Family involvement is important. Are you doing your best to help with homework, improve test-taking, & support your gifted child? Also, learn what to do when your teen fails. More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 9:26 PM EDT2013-05-25 01:26:02 GMT
Punishment tempered with mercy. That's the attitude Bullock County school superintendent Keith Stewart has taken in the case involving 23 seniors who admitted either causing or being part More >>
Punishment tempered with mercy. That's the attitude Bullock County school superintendent Keith Stewart has taken in the case involving 23 seniors who admitted either causing or being part of a mess at Bullock County High School.More >>
Thursday, May 23 2013 10:36 PM EDT2013-05-24 02:36:01 GMT
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be difficult to detect, and survival depends on a quick diagnosis and treatment. However, an Auburn University research team has created a test using a biosensor thatMore >>
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be difficult to detect, and survival depends on a quick diagnosis and treatment.
However, an Auburn University research team has created a test using a biosensor that will help doctors go from hours to minutes in identifying super bacteria like MRSA, a type of staph bacteria that can cause deadly skin infections.More >>
Thursday, May 23 2013 7:22 PM EDT2013-05-23 23:22:56 GMT
The Alabama Accountability Act has been controversial from its first introduction into the Alabama Legislature by the Alabama republican party through its passage into law along with its subsequent amendments.More >>
The Alabama Accountability Act has been controversial from its first introduction into the Alabama Legislature by the Alabama republican party through its passage into law along with its subsequent amendments. Now, the Justice Department has questions about how HB 84 came to pass.More >>
Wednesday, May 22 2013 2:14 AM EDT2013-05-22 06:14:07 GMT
As reports emerge from Moore, Oklahoma, that nation has learned that schools caught the full impact of Monday's EF-5 tornado.Alabamians have also seen their share of devastation. Eight students died atMore >>
Tuesday, reporter Karen Church investigated how Alabama's newest schools, like Concord Elementary, are being designed to save lives. More >>
We have record or near record low levels of vaccine preventable childhood diseases in the United States, but that does not mean these have disappeared. Many of the viruses and bacteria are still circulating in this country or are only a plane ride away. That’s why it’s important that children, especially infants and young children, receive recommended immunizations on time. In our mobile society, over a million people each day people travel to and from other countries, including countries where many vaccine preventable diseases remain relatively common. Without vaccines, epidemics of many preventable diseases could return, resulting in increased– and unnecessary– illness, disability, and death among children.
The following vaccine-preventable diseases, not long ago, disabled and killed millions of American children. Thanks to our country’s high childhood immunization coverage levels, these diseases are now very uncommon.
Diphtheria
Description
A respiratory disease caused by bacteria
Symptoms
Gradual onset of a sore throat and low-grade fever
Complications
Airway obstruction, coma, and death if not treated
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing
Vaccine
Diphtheria toxoid(contained in DTP, DTaP, DT or Td vaccines) can prevent this disease.
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
Description
A severe bacterial infection, occurring primarily in infants
Symptoms
Skin and throat infections, meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis, and arthritis
(Can be serious in children under age 1, but there is little risk of getting the disease after age 5)
Complications
Hib meningitis (death in one out of 20 children, and permanent brain damage in 10% - 30% of the survivors)
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing
Vaccine
Hib vaccine can prevent this disease.
Hepatitis A
Description
A disease of the liver caused by hepatitis A virus
Symptoms
Potentially none (likelihood of symptoms increases with the person's age)
If present: yellow skin or eyes, tiredness, stomach ache, loss of appetite, or nausea
Complications
Because young children might not have symptoms, the disease is often not recognized until the child's caregiver becomes ill with hepatitis A.
Transmission
Most often: spread by the fecal-oral route (An object contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A is put into another person's mouth.)
Less often: spread by swallowing food or water that contains the virus
Vaccine
Hepatitis A vaccine will prevent this disease.
Hepatitis B
Description
A disease of the liver caused by hepatitis B virus
Symptoms
Potentially none when first infected (likelihood of early symptoms increases with the person's age)
If present: yellow skin or eyes, tiredness, stomach ache, loss of appetite, nausea, or joint pain
Complications
The younger the person, the greater the likelihood of staying infected and having life-long liver problems, such as scarring of the liver and liver cancer
Transmission
Spread through contact with the blood of an infected person or by having sex with an infected person
Vaccine
Hepatitis B vaccine is will prevent this disease.
Measles
Description
A respiratory disease caused by a virus
Symptoms
Measles virus causes rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, lasting about a week.
Complications
Diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures, and death
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing (highly contagious)
Vaccine
Measles vaccine (contained in MMR, MR and measles vaccines) can prevent this disease.
Mumps
Description
A disease of the lymph nodes caused by a virus
Symptoms
Fever, headache, muscle ache, and swelling of the lymph nodes close to the jaw
Complications
Meningitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, inflammation of the pancreas and deafness (usually permanent)
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing
Vaccine
Mumps vaccine (contained in MMR) can prevent this disease.
Pertussis (whooping cough)
Description
A respiratory disease caused by bacteria
Symptoms
Severe spasms of coughing that can interfere with eating, drinking, and breathing
Complications
Pneumonia, encephalitis (due to lack of oxygen), and death, especially in infants.
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing (highly contagious)
Vaccine
Pertussis vaccine (contained in DTP and DTaP) can prevent this disease.
Polio
Description
A disease of the lymphatic and nervous systems
Symptoms
Fever, sore throat, nausea, headaches, stomach aches, and stiffness in the neck, back, and legs
Complications
Paralysis that can lead to permanent disability and death
Transmission
Contact with an infected person
Vaccine
Polio vaccine (IPV) can prevent this disease.
Rubella (German measles)
Description
A respiratory disease caused by a virus
Symptoms
Rash and fever for two to three days ( mild disease in children and young adults)
Complications
Birth defects if acquired by a pregnant woman: deafness, cataracts, heart defects, mental retardation, and liver and spleen damage (at least a 20% chance of damage to the fetus if a woman is infected early in pregnancy)
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing
Vaccine
Rubella vaccine (contained in MMR vaccine) can prevent this disease.
Tetanus (lockjaw)
Description
A disease of the nervous system caused by a bacteria
Symptoms
Early symptoms: lockjaw, stiffness in the neck and abdomen, and difficulty swallowingLater symptoms: fever, elevated blood pressure, and severe muscle spasms
Complications
Death in one third of the cases, especially people over age 50
Transmission
Enters the body through a break in the skin
Vaccine
Tetanus toxoid (contained in DTP, DT, DTaP & Td vaccines) can prevent this disease.
Varicella (chickenpox)
Description
A virus of the herpes family
Symptoms
A skin rash of blister-like lesions, usually on the face, scalp, or trunk
Complications
Bacterial infection of the skin, swelling of the brain, and pneumonia (usually more severe in children 13 or older and adults)
Transmission
Spread by coughing and sneezing (highly contagious)
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