Children under the age of 12 remain vulnerable to most of the infectious communicable diseases. Children are prone to infectious diseases when they have compromised or developing immune systems. Children under 5 years of age are mostly vulnerable to malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, tuberculosis and HIV. All of these diseases are preventable and treatable yet these diseases are killing children all around the globe at a very large scale. More than 29% of the global deaths of children less than 5 years of age are due to pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. Children in developing countries like Africa, Brazil, and Indian sub-continent are getting affected and are losing their lives because of these infectious diseases.
Children are more prone to such diseases because of the close proximity they share with other kids of the same age group, having similar developing immune systems and hence making the transmission of the contagious diseases easy.
Many children once infected with the disease develop lifelong immunity against such diseases whereas others are subjected to vaccinations to provide immunity against such diseases. But as these diseases do not show any visible symptoms in infected children, the disease spreads rapidly in the body, hence resulting in mortality of the young before getting proper medical help.
Mode of transmission of the disease:
- The common infectious diseases are mostly caused by bacteria or viruses. They are spread through the droplets in the saliva and mucus while coughing or sneezing in the closed premises like in a classroom at school or in the school buses.
- The disease also gets transmitted in close personal contact with the infected individual or by sharing personal items of an infected person.
- Many infectious diseases are spread by insects (mosquito, housefly etc.). These mosquitoes and flies are responsible for more than a dozen diseases that they spread from one individual to the other.
Diseases caused:
- Malaria
- Dengue
- Diarrhea
- Tuberculosis
- HIV
- Typhoid
- Cholera
Prevention:
These contagious diseases can be prevented from spreading by developing proper means of sanitation. Open defecation is one of the prime reasons for the spread of contagious disease in children. Flies sit on fecal matter and spread diseases by sitting on food or utensils through which viruses and bacteria enter the body.
Children from the country’s worst affected area should be taught daily sanitary habits like washing hands before having food, washing hands with soap after visiting the washroom; such habits are very simple but effective that can prevent many of the infectious diseases in children.
Why Eternal Hospital?
At Eternal Hospital, we have a highly qualified and dedicated team of doctors who are always committed to providing the latest and most advanced medical care to all our patients. Being a trusted name in healthcare, we act compassionately while ensuring confidentiality to those who need it. We have set high standards in patient-centric premium care and outstanding patient safety, and exceptional maintenance in a timely manner. In addition, we adhere to the use of up-to-the-minute innovations to offer state-of-the-art treatments to our patients with unparalleled results.
