Polio
Posted by Kurt Wilde
Polio is a viral disease that infects the central nervous system and usually infects children between the ages 5 to 10. Due to the easy availability of polio vaccines,the disease is less prevalent in the west although it is still fairly common in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Polio usually takes two forms:
Nonparalytic, with headaches, moderate fever, vomiting, and pain in the neck and limbs.
Paralytic, which has the same symptoms as the non-paralytic form plus muscle weakness, constipation, paralysis, and a burning sensation on the skin.
Diagnosis of polio is done by identifying the virus in a stool exam.
Two types of polio vaccines are available: an oral vaccine (sabin vaccine), which is a live polio-virus vaccine, and an injection (Salk vaccine), which is an inactivated polio virus vaccine. The live oral vaccine is usually given as this will provide better immunity to the disease.
Osteochondroses
Posted by Kurt Wilde
Osteochondroses is a common group of orthopedic disorders among children. When a child has this condition, the epiphysis or the growing end of the bone dies and gets replaced over a period of time, which results in bone deformity and abnormal growth. The cause of the bone death is usually a loss of blood supply, but it is unclear why this happens.
The most common form of osteochondrosis affects the top of the thighbone and typically occurs among boys aged 3 to 13. The primary system is persistent pain in the thigh area. If not corrected immediately, it could lead to deformity and arthritis in the hip joint. A rarer form of osteochondroses is Kohler’s bone disease, which is an inflammation of the cartilage connecting the small bones of the foot (the navicular bone). This usually affects boys between 3 to 5 years old.
CMV Infection
Posted by Avatar
It is an infection brought about by the Herpes family of viruses and it exists globally over all socioeconomic groups. The virus is easily transmitted through bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, breast milk, tears, blood vaginal fluids and semen. Once the virus gets a hold in a human body, it is there for life and that person becomes a carrier of the disease. It is called a silent virus for it manifests no outward signs to warn others or even it’s victim that it is infected. Those who are at most risk form the virus are unborn babies and people with weakened immune systems such as those with Aids and the many other immune system weakening diseases. They can have a variety of effects on the human body such as problems with the liver, spleen and lungs, along with jaundice, purple skin splotches small birth size and may even experience seizures. In rare cases, the child which as been infected unknowingly by a mother (congenital CMV) may reuslt in death due to complications so education is the key to prevention. Like all viruses, proper disinfection and sanitation is also a good prevention method for the disease.
Lead Exposure in Children Results in Decreased Brain Volume
Posted by Alex
Lead used to be a common ingredient of paint and other products due to it’s excellent weathering properties, till scientists found that it could cause severe maladies should it get ingested or inhaled in the form of dust from flaking paint. Much of the lead paint we have still exist thanks to its longevity as a protective coating but they are most certainly to be in a state where they can easily be inhaled or ingested due to flaking or sanding of painted surfaces. The effects of lead poisoning resulted in the banning of the substance from paint products due to apparent health issues. To this day, there are still tonnes of the stuff painted all over the place left over from an era where it’s effects were still not quite understood. Exposure of pregnant mothers resulted in children who have less brain volume as they developed into adults which may mean decreased mental facilities or other diseases of the brain. Read the rest of this entry »
Want Children with Good Dental Health – Take lots of Vit D
Posted by Alex
During pregnancy that is for it seems to influence the development of teeth in the growing fetus even with it still in the womb. Lack of the vitamin results in enamel defects in children whose mothers had less of the vitamin which results in costly dental maintenance even into adult life. Vitamin D plays an important role in the formation of baby teeth and in its progression to adult teeth due to the vitamin that seemingly influences the programming the body has in teeth formation. Children will tend to have healthier teeth and with a study over more than a hundred infants and monitored vitamin intake of their mother’s the facts are solid. Read the rest of this entry »
Obesity – Ushering in A New Epidemic of Gigantic Proportions
Posted by Alex
A crisis of epidemic proportions is coming in the form of type 2 diabetes which would surely affect the health of future Americans due to rising childhood obesity. Growing waistlines in children used to be a sign of health yet scientists say that too much of a good thing leads to bad health in later life. The organs of the body can handle only so much strain that over-eating can impair function of their still developing livers. Obesity and diabetes go hand in hand for most of the foods children favor either have too much sugar or doesn’t meet their daily nutrition needs setting off a chain reaction that prevents their organs from developing properly. Read the rest of this entry »
Dengue Fever
Posted by Avatar
One of the leading killers in developing countries that is linked to mosquitoes and their life cycle and feeding. The disease is caused by any of four related viruses and being viruses, there is no known cure for unlike bacterial infections that can be treated with broad spectrum antibiotics. Infection from a bite of an infected mosquito might expose one from one of the four viruses but unlike other forms of viruses where immunity to the family of viruses is acquired after exposure, with dengue it seems to exaggerate the effects of subsequent infections that results in hemorrhagic fever. 
