The Major Infectious Diseases
What
is Diphtheria?
Diphtheria begins as a sore and swollen throat due to bacterial infections
which can cause obstruction to breathing and damage to the heart. Resulting
complications may even be life-threatening.
What
is Tetanus?
Tetanus often begins with the clamping together of the jaw (hence the name 'lockjaw').
There is severe muscle spasm involving many parts of the body, including the
muscles responsible for the breathing and swallowing. Complications from
Tetanus are often fatal.
What
is Pertussis or Whooping Cough?
It
typically starts like an ordinary cold. This is accompanied by runny nose
leading to prolonged bouts of coughing which are characterised by a whooping
sound. Often the whooping cough can cause the child to vomit or even turn
blue from lack of air. A child with whooping cough can have difficulty
eating, drinking or even breathing. Whooping cough can cause serious complications
like pneumonia, seizures or brain problems. In serious cases, even death
may occur.
What
is Hib?
It is caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria. The bacteria causes
several serious, often life-threatening illnesses including bacteria meningitis
which may cause mental retardation in young children. The same Hib bacteria
can also cause pneumonia or epiglottitis (the inflammation of the windpipe).
Hib is transmitted through airborne saliva droplets or secretions, similar to
how the common cold is spread. It can enter the blood stream and cause life-threatening
infections like meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottitis. Although the word "influenzae"
is part of the scientific name, Hib is not related to the virus that causes
the respiratory infection generally known as "flu".
What
is Polio or Poliomyelitis?
It is a viral infection that can be transmitted easily through contaminated
food or water. The disease typically affects very young children, with 80-90%
of cases occurring in children under 3 years of age. In the majority of cases
the disease produces only mild symptoms like fever, sore throat and nausea.
However, if the virus enters teh brain and spinal cord, the disease may result
in paralysis especially of the child's lef muscles.