Chickenpox
This, perhaps, is one of the most harmless childhood diseases. At present, developed countries already use a vaccine against it. It is a viral infectious disease, and its first symptoms are headache, back pain and lack of appetite. After a few days on the skin appear small red spots, which after several hours increase and turn into pimples. Then a scab (crust) is formed, which disappears after two weeks. Such diseases of children are accompanied by intense itching. You have to be very careful - you can not let the child scratch itchy places. The child should be given the opportunity to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration at high temperatures.
The incubation period lasts three weeks. The disease is contagious for all who have not yet had chicken pox. Once you notice the manifestations of the disease, the child must be isolated. He can not interact with other children until he is completely cured.
Scarlet fever
It is another example of a disease that can sometimes lead to terrible consequences, but it is very rare now. It is believed that the disease was defeated by penicillin, but this is not a very real argument, since the disappearance of the disease began before his invention. Perhaps this refers to the improvement of living conditions.
The disease is characterized by the appearance of a red rash. Scarlet fever in small children is caused by streptococci, which multiply very rapidly in the body with weakened immunity. The first signs of the disease are fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes and fever. Usually, the disease affects children from 2 to 8 years and develops within a week.
Meningitis
This disease to this day causes a lot of controversy in modern medicine. Meningitis is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. His symptoms are pain in the neck with movements (not always), severe headache, fever. The disease can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or can be a consequence of a severe cold. Bacterial infection is very contagious, because bacteria live in the throat and saliva and spread rapidly by airborne droplets. Meningitis is treatable, but early diagnosis is necessary. Doctors often can not diagnose a disease on time, as they do not pay attention to the parents' stories about the child's extremely unusual behavior. Many pediatricians can not diagnose meningitis in the absence of symptoms of neck pain. Without timely treatment and detection of the disease, irreversible effects on the brain can occur, which leads to mental retardation and even death. If the child has a high fever for 3-4 days, drowsiness, vomiting, he cries from a headache and, probably, in the neck - all these are obvious signs of meningitis. The use of antibiotics leads to a reduction in mortality from this disease from 95 to 5 percent.
Tuberculosis
A negative reaction to a mantu in a child calms many parents that the baby will not be sick with tuberculosis, but it is not. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics gave a negative assessment of the vaccination procedure. During the research it was proved that false results are possible. A child can get sick even if there was a negative Mantoux indicator.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Such common diseases of children often terrify adults. Many parents, of course, are horrified at the thought that in one day they can see their child dead in the crib. Medical science has not yet found the cause of this phenomenon, but many scientists argue that the reason for the violation of the central nervous system as a result of the cessation of breathing. This does not answer the question of what exactly leads to the cessation of breathing. Some physicians believe that this may be a consequence of vaccination against whooping cough, as studies have shown that two out of 103 children who received this vaccine died suddenly. And this is not the only study. Specialists of the pediatric department of the University of California published the results of a study according to which 27 out of 53 children who received the vaccine died. It is very important to remember that breastfeeding is critical to the health of the child. It was proved that children who are breastfed are much less susceptible to diseases, including the syndrome of sudden child death.
Polio
This disease affects today a much smaller number of children than before. As early as the 1940s, thousands of children died of poliomyelitis every year. Now there is an affordable and effective vaccine against this disease. The disease is practically defeated, but the fear remains. Many of the later outbreaks of poliomyelitis are caused by the parents' refusal to vaccinate. Parents sometimes believe that there is no reason to vaccinate a child, since the disease is defeated. This is not true. Vaccination is necessary, especially for young children.
Rubella
This is an example of a relatively safe childhood illness, which still requires treatment. The initial symptoms of rubella are fever and all the signs of a cold. A red rash appears, which disappears after two or three days. The patient should lie and drink more fluid. There is a vaccine against rubella, which is not mandatory - this is decided by the parents themselves.
Whooping cough
The disease is very contagious and usually transmitted through the air. The incubation period is from seven to fourteen days. Symptoms - severe cough and fever. Within about ten days after the onset of the illness, the cough of the child becomes paroxysmal, the face darkens and acquires a bluish tinge. An additional symptom is vomiting.
Pertussis can be infected at any age, but more than half of the children get sick before the age of two. This can be dangerous, even fatal, especially for newborns. The disease is contagious for about a month after the onset of the first symptoms, so it is important that the patient is isolated. There is no special treatment, enough rest and intensive therapy. There is a vaccine against pertussis, but it gives a severe reaction, and many parents do not dare to vaccinate their child.