Germs are all around us, at play, at work and in our homes. Did you know that some germs are actually ‘friendly’ and that we need them to keep healthy?
Believe it or not but there are about 400 types of bacteria that live in the human digestive system. Some of these bacteria break down food that is difficult to digest; some help the body break down drugs and cancer-causing agents; others combat harmful bacteria that also live in the digestive tract and bowels.
But most germs, such as viruses and many types of bacteria, are pathogenic and we need to protect ourselves from the infectious diseases they cause.
Let us first discuss some common childhood diseases caused by different types of viruses and bacteria. Most of these diseases can have serious consequences and some may even prove fatal. The most effective way to guard against these diseases is to get your baby and child vaccinated.
Bacteria are single-celled living organisms that contain genetic material that help them replicate. They are free-living and do not necessarily need to live in a host cell to survive. They use a host as a source of food. But after bacteria invade the body, they feed off living tissue as well as replicate in it, causing infectious diseases and their spread.
A virus is a microscopic bit of genetic material covered in a protein coat. It cannot live on its own and needs a host cell to survive and reproduce. That is why many scientists do not consider a virus a living organism.
Viruses cause various types of diseases, from serious infectious diseases such as AIDS, smallpox, meningitis and hepatitis to mild illnesses such as influenza.
Since a virus not a living organism, they cannot be treated by antibiotics. The most effective way to arm oneself against a virus is to be vaccinated against it.
A vaccine contains bits of a virus – either a dead or weakened form of the virus. When a vaccine is injected into the human body, the immune system immediately produces antibodies to fight the pathogen. These antibodies continue to circulate in the bloodstream for years and thus alert the body if that specific virus attacks the body again. The immune system is thus well armed to rally against the invading germ and protect the individual from contracting the disease.
Vaccines are germ-specific. That is, a particular vaccine protects against a specific bacteria or virus and no other. This is why there are many types of vaccines. Vaccines are usually injected though some are administered in the form of oral drops.
No. Even newborns are vaccinated. Newborns receive some natural immunity from the mother through breast milk. But this does not last long and leaves the child vulnerable to infectious diseases.
If your baby or child misses an appointment, schedule another one. Let your doctor know an appointment was missed. He / she will know how to make up for the missed dose.
This is a bacterial infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract.
How does it spread?
Breathing, sneezing, coughing, talking.
Hib is caused by a bacterium that infects the meninges – the covering of the brain and spinal cord – and causes meningitis. It could also infect the lungs and cause pneumonia. Sometimes, the bacterium infects the throat, causing it to swell.
PD can spread through air that is exhaled, sneezing, coughing and talking. The disease can also spread through ‘carriers’.
Hepatitis A is a virus that causes a disease that goes by thee same name. It is a liver disease.
This is a potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by a virus. Hepatitis B is associated with serious liver complications and increases the risk of cancer.
Influenza or ‘the flu’ is also a viral infectious disease.
Breathing, sneezing, coughing and talking.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by a virus. It causes a skin rash throughout the body and flu-like symptoms.
Breathing, sneezing, coughing, talking. Infected children can spread measles before the rash appears and even after it disappears.
Mumps is caused by a virus that spreads through saliva and infects the salivary glands. These glands, located between the ear and jaw, swell and become painful, giving rise to the disease’s typical swollen-cheek look.
Breathing, sneezing, coughing, talking. Infected children can spread measles before the rash appears and even after it disappears.
Commonly called whooping cough, pertussis is a bacterial disease of the respiratory system. It leads to severe bouts of coughing that leave a whooping sound when the child breathes.
Breathing, sneezing, coughing, talking.
This is an infection caused by a bacterium called streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes different types of illnesses depending on which organ it invades.
PD can spread through air that is exhaled, sneezing, coughing and talking. Some people carry the bacteria even though they do not have the disease. These people are called ‘carriers’ and can pass the bacterium to others and infect them.
Polio is a viral disease that can cripple or cause death.
The polio virus is found in the stool of infected children and is easily spread to the hands and therefore objects in the surroundings.
This highly infectious, highly contagious disease affects the bowels. It causes severe diarrhoea in among infants and children and can even prove fatal. The virus gets its name from its wheel-like appearance and derives from the Latin rota, meaning ‘wheel’.
Rotavirus is found in the stool of infected children and is easily spread to the hands and therefore objects in the surroundings.
Also known as German measles, this is a viral disease. It is more easily curable in children than in adults. But it could cause serous joint problems in children.
Breathing, sneezing, coughing, talking.
Tetanus is a bacterial infection that can harm the muscles of the entire body. It is often called ‘lockjaw’. If not treated in time, tetanus can prove fatal.
It affects the muscles and nerves and is usually contracted from a skin wound that gets contaminated by a bacterium called clostridium tetani found in the soil.
The bacteria produce a neurotoxin – a protein that acts as a poison to the nervous system – that causes muscle spasms. If the toxin spreads to various parts of the body through the blood and lymph, it could damage the nerves across the body and cause generalised muscle spasms.
A common childhood viral disease that produces an itchy blistering rash. While most cases are not serious, chickenpox can sometimes be fatal.
Breathing, talking, coughing, sneezing, touching chickenpox blisters.
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