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Baby and childhood infectious diseases: how infections occur BABY AND CHILDHOOD INFECTIOUS DISEASES: HOW INFECTIONS OCCUR
The outside world is a hostile place, as a baby soon discovers. Germs abound and are ever ready to pounce upon anybody who is susceptible. Babies are extremely prone, and so are infants and children of school age.
Fortunately babies receive a fairly high level of immunity (in built protection) from their mothers, and for their first several months are fairly resistant to these onslaughts. Breast-fed babies continually receive protective factors from the mother, which add to this normal protection and keep it going.
But sooner or later this comes to an end, and the baby then has to face these hostile enemies, who are ready and waiting for a new victim.
In recent years, researchers have developed an astounding array of protective methods for keeping baby free from many of the more serious potential invaders. These are readily available to all babies in this country in the form of immunization. This gives each baby a flying start in life; it ensures a high level of immunity, right throughout life, from some of the terrible life-threatening germs that are still around.
Many infectious diseases are spread simply from person to person. Often this happens by droplet infection. A person with the disease may cough or sneeze, in so doing imparting an enormous number of germs into the surrounding air. Anyone who comes into this radius may pick these germs up and, if personal resistance is low, subsequently contract that illness. In those of a young age group, when their normal body resistance is not high (after mum's immunity is no longer available), then there is a high level of susceptibility to these germs.
Many are caused by viruses—extremely minute germs. Others are caused by germs called bacteria—these are ones that are larger. We often have suitable treatment in the form of antibiotics that will effectively counter bacteria. But the viruses still have doctors baffled, and at present very few antibiotics are available that will destroy them.
As a general rule, children are more susceptible to the infectious diseases than adults. In older persons, there has been built up a fairly high level of immunity, often from a previous attack of the disease or from constant contacting of small doses of the germs over a long period of time.
In most cases, a reasonable-sized infection yields a fairly high level of resistance to subsequent bouts. It does not give total protection for every infection; but if subsequent attacks do occur, they are usually far less severe.
Many of the childhood infectious diseases are fairly mild. Many may be treated at home with fairly simple measures available to most parents. Others need the doctor's attention.
As a general rule, never fail to call the doctor if your child appears to be ill, is not obviously responding to your home medications, or if the condition is worsening.
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