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CHILDHOOD DISEASES
From the medical point of view a child is a person who has not
reached puberty. And from the legal point of view a child is a person
who has not attained majority. In Russia, for example, a child attains
majority at eighteen years old.
In the period between the time of birth and adolescence children
may experience some diseases. The term “
childhood disease”
is
sometimes subjective, and does not refer to an accepted, categorical
list. Nearly all the
in this list can also be contracted by adults,
and, of course, all children can contract diseases not categorized as
"childhood diseases". Classification of all childhood diseases is
extensive and includes several groups:
•
common infectious diseases (chickenpox, diphtheria, whooping
cough, measles, rubella, scarlet fever, mumps, etc.);
•
upper respiratory tract infections (adenoviral infection, influenza,
herpes simplex, etc.);
•
intestinal infections (dysentery, rotavirus infection, polio, typhoid,
etc.);
•
diseases caused by parasites.
Some of childhood diseases are vaccine-preventable. Childhood
vaccination schedule contains information about vaccine-preventable
diseases. In Russia such schedule is officially named as National
Vaccination Calendar and issued by the Ministry of Health. This
calendar lists diseases and recommended ages they should be done at.
Against some diseases a child must be vaccinated two or three times at
the definite age. According to this schedule, children in RF should be
vaccinated against: Haemophilus influenzae type B, tuberculosis,
diphtheria, pertussis
, tetanus (lockjaw),
poliomyelitis (polio), measles, rubella (German measles), mumps and
acute viral hepatitis B.
Any person must be prepared to recognize if a child is ill and care
of him. This is just an everyday part of providing quality child care.
Symptoms of illness can appear very rapidly. Care of an ill child who
begins with making the child comfortable. Every child care facility
needs a quiet place where an ill child can have a rest and can be
closely supervised by an adult. Notify the parent or alternate as soon
as you have determined that their child is ill. The parent can then
begin to make alternate work arrangements or call for a doctor’s