In the United States, childhood vaccinations are a regular part of raising a healthy child. Immunization programs in place today have been successful in reducing the occurrence of certain childhood diseases including measles, polio and tetanus....
Viruses spread primarily through bodily fluids and skin-to-skin contact. If you're around someone with a known case of viral meningitis, you can prevent infection by avoiding contact with the person and his bodily fluids. That means you shouldn't...
Mumps is caused by a virus that infects the parotid glands which are located under the ears. It is contracted through breathing in droplets from a sneeze or cough of an infected person. In countries where a vaccine is not widely given outbreaks...
The various illnesses that children spread from one to another are no small concern to parents who feel as though they spend the entire winter wiping noses and taking temperatures. But fortunately, some of the more serious communicable diseases of...
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a routine vaccination schedule for all infants born in the United States. These vaccinations help to protect your baby against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, chicken pox and hepatitis,...
The meninges are the protective layer of tissue covering the brain and spinal cord. The illness meningitis is an infection of this protective layer. Bacteria or viruses can cause meningitis. While viral meningitis is more common, bacterial...
Chickenpox is a fairly harmless and mild disease for most people, but in some it can be deadly. According to BabyCenter, before the vaccine for chickenpox was developed, between 100 to 150 people died as a result of chickenpox and over 10,000 were...
One of the most ubiquitous substances in modern medicine, gelatin is also one of the most controversial. Gelatin, which is also the primary ingredient in Jell-O and a thickening agent for puddings and yogurt, is used in the pharmaceutical industry...
Childhood immunizations protect your child from serious illness. From measles, mumps and rubella to polio, the list of preventable serious diseases now numbers more than 12 and is growing. Thus the need for more immunizations. For example, an...
Many parents of children with autism believe there is a link between autism and early childhood vaccinations, with special emphasis on the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. This belief began anecdotally as some...
Newborns have temporary protection against many diseases due to the antibodies that have passed to them from their mothers. Breastfed infants get even more of those benefits from their mother's milk, according to The March of Dimes. However, your...
Before the introduction of the polio vaccine, an average of 16,316 people in the U.S. contracted polio every year, but in 2008 not a single person living in the U.S. contracted the disease, according to the National Institute of Allergy and...
It can be dangerous to give aspirin to children, so you should administer ibuprofen instead as directed by your doctor or pediatrician. The MMR shot provides immunity against measles, mumps and rubella by introducing a safe level of the active...
Measles, also known as rubeola, refers to a common and contagious viral illness that commonly affects children. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, dry cough, conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eyes),...
Rubella can't be treated. If you have the disease, you only can make yourself comfortable while the virus runs its course over 7 to 10 days. Treat your low-grade fever and aches with acetaminophen, ibuprofen or your preferred pain reliever. If a...
Mumps is a childhood disease that is rarely seen in the twenty-first century. The vaccine for mumps was approved for use in the United States in 1967 and is routinely given as the "MMR" (measles, mumps and rubella) immunization at well-baby...
The MMR shot provides an injection of weakened viruses for measles, mumps and rubella. Receiving this injection helps immunize infants and children from the three illnesses. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the...
There are diseases and illnesses that are not preventable, but communicable diseases are types that you have the ability to prevent. Infectious diseases can be passed from person to person, from an insect or animal to a person or from...
FluMist is the trade name for a nasal spray influenza vaccine. The vaccine contains live but weakened virus particles that provoke antibody production against influenza but do not cause disease. FluMist is a live, attenuated influenza vaccine or...
German measles is a virus spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing. It is not the same disease as measles. Another name for German measles is rubella. The MMR vaccine that children receive before starting school stands for...
The Center For Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, divides travel vaccinations into three categories: routine, recommended and required. Depending on which area of Europe you are traveling to, you may not need any additional vaccinations. Always...
The virus varicella-zoster causes chickenpox. Spreading through direct contact or by airborne transmission of infected droplets, this highly contagious disease used to infect about 4 million American children per year, according to the Mayo...
Fevers are a common symptom in children of all ages. "Webster's New World Dictionary" defines fever as "an abnormally increased body temperature." Normal temperatures range from 97 degrees Fahrenheit to 99 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Mayo...
Vaccines are generally required in order for children to enter public school and attend child care programs. A medical waiver not to vaccinate can be signed and utilized in some school districts. As a parent or caregiver, you should know what...
Egg-based allergies are one of the most common types of food allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Most children with egg-based allergies outgrow the hypersensitivity before the age of 5. The allergy is a reaction...
Viral infections are the most common cause of illness in children. They are highly contagious. Most viruses cause symptoms over a short period of time and produce mild illness. Some viruses can cause significant disease, especially in those who...
Most of us envision a child with a kerchief wrapped under his chin and tied above his head when we think of the mumps. This is because mumps is a viral infection that causes the parotid gland, a salivary gland just below and in front of the ear,...
Mumps is an infectious disease that can be prevented by vaccination. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children receive their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine between the ages of 12 and 15 months and a...
The skin, the largest organ in the human body, is the first line of defense against the environment. In addition to being a protective shield, it also helps to regulate body heat, sense stimulation and store water, fat and vitamin D according to...
Rubella, or German measles, is an often benign outbreak of little red bumps that usually pass in one to five days. Learn more in this health video.
Measles, also called rubeola, is primarily a respiratory infection caused by a highly contagious virus found all over the world. Measles can be serious, especially in small children. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and...
The mumps, or epidemic parotitis, typically presents as severe swelling of the salivary glands. Learn more about the mumps including treatment options in this medical video.
