What Are the Common Diseases Affecting Babies?

Every parent desires for their kids to have perfect health all through their lives. However, there are occasions when diseases strike, and it is not just the kids that find it rough. Some parents cannot withstand seeing their children sick and it is also usually a very tough moment for them. However, sometimes disease are inevitable, and as a parent, the best you can do is to have good health insurance and be mindful about your kid’s health. With that said, here is a look at some of the common diseases known to affect babies worldwide-:

Common colds

Common colds rank highly as one of the diseases that children are likely to get every year. With the common cold, you will find yourself dealing with mild fever, coughing, congestion, and sometimes a sore throat with a lot of fluids coming out. These are the classic symptoms of a common cold, and they may sometimes become unbearable to the child, forcing you to seek further medical assistance. But for most cases, the common cold is easy to treat especially in the face of changing weather conditions. The disease will almost always disappear once medications such as ibuprofen are administered.

Sore throat

This is a common disease that affects millions of children around the globe and it can sometimes be very painful. In most cases, a viral attack is usually responsible for sore throats in children, and this implies that the best way to treat it is to administer antibiotics. However, there are instances when a sore throat is not caused by bacteria, but rather an infection in the throat. In case of an infection, the symptoms can worsen and if the child is an infant, they are likely to suffer from other conditions such as infant swallowing disorders since the baby will find it really painful when food is traveling down the throat. In such a case, immediate medical attention should be sought as it can risk the entire life of the child.

Ear Pain

Ear pain is another common problem that parents of young babies have to deal with on a regular basis. There could be a number of reasons for this disease, with the common ones being ear infections, swimmer’s ear, teeth pain that radiates up to the jaws, and pressure from sinus infection amongst other things. It is imperative for a pediatrician to examine the baby and determine exactly the source of pain and prescribe the necessary medications. If the ear pain comes with high fever and if felt on both ears, then the pediatrician may prescribe antibiotics since this is the best treatment for such infections. However, it is imperative that the diagnosis be done as soon as possible since ear pain is sometimes unbearable even to adults.

Urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infection is not just a concern for adults, but also one of the common infections that millions of kids around the world suffer from. A bladder infection, as it is sometimes known can occur when there is a bacterial infection along the urinary tract. It is an infection that can affect infants right through to the teen ages. Some of the common symptoms of this infection include burning sensation during urination, frequent visits to the toilet, bedwetting, and regular accidents by children who already know how to use the toilet, pain in the abdomen region and back pain. When you visit the doctor, tests will be carried out before the right treatment is prescribed. If you want to know if a child could have a UTI, just watch how they urinate to see if they are experiencing pain of any nature.

Skin Infection

A skin infection is another extremely common infection among children and this can be attributed to the young sensitive nature of the child’s skin as well as the myriad of risks they are exposed to on a daily basis. Unless they are serious to suggest a skin melanoma, most of the skin infections are easy to treat and once a skin test is done, the doctor will always know the best treatment approach to adopt. But as you deal with the skin infections, it is also imperative to take proactive measures to ensure future infections are avoided. This includes being very careful with what the child puts on his skin, washing them properly and with the right soaps, and ensuring they don’t expose themselves to unnecessary risks.

Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis is very common in young children and adults during the cold seasons. The common symptom for this condition is a whizzing sound that can is heard when the child is breathing. It simply means that the bronchitis are blocked and there is need for them to be freed up if the child is to regain normal breathing. The problem is usually caused by a virus and as such, no treatment is usually required. However, when your child has this condition, it is important that you keep a close eye on him so that you note if at all there are any changes in breathing difficulty. If it becomes severe, medications for asthma patients may be administered to clear the bronchioles and facilitate easy breathing.

Bacterial Sinusitis

This is a condition normally caused when bacteria is trapped in the sinuses part of the head. It has cold like symptoms such as daytime cough, and nasals discharge and the symptoms may last for over ten days without any significant improvement. For this condition, it will be important to administer antibiotics if the symptoms persist, especially if you start seeing a yellow discharge coming from the child’s nose after the fourth day.

Cough

It is common for babies to suffer from coughs and so this is another disease you have to prepare to deal with if you are a parent of young child. Coughs are caused by viruses, and as such, there is usually not treatment required, unless it is a symptom of another disease. For children under the age of four years, cough medicines should never be administered unless you are advised by the doctor.