incidence and severity of rotavirus infections has declined significantly in countries that have added rotavirus vaccine to their routine childhood immunisation policies. Signs and symptoms
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a mild to severe disease characterised by vomiting, watery diarrhoea, and low-grade fever. Once a child is infected by the virus, there is an incubation period of about two days before symptoms appear. Symptoms often start with vomiting followed by profuse diarrhoea after at least four days. Dehydration is more common in rotavirus infection than in most of those caused by bacterial pathogens, and is the most common cause of death related to rotavirus infection.Rotavirus A infections can occur throughout life: the first usually produces symptoms, but subsequent infections are typically mild or asymptomatic, as the immune system provides some protection. : 106–124  Consequently, symptomatic infection rates are highest in children under two years of age and decrease progressively towards 45 years of age. Infection in newborn children, although common, is often associated with mild or asymptomatic disease; the most severe symptoms tend to occur in children six months to two years of age, the elderly, and those with  compromised or absent immune system functions.
Long-term therapy may include the use of antiepileptic drugs, surgical therapy, diet therapy (ketogenic diet), vagus nerve stimulation, or deep brain stimulation. Terminology
Generalized tonic–clonic seizures can have a focal onset (described above) that progresses into a generalized seizure or be a generalized seizure at the onset. The term "Grand Mal" is outdated and nonspecific, referring to generalized tonic-clonic seizures with either a focal or generalized onset. See also
Focal seizure
Absence seizure
Epileptic seizure
Non-epileptic seizure
Tonic (physiology)
Clonus
Postictal state
Electroencephalography

References
External links

Generalized tonic–clonic seizure at Curlie