Whooping cough, rubella - keep track of childhood diseases

Children get sick, it is inevitable. But today we have the opportunity to vaccinate our children against diseases that are extra troublesome, such as whooping cough, rubella, and measles. And luckily it is, so the children do not have to get these boredom unnecessarily. However, there are some childhood diseases that are not included in the vaccination program, including scarlet fever and chickenpox.Even though the vast majority of children will not suffer from mumps, whooping cough or rubella as a result of their vaccinations, it can still be interesting to have a little idea of what those diseases actually are and what they mean. And it can be smart to have a little extra good control of the childhood diseases that we do not vaccinate the children against - chickenpox and scarlet fever. So that you are prepared if the accident occurs.

Pediatrics - what is it?

Pediatric diseases are those that only or to a large extent only affect children. The list of these is long, and covers everything from milder infections and viruses such as smallpox, mollusks and chickenpox to the slightly more dangerous diseases such as rubella, mumps and measles. Some of the diseases need no more treatment besides cleaning, while others may require medication. The 12 most dangerous childhood diseases are included in the vaccination program for children. You will find more about these 12 a little further down.[caption id="attachment_2388" align="alignnone" width="329"]

(bilden kommer från 1177)[/caption]

Scharlakansfeber – en barnsjukdom utan vaccin

Scharlakansfeber är en väldigt smittsam infektionssjukdom som orsakas av bakterien streptokocker. Den drabbar barn i åldern 5-15 år. Inledande symptom är röda utslag, ofta i armhålorna, som sedan sprider sig över hela kroppen. Sjukdomen har fått sitt namn efter den färg som hud och tunga antar efter en tids sjukdom – scharlakansröd. Detta sker hos yngre barn, hos äldre barn och vuxna orsakar bakterien istället halsfluss.

Symptom

• feber – måttlig till hög
• ont i hals, mage och huvud
• illamående och ibland kräkningar
• svullna och ömma lymfkörtlar
• röda och svullna halsmandlar
• tungan blir först gulvit, för att efter någon dag istället bli glänsande röd med små svullna knottror. Detta brukar man kalla smultrontunga.

Barnet smittar från någon dag före symptomen visar sig, och sedan i flera veckor om barnet inte får behandling. Infektionen behandlas med antibiotika, och ett sjukt barn ska stanna hemma minst 2 dygn efter påbörjad antibiotika-behandling.Mer information om scharlakansfeber hittar du på 1177.[caption id="attachment_2389" align="alignnone" width="1808"]

(the image comes from 1177)[/caption]

Chicken-Pox

Chickenpox is one of the most common childhood diseases and affects almost all children at some point when they are between 1-6 years old. Nevertheless, it is not yet included in the vaccination program, but only vaccines are offered to children who belong to a risk group. The positive thing about the disease is that it is usually mild, and rarely requires treatment. Besides, you can only have it once!

Symptom

• fever
• fatigue
• headache
• red small rashes which then turn into fluid-filled blisters.

Chickenpox is highly contagious and the incubation period varies from 10-26 days. The child also becomes infected 1-2 days before the first symptoms appear, which means that you can largely not prevent the spread once it has started.You can read more about chickenpox and answers to all common questions here.

The vaccination program - the 12 that are included

In Sweden, we have a developed vaccination program which means that all children are offered and recommended vaccines against the following 12 diseases:

• diphtheria
• whooping cough
• tetanus
• polio
• haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• pneumococci
• measles
• mumps
• rubella
• rotavirus
• hepatitis B
• human papillomavirus (HPV).

The list comes from 1177.[caption id="attachment_2390" align="alignnone" width="700"]

(the picture comes from We Parents)[/caption]

Measles

Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases in existence. It spreads via the exhaled air from the patient, and the infection then enters via airways or the mucous membranes of the eyes of people in the environment. The disease begins with high, rising fever, eye irritation and dry cough. A few days later, small red rashes spread from the face down to the rest of the upper body. The rashes then flow together. Toddlers also often have difficulty breathing. Simultaneous inflammation of the eyes, sinuses and lungs is also common. Measles can also lead to severe meningitis, but this is very rare.

Symptom

• high fever
• dry cough
• irritated and photosensitive eyes.

