Childhood Illnesses

Measles | Mumps | Chicken Pox | Pertussis | Rubella

Measles, Mumps, Chicken pox, Pertussis and Rubella were once common childhood illnesses, although adults can get them as well. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), vaccines have just about wiped the diseases out, but not completely, and there are sometimes localized epidemics.

These five illnesses all have a few things in common.

• First, the diseases are contagious. You can sometimes get infected just from being in the same room.
• Second, people can be contagious before they show signs of the disease. So you can't always avoid the diseases by avoiding people with symptoms.
• Third, the diseases are typically much more dangerous to adults than to children.
• Fourth, vaccines are available for these diseases.

You can read below to learn more about each disease, as well as treatment and prevention.

Measles

Measles is caused by a virus. The symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, sore and reddened eyes, followed by the characteristic red-brown rash. (Read about "Skin Rash") The rash usually starts on the face and spreads down the body, lasting three or more days.

The incubation period - that's the time between exposure to someone with the disease and the onset of the symptoms - is about 10 days. The red rash shows up three days to a week after the first symptoms. People are contagious from just before symptoms appear until 4 to 5 days after the rash appears.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is no real treatment except bed rest. Most children are very sick, running a high fever and feeling uncomfortable, but most recover with no ill effects, according to CDC. Measles can cause pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, or ear infections. (Read about "Pneumonia" "Encephalitis") The disease hits very young children and adults harder.

Measles is preventable by vaccination. (Read about "Immunization") CDC recommends that children receive the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine beginning at age 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6. They should be reassessed at 11 to 12 years of age and if they haven't had all the proper immunizations, they should get them. Children older than that should get catch-up immunizations, if they need them. CDC suggests adults who have never had measles and haven't been vaccinated get two doses of MMR after consulting with their doctor. Adults born before 1957 are assumed to be immune since they probably had the disease as a child and you only get measles once.

Mumps

Mumps is also caused by a virus. The main symptom is a swelling of the salivary glands. This swelling can show up in:

• the jaw
• the cheeks
• the neck

The swelling is also accompanied by fever and headache.

Adults who get the disease are more likely to have serious complications. Complications can include meningitis, which is an infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord. (Read about "Meningitis" "The Brain") In addition, mumps can result in a miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy (Read about "Stages of Pregnancy"), according to the CDC. Males sometimes experience swelling of the testes as well. (Read about "Swollen Testicles and Scrotum")

Someone with mumps is contagious from about a week before symptoms appear until about nine days after they start. Once again, the CDC recommends the MMR vaccine to prevent mumps. (Read about "Immunization") Adults born before 1957 are again assumed to be immune.

Rubella

Rubella is also called German measles. It usually isn't serious but it is very dangerous for unborn babies. The symptoms include:

• a rash (Read about "Skin Rash")
• a low grade fever
• body aches
• headaches

Not everyone gets the rash. The incubation time for rubella is 2 to 3 weeks and someone is contagious from a week before to a week after symptoms appear.

If a pregnant woman is exposed to rubella, it can cause serious damage to her unborn baby, including birth defects (Read about "Birth Defects") and even miscarriages.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say birth defects can include:

• deafness (Read about "Hearing Loss")
• cataracts (Read about "Cataracts")
• heart defects (Read about "Congenital Heart Defects")
• mental retardation
• liver and spleen damage (Read about "The Liver" "The Spleen")

The American Academy of Family Physicians warns women who are of childbearing age to make sure they either had rubella or have been vaccinated. (Read about "Healthy Pregnancy")

Again, CDC says rubella is preventable with a vaccine, the MMR vaccine. (Read about "Immunization")

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis is also known as whooping cough. A bacterium is the culprit in this disease and antibiotics are used to treat it.

Whooping cough is highly contagious. CDC says you can get it just by breathing the air in a room in which someone with whooping cough sneezed or coughed.

The first symptoms of pertussis are:

• flu-like symptoms and runny nose
• sneezing
• a low grade fever
• a cough

The cough slowly worsens over a couple of weeks. The whooping sound comes when the infected person breathes back in after a coughing spell.

Incubation is about a week, and someone is contagious from the time the first symptoms appear until after the cough is cured.

Again, whooping cough can be prevented with a vaccine. (Read about "Immunization") CDC recommends the first inoculation at 2 months followed by more vaccines at 4, 6 and 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years. Unfortunately, vaccination does not provide lifelong immunity. The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) says adults up to 65 years old should receive the special adult vaccine for whooping cough, even if they were vaccinated as children. CDC suggests that children be reassessed on their needs around the ages of 11 and 12.

Chicken Pox

Chicken pox is caused by the varicella zoster virus. It's the same one that causes shingles in adults. (Read about "Shingles") Chicken pox usually begins with an itchy rash (Read about "Skin Rash") of small red bumps in the scalp that spreads to the back and the stomach before spreading to the face. The bumps turn into blisters, which then crust over.

Chicken pox is contagious from a couple of days before the rash shows up and until all the blisters have scarred over. A vast majority of the population used to get chicken pox as a child. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there once was a time that 95 percent of people got chicken pox before they reached adulthood. However, that is changing with the advent of a vaccine for chicken pox.

In 1995, a vaccine was developed. (Read about "Immunization") The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the vaccine for healthy children at 12 to 18 months of age. According to AAP, all children should have received the vaccine by their thirteenth birthdays. CDC recommends two doses of the vaccine: the first between 12 and 18 months, the second between 4 and 6 years old.

Adults who have not had chicken pox should talk with their doctors. If you aren't sure if you were ever exposed, there are blood tests available to determine if you are immune or not. (Read about "Laboratory Testing") Chicken pox is especially dangerous in women who are pregnant.

Additional Concerns

Vaccines, like any medication, can have side effects. It is important that you discuss all the issues with your healthcare provider and make an informed decision.

Vaccine Concerns

Vaccines may not be appropriate for everyone. For example those with a weakened immune system (Read about "The Immune System"), or those with an allergy to eggs or gelatin, may need to take extra precautions. (Read about "Food Allergies") If you are concerned about the appropriateness of a vaccine for you or your child, ask your doctor. (Read about "Immunization" "Autism Spectrum Disorders: Autism, Asperger's Disorder, Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Syndrome")

Aspirin Warning

It is also important to note that aspirin should never be given to children with these or other illnesses. Aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a fairly rare but potentially deadly viral disorder affecting the brain and/or liver. The CDC says aspirin should never be given to children or teenagers.

Aspirin is a salicylate compound. The National Reye's Syndrome Foundation points out that many products may contain salicylates, such as anti-nausea products and cold remedies. Therefore, it's important to read the label of all medications and ask your doctor and pharmacist if you have any questions.

The Foundation says aspirin and salicylate-containing compounds should never be used for treating symptoms of flu-like illnesses, chicken pox, colds, etc., in children or teenagers. The Foundation also recommends that parents talk with their children and teenagers about the potential dangers of aspirin and educate them about the many products that may contain salicylates as well.

Related Information:

    Microorganisms

    Respiratory System

    Encephalitis and Meningitis