Tetanus
It is an infection caused by the bacteria found in dirt, gravy and rusty metals. It usually enters the body through a cut. It is characterised chiefly by spasms, which may be precipitated by even a mild stimulus like light or sound. Another distinctive feature is “lock- jaw” where the jaws are tightly clenched together due to the spasm of the muscles of the cheeks, causing a peculiar grin on the face called as “risus sardonicus.” (Try smiling in front of a mirror with your cheeks tightly clenched and you will know what risus sardonicus looks like).
The treatment lies in giving anti-toxin, penicillin and control of the recurrent spasms. Though completely curable, many deaths also result due to tetanus and so it is very important to get oneself immunised against it. A notion that tetanus is caused by injury due to rusted nails is incorrect. In fact any wound has the potential to cause tetanus. That’s why your doctor prescribes tetanus toxoid in case of any injury.
Measles
An airborne viral disease, the chief features are red eyes, nasal discharge, fever, cough and a rash that begins on the face and progresses downwards. Being a viral disease there is no specific drug for it and the treatment is limited to control of the symptoms i.e. control of fever, cough etc. It is quite common in India and its complications may be serious. So best is to prevent it by Measles/MMR vaccine.
Mumps
An airborne disease, the distinctive feature is swelling of the parotid glands that appear as if the sides of the jaws and cheeks are swollen. Chewing is painful and so mashed food and liquids should be given to the child. Being a viral disease, there is no specific drug for it, and at the most your doctor may prescribe some analgesics for the pain. It can rarely lead to complications like sterility. Prevention is by MMR vaccine.
Rubella
Also called German measles, it is a benign disease characterised by a generalised, self limiting rash, swelling of lymph glands of the neck and fever. Its danger lies in the fact that if an unimmunised pregnant mother gets rubella, the virus may infect the baby inside and it may be born with congenital rubella, a devastating disease.
In fact so bad is the disease for the newborn, who may suffer permanent handicap(s) for the rest of his life, that if an unimmunised mother gets rubella during pregnancy, doctors offer the choice of therapeutic abortion to the mother. Thus every girl of childbearing age should ensure that she is immunised against it. Rubella vaccine is contraindicated during pregnancy and so if you have to receive this vaccine, make sure that you are not pregnant.
Hepatitis-A
Hepatitis A is one of the most widespread infectious diseases worldwide. It is caused by the hepatitis-A virus and is common in places with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation. The virus attacks the liver and causes varying degrees of illness in patients.
The hepatitis-A virus is excreted in the faeces, and spreads primarily by the faecal-oral route. The virus has a relatively long and infectious incubation period. Hence, the infected individual can pass on the disease to others even before the symptoms develop. Hepatitis-A in children under 2 years is often unrecognized; thus they can be a potential source of infection. Direct contact with an infected person’s faeces or indirect contamination of food, water, hands and cooking utensils may result in the virus being ingested, causing infection.
A common source of infection is contaminated water or food, especially raw or insufficiently cooked food (fruits, salad, vegetables, seafood, etc.) Food which is well cooked but handled by infected individuals can also be a source of infection. The infection may also be acquired through close contact with infected individuals within families, schools, day-care centres and hostels.
Symptoms include nausea/vomiting, Jaundice (yellowness of eyes, skin & urine), diarrhoea, pale stools, abdominal pain, malaise/fatigue, fever/chills, lack of appetite, sore throat, etc. The frequency/ severity with which these symptoms occur, vary depending on the age of the person.
Though hepatitis A is considered to be a relatively benign disease in young children, this may not always be the case. Acute symptoms last for 4 weeks to 3 months and may be debilitating requiring total rest and occasionally hospitalization. This causes disruption of daily activities and often leads to absence from work / school. Complete recovery can take as long as 6-12 months, with serious and occasionally fatal complications occurring in minority of patients. Hepatitis-A can relapse in 20% of cases who acquire the disease, and the symptoms may, persist for up to 6 months.
It is water borne disease, which is common in India due to poor hygiene and sanitary conditions. In most of the cases, the child may not even have jaundice! It is called “anicteric hepatitis” i.e. hepatitis without icterus (jaundice). The child will suffer from fever, pain in the upper part of abdomen, deep yellow urine, loss of appetite and nausea/vomiting. Being a viral disease there is no drug to cure it. Fortunately no medicine is required because by and large not serious and self cures by 1- 2 weeks. During the sickness, however the child may suffer a lot.