Children's Health Tips: Common Illness Symptoms And Treatments

MEASLES

Formerly the most common childhood illness, Measles is a highly infectious disease that is passed through airborne contaminants. Contact with the nose or mouth of an infected individual will cause the illness to spread - even in the case of indirect contact, such as from a sneeze. Since the incubation period for Measles is 10-12 days, someone who is infected by the illness will be unaware of it and continue to spread the disease for nearly two weeks before symptoms begin to appear. Once the symptoms have surfaced, he or she will remain infectious for up to five additional days. Such symptoms include fever - which will continue for at least three days and may reach up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit; persistent cough; red eyes; runny nose; and an itchy rash of red dots which begins on the head and spreads downward, eventually covering most or all of the body before turning brown and fading. There is no specific treatment for this illness, other than bed rest, fluids and fever reduction medications.

CHICKEN POX

Like Measles, Chicken Pox is highly contagious and is spread through airborne pathogens. There is a two-week incubation period for this disease, during which time there are no apparent symptoms. Approximately two days before the symptoms appear is the time during which Chicken Pox is infectious, giving adequate time for an infected child to pass the illness through a school, daycare center or other group scenario. The first of the symptoms to appear is fever, which is immediately followed by itchy pustules or blister-like protrusions on the body. These can appear in various places, but tend to become apparent in the head or chest region before spreading throughout the surface of the body. There's no particular treatment that's suitable for Chicken Pox, but the disease is less severe when contracted by children - which is the reason for some parents to allow their children to be in an environment where the contagion is known to be present. If any of the virus remains in the system, it can develop a very painful affliction, known as Shingles. Generally speaking, once the disease has been contracted, immunity is built up against it, eliminating the possibility of re-infection.

MUMPS

Once a very common childhood illness, Mumps still exists on a much smaller scale today. This is a viral disease, which is highly contagious, with an incubation period of 14 to 20 days. While people of any age may contract this illness, it is most common in children between the ages of 2 and 12. There are a number of symptoms associated with Mumps - many of which might lead the caregiver to misdiagnose the illness and hold off seeking medical attention. These symptoms include mild fever, headache, swelling of the glands that are located between the ear and jaw, and an extremely sore throat. While there's no specific treatment plan for those who are suffering from Mumps, the child who has been diagnosed with this illness needs to be carefully monitored, since complications may arise. Though not common, this virus can sometimes cause the onset of meningitis or swelling in the testicles. The physician (or pediatrician) will need to develop a treatment plan in the case of either of these two scenarios.

WHOOPING COUGH

This infection of the respiratory system, also known as Pertussis, can be recognized by a severe coughing episode, ending in a characteristic "whooping" sound when the individual inhales. Before the development of its vaccine, this illness caused approximately 10,000 deaths in the United States each year, which has been reduced to a mortality rate of less than 30 today. If unimmunized, Whooping Cough can target anyone, but is most common in children who have not received the proper vaccination and in infants under one year of age. There are two stages of symptoms, beginning with a low grade fever, sneezing, runny nose and a mild cough. If left untreated, the illness will progress to the second stage, which involves a dry, irritating cough that escalates into a coughing spell. During this time, the child may turn red or purple, and may even vomit in between coughing episodes. It is at this stage that you'll hear the "whooping" sound when the child inhales at the end of the episode. This highly contagious bacterial illness can be spread through fluid from an infected person's nose or mouth, such as during laughing, coughing or sneezing. The most infectious period is up to two weeks after the coughing begins, and must be treated with antibiotics in order to combat the illness. Incubation is from 7 to 21 days and can last for six weeks or longer.

MENINGITIS

This very serious inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes can cause damage to the brain and nerves and, if untreated, will lead to death. Meningitis can be caused by a number of agents, including both health and environmental conditions. Examples of these would be tumor cells, infection and the introduction of certain chemicals to the body. There are three common symptoms which identify the illness: neck stiffness, headache and sensitivity to light. Spinal fluid will have to be extracted so that the cause of the illness can be determined, in order to develop the appropriate treatment plan. Since this will result in fatality if untreated, it's urgent to seek proper medical attention if the presence of Meningitis is suspected, or if the child exhibits the symptoms of the illness. Typically, an infection is the catalyst for the development of Meningitis, often brought about by the spread of infection from the sinuses or ears. In this case, a strong antibiotic will need to be prescribed - sometimes an IV medication needs to be administered, if an oral antibiotic isn't strong enough. In certain cases, complications may arise, such as seizures. These, too, can be treated through a program of anti-seizure medications. Since the possibility exists for the loss of hearing as a result of Meningitis, steroids are sometimes administered to children, in order to reduce the chances of this type of occurrence.

RUBELLA

Also known as German Measles, this is a short-lived illness - usually lasting for a week or less - and is caused by fluid from the nose or throat being passed from the infected person to others (through sneezing, coughing, laughing, etc.). The illness becomes apparent with a low-grade fever for a day or two, followed by swelling of the glands in the neck or behind the ears. In some children, there's also an occurrence of things such as runny or stuffy nose, conjunctivitis, pain and/or swelling of the joints and swollen lymph glands. On the heels of these symptoms is the appearance of a rash which begins at the hairline and works its way downward (as it continues to spread to the lower portion of the body, the rash on the face starts to fade). This rash can either take on the appearance of small pink or red dots, or splotchy patches caused by the merging of the dots. Unlike Measles, Rubella's rash does not itch, but as it fades, the affected area will shed flakes of skin. The incubation period for Rubella is two to three weeks, and the infectious stage begins one week before the rash until a week after it fades. There are vaccines which are typically given to infants and children for the prevention of Rubella, but for those who are affected by it, there's no specific treatment other than bed rest and fluids.

While there are vaccines that are given to children which fight off many of the traditional illnesses of childhood, there are still occurrences of them - particularly in certain geographical areas. Since most children will contract one or more of them, the best policy is to simply contact the pediatrician if either unusual symptoms appear in the child's health profile, or if more common symptoms persist. Sometimes, what appears to be a common cold or flu can actually be a more critical illness that's masked by similar symptoms.