CHILDHOOD DISEASES

Bacteria  Small in size, no nucleus or membranous organelles  Cell wall  Cocci  Bacilli  Spirilla  Vibrios  Gram-positive  Gram-negative

Cough : (aka: Pertussis)

Pertussis  AKA: Whooping cough or 100 day cough  Bordetella pertussis  Was one of the most common childhood diseases and major cause of childhood mortality

Pertussis  Starts out like a cold  But cough becomes more severe  Cough characterized by high pitch whoop.  Child may turn cyanotic, cough more at night, or even vomit due to coughing attack. 

Sore Throat

Streptococcus  Strep throat  Sore throat for more than 1 week  Temperature >100.4  Pus on back of throat  Possible rash  However:  Most sore throats are not caused by bacteria

Antibiotics  Target bacterial cell wall  Target cell membrane  Inhibit protein synthesis targets in bacterial machinery  Interfere with bacterial metabolism, DNA, and RNA synthesis

Antibiotic Resistance  “One of the world’s most pressing public health problems.” (CDC, 2012)  What exactly is it?  Factors:  Parental pressure  Allergies  Farming  Time / money

“Friendly” Bacteria  Most bacteria are non-pathogenic  Some bacteria are beneficial  Ex: Bacteria keeps yeast in check.  Antibiotics kill bacteria; yeast infection occurs  Yogurt  Probiotics/Prebiotics

Viruses

 Core genetic material (DNA or RNA) enclosed in a capsid

Polio

Poliomyelitis (Polio)  Polio = gray; Myelon = marrow of spinal cord; itis = inflammation  Highly contagious  May result in paralysis  Vaccine preventable

Polio Eradication  Is it possible??  “Hopefully by 2015 no child in the world will be paralyzed by the disease and by 2018 Polio will be wiped out.” – Bill Gates, 09/28/2012  The current eradication program…

Norovirus

Measles / Rubella  Common childhood illness until vaccine.  May be fatal  Characterized by fever and rash  Highly contagious through respiratory droplets.

Chicken Pox / Shingles  Varicella zoster virus  Herpes zoster virus  Characterized by rash, fever, malaise.  Contagious, spread by respiratory droplets

Other…  Head lice  Bed bug  Dust mite

EV-D68  AKA: Enterovirus-D68  1,153 cases in 49 states as of Jan 15, 2015  Children with asthma at higher risk  No specific treatment / cure  Question of paralysis side effect  (CDC, 2014)

Vaccines  Active immunity  Dead or deactivated dose of bacteria or virus injected  Passive immunity  Preformed antibodies from immune serum of animal injected.  Acquired immunity  Immune system fights live bacteria or virus

Vaccines….  A loaded topic  What’s the truth?