4 Infectious Diseases in Spring Threatening Children's Health
Apr 23, 2025
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Professor Han Sang-soo said, `Infectious diseases in children that are prevalent in spring include colds, enteritis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and meningitis in order of occurrence. Colds and enteritis are the most common infectious diseases in children, and hand-foot-and-mouth disease is prevalent in spring and summer. Meningitis is less frequent, but it is better to keep it in mind because it can be an emergency situation.
◇The most common cold among pediatric infectious diseases...If you have a high fever or difficulty breathing, go to the hospital
Cold is an acute upper respiratory infection caused by viruses such as rhinovirus, coronavirus, and RSV. Infants under the age of 5 often catch colds due to immature immune systems, and infants under 6 months may have difficulty breathing or wheezing due to the progression of the cold to capillary bronchitis. Children aged 2 to 5 can also lead to complications such as otitis media. If you have a high fever of more than 40 degrees Celsius, difficulty breathing, severe wheezing, convulsions, dehydration, or consciousness, hospital treatment is necessary.
In order to prevent colds, lifestyle habits for personal hygiene management and immune improvement are important. It is recommended to make hand washing a daily routine, to wear a mask indoors with many people, and to follow the cough etiquette of covering your mouth and nose with your sleeves when coughing or sneezing. A balanced diet, adequate sleep, and proper exercise help improve immunity. Vaccinations such as maintaining body temperature, indoor ventilation, and flu are essential.
◇High risk of dehydration enteritis…Drink lukewarm barley tea and avoid dairy products
Enteritis is also common in infants and toddlers in spring. This is because the enteritis virus, which was prevalent in winter, remains, and the opportunity for transmission increases due to group life in the new semester. The main causes are various, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites, but acute enteritis occurs frequently in infants 6 to 24 months of age mainly due to rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus.
The main symptoms of acute enteritis in children are diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Most of them recover only by hydration and diet control without any special medicine. At home, it is recommended to drink lukewarm barley tea or electrolyte drinks little by little with a teaspoon. If vomiting subsides, feed comfortable foods such as rice, porridge, and bananas first, and avoid dairy products because they can worsen diarrhea.
Most of them improve within 3-7 days, reducing the number of feces and vomiting, and eating again. However, if your child does not eat anything all day, your mouth is dry due to severe dehydration, tears are not coming out, drooping, and urination decreases, you should visit a medical institution immediately. When diarrhea mixed with blood or abdominal pain is severe, medical evaluation is required immediately even if a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius or higher is accompanied.
◇ Hand-foot-and-mouth disease, mild fever and mouth pain that require attention when living in a group
Aquarius is a viral disease that causes blisters in the hands, feet, and mouth, and mainly occurs in children under the age of 5. Most improve within a week, but rarely, it can progress to complications such as meningitis or encephalitis. Six months to three years old are the most common and symptoms are severe.
Among enteroviruses, the main causes are 'Coxaki virus type A16' and 'enterovirus type 71'. 'Enterovirus type 71' is known to cause neurological complications well. The main symptoms are mild fever and soreness in the mouth. It is characterized by developing blisters after small red spots on the hands, soles of the feet, hips, knees, and elbows. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease improves on its own after 7 to 10 days. At home, you should watch your child by your side and prevent dehydration with non-irritating food and water supply. If you have a fever, give a fever reducer, wipe your body with lukewarm water, and regulate your body temperature.
Professor Han said, `Sometimes severe symptoms can lead to high fever, repeated vomiting, headaches, neck stiffness, weak limbs, and stumbling signs, which can be a sign of neurological complications, so visit a medical institution immediately. It is the same when symptoms such as difficulty breathing and convulsions appear."
◇ Symptoms such as meningitis, high fever, severe headache, vomiting, etc…Emergency Response Required
Meningitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and is the most dangerous among infectious diseases in spring. Depending on the cause, it is divided into bacterial and viral. Most children have viral meningitis, but rarely bacterial, the fatality rate is high. Pneumococcus and hemophilus are the main causes in infancy, and streptococcus, which can be infected from mothers, are the main causes. Meningococcal meningitis should be noted during school age and adolescence. Virulence is primarily caused by enteroviruses.
Typical symptoms include high fever, severe headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness, and if you have a loss of consciousness, convulsions, drooping, or hemorrhagic rash on your skin, you should go to the emergency room immediately. Most meningitis is viral and has a good course, but accurate early diagnosis is important. Bacterial meningitis is vaccinated, so it is recommended to vaccinate 'Meningitis influenza type B' and 'Pneumococcal vaccine'.
Professor Han Sang-soo said "Most spring childhood infectious diseases can prevent serious situations with proper prevention and initial response. Carefully observe changes in the child's condition, and if there are any abnormalities, you should visit a medical institution quickly. In particular, infants and toddlers can have rapidly deteriorated symptoms, so careful observation by their guardians is important."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
