Common Childhood Illnesses 2021

A part of being a kid is getting sick and there are also many illnesses to grapple with. The common cold is familiar enough, but plenty of other ailments can afflict your little one. Adults know that getting the common cold or flu is just a part of life. It can be a lot more difficult as a parent to see our kids struggle with illness though. But, given that infants and children haven’t been exposed to infections, they haven’t developed immunity to germs. That means that they’re going to have to deal with childhood diseases and symptoms. Kids tend to touch everything and suck their thumbs too, so the probability is even higher! However, most common childhood illnesses can be dealt with speedily. There’s a long list of childhood illness symptoms that can impact your child’s well-being.

Strep Throat

This infection is caused by the bacteria Group A streptococcus, and one of the more common childhood diseases. Signs of strep include a sore throat, fever, and painful swallowing. If you think your child has strep, v. Even though this virus will eventually go away on its own, it's important to visit your doctor for antibiotics so you don't develop any complications.

Bronchiolitis

This illness might be lesser known than Bronchitis, but it more commonly occurs in infants and young children, especially during the winter months. While it is most often a virus, it’s characterized by a wheezing cough. The symptoms can also include difficulty in breathing and eating.

Common Cold

It would be hard not to include this on the childhood diseases list! Unfortunately, the common cold will be unknown to your child the first time it hits. The symptoms will include a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, and cough that will last for 7-10 days.

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

This contagious disease is characterized by sores in the mouth and throat. There may even be red and itchy blisters on your child’s hands and feet. Due to the nature of this illness, it is easily passed from child to child.

Ear Infection

There’s a good chance that your child is going to get an ear infection at some point. While it’s not contagious, it can be brought on by other illnesses like colds. This infection will likely cause fever, ear pain, and even difficulty with hearing.

Conjunctivitis

Though it's not necessarily a disease, conjunctivitis aka "pink eye" is almost a childhood rite of passage. You can get pink eye from allergies, a bacterial infection, or a virus. And with three million reported cases in the United States this year, chances are your child will contract this highly contagious condition at least once or twice before finishing high school. The good news is it clears up quickly!

Croup

The most significant signs of this childhood disease are the harsh breathing-in and barking cough. Mainly kids younger than 5 years develop croup and it's more common in winter.

Rashes as Symptoms for Childhood Illnesses

For non-professionals, it can be hard to tell the difference between rashes - but most of them point to a very serious situation. Whether it's an allergy, measles, scarlet fever, chickenpox, or any other disease, it's best to let a doctor make the diagnosis. So consider the following tips as pointers that need to take action.

Measles

A virus causes this very infectious disease which begins with symptoms like fever, a sore throat, or runny nose. Due to that, many parents mistake measles with a common cold in the beginning. After three to four days a rash with red spots that are slightly raised appears.

Chickenpox

There are some signs to tell chickenpox from other rashes. Whereas measles, for example, looks like your kid's skin is covered with a red carpet, chickenpox, on the other hand, occurs irregularly as single spots. They look more like blisters which sometimes even weep.

Rashes Due to Allergies

Itchy skin or a rash can also point to an allergy. If there is a history of food allergies, hay fever or other intolerances in your family, take your kid to an allergologist and get them checked.

Childhood infections can be a natural part of getting older and developing a healthy immune system. But there are still ways your kids can avoid illness and keep their health in check!