ClaremontCrizzle Education

Childhood Illnesses

Measles is caused by a virus. The symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, sore and reddened eyes, followed by the characteristic red-brown rash. The rash usually starts on the face and spreads down the body , lasting 3 or more days.

The incubation period… that's the time between exposure to someone with the disease and the onset of the symptoms… is about 10 days. The red rash shows up 3 days to a week after the first symptoms. People are contagious from just before symptoms appear until 4 to 5 days after the rash appears.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is no real treatment except bed rest. Most children are very sick, running a high fever and feeling uncomfortable, but most recover with no ill effects, according to CDC. The disease hits very young children and adults harder.

Adults born before 1957 are assumed to be immune since they probably had the disease as a child and you only get measles once.

Mumps

Mumps is also caused by a virus. The main symptom is a swelling of the salivary glands. This swelling can show up in:
• the jaw
• the cheeks
• the neck
The swelling is also accompanied by fever and headache.

Someone with mumps is contagious from about a week before symptoms appear until about nine days after they start.

Adults born before 1957 are again assumed to be immune.

Rubella

Rubella is also called German measles. It usually isn't serious but it is very dangerous for unborn babies. The symptoms include:
• a rash
• a low grade fever
• body aches
• headaches
Not everyone gets the rash. The incubation time for rubella is 2 to 3 weeks and someone is contagious from a week before to a week after symptoms appear.
If a pregnant woman is exposed to rubella it can cause serious damage to her unborn baby, including birth defects and even miscarriages. The American Academy of Family Physicians warns women who are of child bearing age to make sure they either had rubella or have been vaccinated.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis is also known as whooping cough. A bacterium is the culprit in this disease and antibiotics are used to treat it.

Whooping cough is highly contagious. CDC says you can get it just by breathing the air in a room in which someone with whooping cough sneezed or coughed.
The first symptoms of pertussis are:
• flu-like symptoms and runny nose
• sneezing
• a low grade fever
• a cough
The cough slowly worsens over a couple of weeks. The whooping sound comes when the infected person breathes back in after a coughing spell.

Incubation is about a week, and someone is contagious from the time the first symptoms appear until after the cough is cured.

Unfortunately vaccination does not provide lifelong immunity. Adults who get whooping cough usually develop a severe cold. The disease is much more serious in infants.

Chicken pox

Chicken pox is caused by a virus. Chicken pox usually begins with an itchy rash of small red bumps in the scalp that spreads to the back and the stomach before spreading to the face.

Chicken pox is contagious from a couple of days before the rash shows up and until all the blisters have scarred over.

Almost everyone in the United States has had chicken pox; in fact, the CDC estimates that 95 percent of the population has had chicken pox and most people had it by the time they entered school.

Adults who have not had chicken pox should talk with their doctors. If you aren't sure if you were ever exposed, there are blood tests available to determine if you are immune or not. Chicken pox is especially dangerous in women who are pregnant.

Aspirin warning

It is also important to note that aspirin should never be given to children with these or other illnesses, because this has been linked to Reye's Syndrome, a fairly rare but potentially deadly viral disorder affecting the brain and/or liver. The CDC says aspirin should never be given to children or teenagers.

Aspirin is a salicylate compound. Many products may contain salicylates, such as anti-nausea products and cold remedies. Therefore, it's important to read the label of all medications and ask your doctor and pharmacist if you have any questions.

Aspirin and salicylate-containing compounds should never be used for treating symptoms of flu-like illnesses, chicken pox, colds, etc., in children or teenagers.

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NHS Direct