Navigating Common Childhood Infections: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions

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Navigating Common Childhood Infections: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions

What are infectious diseases? 
An inflamed throat, ear infection, urinary tract infection (UTI), bronchitis, bronchiolitis, influenza and bacterial sinusitis are common infectious diseases present in children. Bacteria, viruses or parasites are responsible for infectious diseases. 

What are the causes? 
Infectious diseases are passed through a network of infected people but can also be acquired by not washing hands and eating contaminated vegetables and fruits. Measles and chickenpox that spread by means of a virus can be prevented through vaccination at a young age. 

How do children get it? 

• Contact with a contagious person or animal  
• Eating infected fruits or vegetables  
• Viruses spreading through air droplets  
• Not receiving vaccinations against viral infections such as measles and chickenpox  
• Being infected with herpes simplex, HSV-2, when exiting the mother’s birth canal 

What are the symptoms? 

• High fever 
• Diarrhoea 
• Lethargy 
• Body pain 
• Persistent cough 

What does a diagnosis entail? 
Blood and urine tests determine whether your child has an infectious disease. Sometimes, doctors require a stool sample or throat swab to send to the laboratory for pathogen testing. 
 
How do you treat infectious diseases? 
Specific antibiotics are used to treat types of bacteria but don’t work against viral infections. Instead, antiviral drugs are used to treat HIV/AIDs, Herpes simplex (HSV-2), hepatitis B and C. 

What is the result? 
Infectious disease such as the common cold resolves in time after receiving plenty of fluid and bed rest. Children usually recover well after completing their round of antibiotics. The use of antivirals is a long-term treatment to manage symptoms of chronic viral diseases. 

What does prevention for infectious diseases entail? 
Washing hands regularly before eating and avoiding rubbing or touching eyes with unclean hands reduces the risk of infection. Children must be up-to-date with their vaccinations to prevent viral infections. Prepare food like meat and eggs thoroughly before serving them to children—wash vegetables and fruit before consumption. 

Takeaway 
Infectious diseases arise from bacterial, viral or parasitic infections. Symptoms of infectious diseases are fever, muscle pain, fatigue, coughing and diarrhoea. Treatment for infectious diseases includes prescription antibiotics for bacterial infections and antivirals for viral diseases. 
 

To book your consultation contact;  

Dr. Zaheer Cajee  
Paediatrician  
031 902 2786, 031 912 1108  
Suite 61st Floor, 162 Phila Ndwandwe Road, Isipingo Rail, 4133