There are a number of infectious diseases, which are commonly called children's diseases, because they are mainly contracted in childhood. As a rule, children's infections are transferred only once, but they develop stable immunity for life. Childhood infections are measles, rubella, scarlet fever, varicella (chicken pox), mumps (mumps) and whooping cough.
Symptoms and treatment of chickenpox (chicken pox) in children
If after a short-term increase in body temperature, runny nose and redness of the eyes/throat, a rash appears on the child's body, then any mother will understand that it is chickenpox. All parents should know the symptoms and treatment of chickenpox in children, as it is important to diagnose the infection in time and carry out competent treatment.
The first sign of chickenpox is a characteristic rash - small, reddish-pink nodules with uneven edges, which most often appear on the face and upper limbs. After a few hours, a small bubble filled with a translucent yellowish liquid forms on the surface of the nodule. In 8-12 hours, the blisters burst on their own, the rash is covered with a dense crust, which gradually disappears.
The incubation period of chickenpox is 3-5 days, at this stage it is impossible to detect the disease. Parents should consult a doctor (call him home) at the first symptoms of chicken pox, but no specific treatment will be prescribed. With chickenpox, it is recommended to carry out symptomatic therapy - for example, the child will need antipyretics, drugs that relieve skin itching. Doctors rarely prescribe Cycloferon, which can prevent the development of a purulent bacterial infection against the background of chickenpox, which greatly facilitates the course of the disease.
A chickenpox infection in a kindergarten means its closure for quarantine.
Symptoms and treatment of scarlet fever in children
Scarlatina is an acute infectious disease characterized by intoxication, fever and a large number of spot rashes. The source of infection is a sick child or a healthy carrier of streptococci - it is this pathogenic microorganism that provokes the development of scarlet fever.
Symptoms and treatment of scarlet fever in children are well known to doctors, so there will be no problems with diagnosis. This disease always begins acutely, with a sharp rise in temperature up to 39 degrees. The child complains of headache and nausea, there is pain when swallowing. Already at the end of the first day of the disease, a small and itchy rash appears, which quickly covers the whole body. The skin becomes excessively dry to the touch, resembling sandpaper.
Treatment of scarlet fever is carried out at home, only in case of a severe course of the disease, the child can be hospitalized. To suppress streptococcus, antibacterial therapy is prescribed, the throat must be rinsed with furacilin solution or chamomile/calendula infusions. Antihistamines and vitamins must be prescribed as part of the treatment of scarlet fever.
Symptoms and treatment of whooping cough in children
Children under the age of 5 who have not been vaccinated are most often infected with whooping cough. It is generally accepted that whooping cough is the most dangerous for children of the first year of life, and at an older age the disease is more easily tolerated.
Knowing the symptoms and treatment of whooping cough in children is necessary for all parents, because this disease is infectious, a sick child can infect all surrounding children. As a rule, the disease begins with a slight increase in temperature, general weakness and a slight cough. Then, in a few days, the child begins to be bothered by a specific cough with tearing and spasms, hearing which, the pediatrician will immediately suspect whooping cough. It is noteworthy that before the appearance of this whooping cough, parents consider their child healthy, but with a slight cold - he may attend preschool, which leads to the spread of infection.
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor after first performing a whooping cough analysis - bacterial culture of biomaterial from the child's throat. This, firstly, makes it possible to clarify the diagnosis, secondly, it helps to identify the true causative agent of the infection and to choose competent and effective treatment.
As a rule, treatment is carried out with the help of antibacterial drugs, antihistamines and antitussives are also prescribed.
Mumps, measles and rubella
These diseases are also considered infectious and dangerous. Symptoms of mumps in children are as follows:
- increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees
- pain in the ear area
- increased salivation
- pain when chewing and swallowing
- swelling of the cheek from the side of the affected parotid gland.
Extremely rare, but the virus can damage the meninges (meningitis develops), kidneys, pancreas (pancreatitis progresses). In boys, mumps most often causes infertility, although there are exceptions.
Among children's infections, there are two diseases that have a similar sign - a rash with cowpox and rubella, which looks like an accumulation of semolina grains. And reddening of the skin in the places of the rash will be characteristic of both measles and rubella. If a girl contracted rubella in childhood, antibodies to rubella are produced in the body for life, and during pregnancy this infectious disease is not a threat. And if a woman has had rubella during pregnancy, it threatens miscarriage, fetal death, or the birth of a child with gross developmental disorders. A woman at the stage of pregnancy planning can be vaccinated against rubella, which will protect her and the baby from problems in the future.
Prevention of childhood infections
Immediately let's say that prevention in this case is vaccination of the child. Chickenpox, measles, rubella and scarlet fever can be prevented. Such a specific vaccination is well tolerated by children, extremely rarely after the injection of the vaccine, the baby's body temperature may rise. Many parents refuse vaccinations, but the prevention of rubella and scarlet fever in other ways is simply impossible, and the consequences of infectious diseases can be really terrible, up to complete disability.
You can learn more about how measles, rubella, and mumps vaccinations are transferred, when a child should be vaccinated, and what measures to take in case of a disease that has already developed, on our website Dobrobut.com.
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