Bringing forth a child to the world is a free gift which God has promised every woman. Child’s birth is a great privilege to every home but indeed of a very serious challenge in terms of provision of adequate care and good health. Many babies have passed on due to the fact that their mothers are ignorant of the common health challenge a child might undergo as the child grows up. Knowledge of the most common ailments and symptoms a child may experience will go a long way to help mothers to save the life of their young ones before the condition goes out of control.
Below are 16 most common ailments in children, their causes, symptoms, treatments and preventive measures.
Skin infections
These are bacteria infection mostly caused by staphylococci.
Symptoms – skin irritation and discomfort.
Causes – sleeping in an over crowded room, dirty environment, food allergy etc.
Treatment – apply calamine lotion to calm the irritation then visit the health center for proper care and attention.
Preventive Measures – make sure your child sleeps in a well ventilated room, keep house very clean, and don’t always wear thick clothes on your kids especially during hot weather.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea causes a child to be very dehydrated due to the fact that the child frequently stool and vomit. It is gotten when the Gastro intestinal tract has been infected.
Symptoms – frequent stool, vomiting, weakness and loss of appetite.
Causes – contaminated food or/and the feeding utensils, drinking of dirty water etc
Treatment – the first treatment of a child having diarrhea is to give the child ORS (water and salt solution) to help the child from not being dehydrated, then visit the health centre for proper treatment.
Preventive measures – make sure that all feeding utensils are washed and well sterilized and kept in a clean place, wash your hands before feeding your baby, use clean water to make your babies food, bath regularly if you are still breast feeding or clean the breast before breast feeding your child.
Tuberculosis
It is an airborne disease that infects the respiratory system and other organs in the body.
Causes – It is airborne and a child contact it by breathing in air, living in a dirty and slum environment.
Symptoms – coughing of blood, weakness, loss of weight etc.
Treatment – A vaccine known as BCG is administered to the child at birth in order to immune the child against the disease.
Preventive measures- make sure you immunize your child with BCG at birth.
Measles
It is an airborne disease and it is very contagious.
Causes – over crowding, by infected persons etc
Symptoms – fever, rashes on the skin, cough and catarrh, redness of eyes.
Treatment – make sure at the 9th month you immunize your child, though some children gets measles as from 6 months then take the child to health center and don’t leave the child or use traditional therapy.
Preventive measures – Isolate infected child away from other children. Immunize your child
Whooping cough
It is contacted through the air and also by bacteria
Causes – Breathing in contaminated air.
Symptoms – Severe coughs, weakness, dry up of skin.
Treatment – DPT vaccine.
Preventive measures – Keep children away from infected person and keep a healthy environment.
Skin Blisters
These are rashes that appear on the skin which spreads as the fluid burst and touches other part of the skin and it is very contagious.
Causes – It is an infection of over crowding staptococcus, dirty environment and poor hygiene.
Treatment – Use antiseptic soap, give the child antibiotic and also use antibiotic skin ointment. Above all take the child to the health care providers.
Preventive measures – Keep children away from infected person, and keep quality hygiene
Typhoid Fever
This is an illness caused by the consumption of contaminated water,food,milk by sewage or carrier.
Causes – It is caused by a bacteria called salmonella Typhi and paratyphi.
Symptoms – High fever which can lead to convulsion constipation, vomiting, loss of appetite weakness etc.
Treatment – please consult your doctor.
Preventive measures – keep clean and healthy environment.
Mothers should not do guess work, they should always seek their health care providers in case of any illness they can't handle or they have any definition. In this article 16 of the must common ailments are discussed.. click here to continue reading
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