teething
What infections are considered childhood illnesses and why this is only half true
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Why are they called “childhood diseases” and which ones are really dangerous? All about measles, rubella, chickenpox and how to protect your child from them.
Diseases of the teeth – it seems harmless, almost cute. And as if these were diseases that only children get. Unfortunately, neither is true. The term childhood disease is usually used for a number of infectious diseases that are transmitted via viruses or bacteria and are particularly contagious. This means that it is very easy to get infected. Unless you are vaccinated or have already had the disease. Then you are protected by antibodies and therefore immune.
Children are at a much higher risk of getting measles, mumps, or rubella than adults because they haven’t been vaccinated or haven’t had the disease. Children’s immune systems are not yet fully developed. Before the invention of vaccines, everyone was defenseless against pathogens and inevitably contracted all kinds of infectious diseases from childhood. Hence the term childhood diseases.
What are typical childhood diseases?
The classic childhood diseases are measles, chickenpox, rubella, ringworm and three-day fever. These infections are viral and usually cause flu-like symptoms and typical skin rashes, such as the well-known blisters that develop with chickenpox. Both the vaccination and the disease experienced have in these diseases permanent immunity. So your child will only be able to receive it once. This also applies to mumps. A pathology that leads to swelling of the parotid gland and the typical “fatty cheek”.
It looks different scarlet feverTHE hand-foot-and-mouth disease and whooping cough from: Due to the different variants of the pathogen (streptococci in scarlet fever) and decreased immunity (in whooping cough), your child may also infect multiple times.
In the following table we have listed the typical childhood diseases.
Children’s diseases in brief:
|
childhood disease |
pathogen |
Vaccination |
|
Varicella zoster virus |
YES |
|
|
measles |
measles virus |
YES |
|
mumps |
mumps virus |
YES |
|
rubella |
rubella virus |
YES |
|
ringworm |
Parvovirus B19 |
NO |
|
whooping cough |
Bordetella whooping cough |
YES |
|
three day fever |
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7) |
NO |
|
diphtheria |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae |
YES |
|
scarlet fever |
ß-haemolytic streptococci |
NO |
|
polio |
human poliovirus |
YES |
|
Haemophilus influenzae–disease (leads to meningitis, epiglottis) |
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) bacterium |
YES |
|
Hand, foot and mouth disease |
Enteroviruses of group A (EV-A) |
NO |
Here you can find out more about the typical symptoms of rubella, whooping cough in infants and scarlet fever in children.
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What childhood diseases are really dangerous?
Some childhood illnesses can run a dangerous course, cause permanent damage or even be fatal. These include, for example
- THE measles. In one case in a thousand, measles infection leads to encephalitis. It can cause disability or death. Infections of the larynx and trachea, otitis media or pneumonia can also be a consequence of measles.
- mumps can cause testicular inflammation in boys after puberty. At worst, infertility threatens.
- Also whooping cough not sure. In newborns it can lead to respiratory arrest.
- rubella pose a great danger to children during pregnancy. If the expectant mother is not vaccinated, the disease can be transmitted to the fetus and damage the brain, eyes and ears.
- chicken pox it can lead to dangerous shingles many years after the initial infection.
- Even that which occurs only very rarely thanks to a good vaccination rate diphtheria it can become dangerous. If the disease spreads to the larynx, life-threatening shortness of breath can develop. Possible consequences of so-called toxic diphtheria are inflammation of the heart muscle, cardiac arrhythmias and paralysis.
How can I protect my child from classic childhood diseases?
In the first months of life, a child still goes through the so-called nest protection immunized. The maternal antibodies are still in her blood. If nest protection wanes after six to nine months, your baby will need its own protection through a series of vaccinations. These are often combined into a multiple vaccine. Such as the triple vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
THE Vaccination calendar of the Standing Commission on Vaccinations (STIKO). If you have any questions, speak directly to your pediatrician.
Some vaccine-critical parents argue that even a previous illness provides lifelong protection against some childhood illnesses and deliberately expose their child to an infection. The majority of However, pediatricians criticize events such as measles parties sharp. They view possible but manageable vaccine reactions as far more harmless than the actual disease, which can sometimes have serious long-term consequences and from which people continue to die.
Children get infected several times a year, which is quite normal. Especially when the baby is around community facilities, such as a kindergarten, day care or school, gets together with many other children, pathogens that are transmitted through droplet infection quickly make the rounds. If the usual cold symptoms remain, it is harmless and effectively trains the immune system.
Can adults also teethe?
Unfortunately yes. If adults lack antibodies, they too can get chickenpox or whooping cough. Typical childhood illnesses are often even more severe in adults. Chickenpox during pregnancy can also endanger the fetus. Overall, childhood diseases are no longer so prevalent today, as herd immunity has generally increased in recent years thanks to vaccine protection.
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