The incubation period varies between 7-18 days, but 10 days is most common. The patient is already infected 4 days before symptoms appear, and 4 days after the rash appears. There is currently no general cure for measles, but the treatment is based on the victim's individual symptoms.In Sweden, the disease is very unusual, as it is part of the vaccination program. The vaccine is available in a combined form against measles, mumps and rubella.You can read more about measles at The Swedish Public Health Agency and 1177.On Vi parents you can read more about how dangerous measles actually is.

Whooping cough

In Sweden, pertussis has been part of the vaccination program since 1996, and all children are offered vaccinations on several occasions to receive lifelong protection.The disease is caused by a bacterium that settles in the airways and causes severe and prolonged coughing. For most people, the symptoms go away on their own, but the disease is highly contagious and the period of infection can amount to almost 6 weeks from the first symptoms. For children under six months who are not protected by the vaccine, the disease can be directly fatal.There are often symptoms similar to a common cold that initiate the symptoms, such as coughing and mild fever. Coughing then gets worse and worse and comes in attacks that can lead to breathing difficulties (the sick person sneezes, hence the name whooping cough) and ends with the sick person coughing / vomiting mucus. In connection with the cough attacks, infants can suffer from a lack of oxygen, which in some cases can lead to them becoming unconscious, but only for a few seconds.

Symptom

• cold
• cough that increases
• mild to moderate fever.

You can read more about whooping cough at 1177 or The Swedish Public Health Agency.[caption id="attachment_2387" align="alignnone" width="300"]

(the image comes from SVT)[/caption]

Rubella

Red dog is a highly contagious viral disease that we in Sweden have vaccinated girls against since the 70s and all children from 1982. The infection is airborne and reaches new individuals via the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. The disease is usually so mild that the patient barely notices the symptoms. If, on the other hand, you are affected by a slightly more severe variant, you get an infection in the upper respiratory tract and red skin rashes that spread from face to torso.The reason why "dog" appears in the name is believed to be due to the fact that in many languages the word is used as a derogatory addition and refers to something ugly. It may also be due to the fact that the dog's breath has previously been considered unhealthy and contagious.You can read more about this at the question library.

Symptom

• snuva
• swollen lymph nodes
• fever
• joint pain.

The danger with rubella is that it can cause serious birth defects. If a pregnant woman is infected early in her pregnancy, there is an imminent risk that the fetus will not survive or that the child will then be born with major malformations in the skeleton, brain, eyes or ears.The incubation period varies between 14-21 days, but the most common is 17-18 days. The vaccine is available in a combined form against rubella, measles and mumps.You will find more info about red dogs at folkhalsomyndigheten.se. or 1177.[caption id="attachment_2367" align="alignnone" width="700"]

(the picture comes from Svenska Magasinet)[/caption]

Mumps

It is a viral infection that causes mumps, and the most common symptom is swelling of the throat that looks like bags - hence the name. There is no treatment for the disease, but the symptoms go away on their own after about a week. Like chickenpox, this is a disease that you can only have once.

Symptom

• high fever
• the lower jaw becomes swollen and sore
• fatigue
• nausea and vomiting
• headache
• pain when chewing.

Only half of all people with mumps develop symptoms, and the incubation period varies between 14-21 days. The patient is contagious from 6 days before the symptoms occur and up to 9 days thereafter.The virus that causes the disease can spread to other glands in the body and in rare cases, this can lead to meningitis or testicular inflammation. The sequelae become more severe the older you are when you are affected.The vaccine is available in a combined form against mumps, rubella and measles.On 1177 or at The Swedish Public Health Agency you will find more information about mumps.

Polio

Polio is a viral disease that is spread through faeces, contaminated water or from person to person. This disease has not existed in Sweden for many years, as it is part of the vaccination program. However, it remains in some countries in Africa and Asia.

Symptom

• fever
• fatigue
• headache
• vomiting.

Most people who become ill recover, but in some cases the disease can lead to inflammation of the spinal cord and cause permanent muscle paralysis. If the symptoms and inflammation settle on the respiratory muscles, the disease becomes fatal.There is currently no treatment for polio.More information about polio can be found at 1177.Eye inflammation is also a common childhood disease, you can read more about it here.Here you will find tips and tricks at constipation in children.