The virus works by rupturing the blood vessels of the infected person resulting in blood oozing into the surrounding tissue. Incubation is swift, that after three days of high fever, rashes begin to develop, and then bleeding occurs. One clinical test is with the use of a simple tourniquet test which shows the ruptured blood vessels and capillaries, but little can be done to stop the ravaging disease. Hospital confinement is recommended for close monitoring of the blood count especially the platelet counts which is indicator of the progression or regression of the disease. It also allows management and complication management that would otherwise be next to impossible in the home. Bleeding from the gums, nose and eyes is sign of advanced stages of the disease and usually almost signifies certain death. Similar to the famed Ebola virus, it is a new generation of virus that seems to come from apes and monkeys , jumping the species barrier towards humans. Very dangerous to children for their small bodies are so fragile and gets affected faster and thus the risk of complications is high.
Guessing: Good or Bad?
Posted by Alex
Image source: www.e-a-rfit.com
Though people frequently think of mathematics as a summit of intellectual achievement of humankind, research reveals that some instinct about numbers, counting and mathematical ability is basic to almost all animals. For example, creatures that gather or hunt for food keep track of the approximate number of food items they procure in order to return to the places where they get the most sustenance. Humans share this very basic “number sense,” allowing them, at a glance, to estimate the number of people in a subway car or bus, Halberda says.
The students were flashed a group of yellow and blue dots, and had to estimate which colour group was bigger.
The Johns Hopkins team wondered whether this basic, seemingly innate number sense had any bearing on the formal mathematics that people study in school. So the researchers asked 64 14-year-olds to look at flashing groups of yellow and blue dots on a computer screen and estimate which dots were more numerous. Though most of the children easily arrived at the correct answer when there were (for example) only 10 blue dots and 25 yellow ones, some had difficulty when the number of dots in each set was closer together. Those results helped the researchers ascertain the accuracy of each child’s individual number sense. (You can test your own number sense on the New York Times website.)
Campylobacter Infection
Posted by Avatar
A bacterial disease that is caused by Camphylobacter jejuna or Camphylobacter coli. that is present in animals such as pets and other wildlife. The disease is also recognized as one of the causes of Guillain-Barre’s Disease which is quite debilitating and can even cause death due to paralysis which can result from the infection of the central nervous system. Food, children’s toys (due to their insatiable habit of placing everything they touch into their mouths) and floors, all which can come in contact with animal feces can be a source of the disease. Symptoms range from vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and nausea and you suspect having been in contact with animal feces. Pets are discouraged for those who have weak immune systems. Simple washing with soap and water is effective against the disease which is enough to remove the bacteria from your hands plus disinfection of the areas contaminated with feces by animals is highly recommended.
Chagas Disease
Posted by Avatar
Chagas or American trypanosomiasis is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi which is transmitted through contaminated feces of the triatomine bug or kissing bug, which feeds on the blood of both humans and animals. The disease is endemic throughout much of Mexico, central and South America where more than 11 million are estimated to be infected. The bug thrives in rural housing such as those which have mud walls and thatched roofs. Problems of the disease can range from cardiac to gastrointestinal problems, treatment of which is only available in the US through the CDC. The disease can also cause swelling in the brain or the membrane around the brain and there is immediate swelling in the point of injection. The parasite thrives in the host’s blood and is transmitted through all bodily fluids.