Viral Infections in Children

Overview of Viral Infections in Children

A virus is a small infectious organism—much smaller than a fungus or bacterium—that must invade a living cell to reproduce

Viral infections are common among people of all ages but often seem to be concentrated in infants and children. Most childhood viral infections are not serious and include such diverse illnesses as colds, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea, and fever with a rash. Some viral illnesses that cause more serious disease, such as measles, are less common now due to widespread immunization. Several types of viral infections that children can acquire are discussed in adult viral infections.

Generally, parents can tell whether their child is ill with a potentially serious infection and needs immediate medical care. This is particularly true for children beyond infancy. Many viral infections are so distinctive that a doctor can diagnose them based on their symptoms. A doctor usually does not need to have a laboratory identify the specific virus involved.

Most children with viral infections get better without treatment. Many viral infections result in fever and body aches or discomfort. Doctors sometimes treat these symptoms with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Aspirin is not given to children or adolescents with these symptoms because it increases the risk of Reye syndrome in those who have certain viral infections. Antibiotics cannot cure viral infections. However, there are antiviral drugs available for a few viral infections such as hepatitis, some herpesviruses, influenza, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

TABLE

Some Viral Infections in Children That Cause a Rash

Some Viral Infections in Children That Cause a Rash

Infection	Period of Incubation	Period of Contagiousness	Site of Rash	Nature of Rash
Measles (rubeola)	7 to 14 days	From 2 to 4 days before the rash appears until 2 to 5 days after	Starts around the ears and on the face and neck Spreads to the trunk, arms, and legs	Begins 3 to 5 days after the start of fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and sore throat and lasts 3 to 5 days Irregular, flat, red areas that soon become raised
Rubella (German measles)	14 to 21 days	From a week before the rash appears until a week after it appears Infected newborns are usually contagious for many months	Starts on the face and neck Spreads to the trunk, arms, and legs	Begins 1 or 2 days after the start of mild fever, swollen and tender lymph nodes, red eyes, and headache and lasts 3 to 5 days Fine, pinkish, flat rash
Roseola infantum (exanthem subitum or pseudorubella)	About 5 to 15 days	Unknown	Starts on the trunk and usually spreads to the neck, face, arms, and legs	Begins on about the 4th day after the start of a high fever and usually just when the fever ends and lasts for hours to a few days Pinkish red, flat or raised rash
Erythema infectiosum (fifth disease or parvovirus B19 infection)	4 to 14 days	From before the start of the rash until 1 to 2 days after	Starts on the cheeks Spreads to the arms, legs, and trunk	Begins several days after the start of low fever, headache, and runny nose and lasts 5 to 10 days May recur for several weeks Red rash on the cheeks (slapped-cheek rash) spreads to the arms, legs, and trunk and becomes lighter and blotchy with lacy patterns
Chickenpox (varicella)	11 to 15 days	From a few days before the start of symptoms until all spots have crusted	Starts on the face, neck, and trunk Spreads to the arms, legs, and scalp	Appears in crops, so various stages are present simultaneously Begins shortly after the start of fever and feeling of illness and lasts a few days to 2 weeks Small, flat, red spots that become raised and form round, fluid-filled blisters against a red background before finally crusting

 

1. CORONA VIRUS
2. MONKEY POX
3. VAGINAL DRYNESS
4. FIBROID
5. INFERTILITY
6. OVULATION CYCLE
7. OVARIAN CANCER
8. VAGINAL BACTERIA
9. MALE INFERTILITY
10. BEST DAYS OF CONCIEVING
11. MUCUS AFTER OVULATION
12. FOODS FOR ERECTILE FUNCTIONS
13. PREGNANCY ANEMIA
14. DO AND DONT DURING PREGNANCY
15. ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
16. U.T.I IN PREGNANCY
17. STROKE RISK
18. EAT THIS NOT THAT
19. HOOKWORMS INFECTION
20. OMEGA 3 BENEFITS
21. FASTING
22. WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
23. vitiligo
24. ABORTION
25. DENGUE VIRUS
26. EBORA VIRUS
27. FEVER
28. URINARY TRACT INFECTION
29. HOSPITAL INFECTIONS
30. WEST NILE VIRUS
31. YELLOW FEVER
32. EYE DISEASE
33. ZIKA VIRUS
34. STRESS
35. IRON DEFFICIENCE
36. INSOMNIA (SLEEPING PROBLEMS)
37. HEART PROBLEMS
38. COMPONENTS OF BLOOD
39. BLOOD DISORDER
40. LABORATORY TEST OF BLOOD DISORDER
41. BONE MARROW EXAMINATION
42. BLOOD ANEMIA
43. ANIMAL BITES
44. EYE BURN
45. CHOCKING
46. HEAT STROKE
47. SMOKE EFFECTS
48. SNAKE BITE
49. MALARIA VACCINE
50. BEST WAY TO SLEEP A CHILD
51. CHILD FEVER REDUCING
52. ELEPHANTIASIS
53. WOMEN BEARDS
54. DATES
55. PAPAYA FRUITS