1) First aid kit

2) Polio

3) Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

4) TETANUS (LOCKJAW)

5) Diphtheria

6) A Word To Parents

First aid kit

A first aid kit is a collection of supplies and materials that can be used as a first line of treatment for an injury or illness. You can buy first aid kits at sporting goods stores, pharmacies and some department stores.  If you have children you should have a First Aid Kit. If you don't want to buy one you can make your own easily. Here are some items you can use to create your first aid kit

Polio

As recently as the 1950's, polio was a fairly common disease, much feared by parents of small children. With the development of the first inactivated polio vaccine, in 1954 which was given by injection, this picture began to change. Over the next several years, as this vaccine gained acceptance and as the newer oral vaccine (first licensed in 1961) came into use, the number of cases of paralytic polio plummeted, from more than 20,000 in 1952 until today when only a few cases occur each year in the United States.

     Poliomyelitis is a contagious viral disease that, in its severe form, can cause permanent paralysis, and occasionally death. Polio is an extremely dangerous disease, and every parent should know about it.

     Polio is caused by a virus that lives in the nose, throat and, especially, in the intestinal tract of a person infected with it.

     Many people who are infected by the polio virus have no symptoms but may still spread the infection to others.

     The milder forms of polio usually begin abruptly and last, at most, a few days. When symptoms are present, they include fever, sore throat, nausea, headache, and stomach ache. Sometimes, the patient will feel pain and stiffness in the neck, back, and legs.

     Paralytic polio begins with these same symptoms, but severe muscle pain is usually present, and if paralysis occurs, it does so within the first week. There is no specific treatment for polio, and the degree of recovery varies from patient to patient. About half of all patients who recover have mild disabilities or none at all. The rest may suffer permanent paralysis.

     Our success in preventing the spread of wild polio virus has been so great that most of the recent cases have resulted from the rare side effects of oral polio vaccine. Because of this fact, some people have asked why we should continue to use oral polio vaccine. The reason is that, even though we may not have much wild polio virus spreading here now, there are thousands of cases in the rest of the world; therefore, there is a risk of polio being reestablished here if our children are not immunized. Oral polio vaccine is thought to establish a more effective community barrier to polio infection than inactivated polio vaccines.

Polio Immunization

     Immunizations with "live" oral polio vaccine (OPV) is one of the best ways to prevent polio. It is given by mouth starting in early infancy. Several doses are needed to provide good protection. Young children should get two or more doses in the first year of life and another dose at 15 months of age. An additional dose is important for children when they enter school or when there is a high risk of polio, such as during an epidemic or when travelling to a place where polio is common.

     The vaccine is easy to take and is effective in preventing the spread of polio. A primary series of OPV gives protection in over 90 percent of those who receive the vaccine, probably for life. Because OPV viruses live for a time in the intestinal tract of the person who is immunized, some of the viruses pass in the stool and can spread from the immunized person to those in close contact (usually household members). This may help to immunize these persons and is one of the advantages of OPV.

     Besides the "live" oral polio vaccine (OPV), there is also an inactivated (killed) polio vaccine (IPV) given by injection which protects against polio after several shots. Because OPV seems to provide stronger immunity in the intestinal tract (where infection first occurs), is simpler to administer, and is more effective in preventing the spread of polio virus than IPV; most polio experts feel that the oral vaccine is more effective for controlling polio in the United States.

     Both the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee of the Public Health Service an the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend oral polio vaccine as the preferred polio vaccine for people up to the 18th birthday.

     Inactivated polio vaccine is recommended for persons needing polio immunization who have low resistance to serious infections or who live with persons with low resistance to serious infections. It may also be recommended for previously unimmunized adults who plan to travel to a place where polio is common or for previously unimmunized adults whose children are to be immunized with OPV. It is not widely used in this country at the present time, but it is available.

Possible Side Effects and Adverse Reactions to Polio Immunization

     Very rarely (about 1 in every 7.8 million doses distributed), oral polio vaccine (OPV) causes paralytic polio in the person who is immunized. The risk is higher following receipt of the first dose of OPV and in persons with abnormally low resistance to infection and may be higher in adults being immunized. Also, on rare occasions (about 1 in every 5.5 million doses of OPV distributed), paralytic polio may develop in a close contact of a person recently immunized with OPV. This risk also is somewhat higher to contacts of persons receiving their first dose of OPV. These risks are very low, but they should be recognized and balanced against the risk of disease. Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is not known to produce any side effects other than minor local pain and redness.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis, or whooping cough, as it is more commonly known, is a highly contagious disease. Pertussis is caused by a bacterium that is found in the mouth, nose, and throat of a person infected with it. It is spread to others in the tiny droplets of moisture that are expelled by coughing or sneezing.

Pertussis causes severe spells of coughing which can interfere with eating, drinking, and breathing. In the United States, approximately 70 percent of reported pertussis cases occur in children younger than 5 years, more than half in infants less than 1 year of age. Pertussis is most serious in young children, and more than half of the children who get this disease are hospitalized. In recent years, over 2,000 cases of pertussis in the United States have been reported each year to the Centers for Disease Control.

Complications occur in a substantial proportion of reported cases. Pneumonia occurs in 1 in every 6 children with pertussis. For every 1,000 reported children with pertussis, 20 develop convulsions, and 4 develop inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). In recent years, an average of 9 deaths due to pertussis occurred each year.
 

TETANUS (LOCKJAW)

Tetanus, commonly called lockjaw, is caused by a bacterium that is present just about everywhere, but mostly in soil, dust, manure, and in the digestive tracts of humans, as well as in many animals. Tetanus is not transmitted from one person to another. Rather, the germs enter the body through a wound - sometimes one as small as a pinprick or a scratch, but, more often, through deep puncture wounds and lacerations, such as those made by nails and knives. Such wounds are difficult to clean adequately, and if the tetanus bacteria were present on the nail or knife, they may remain deep in the wound, where they may grow and produce a toxin, or poison, that attacks the body's nervous system.

     The first symptoms are likely to be headache, irritability, and muscular stiffness in the jaw and neck. As the poison increases, the jaw, neck, and limbs become locked in spasm, the abdominal muscles grow rigid, and painful convulsions may occur.

     Doctors treat the terrible symptoms of tetanus with powerful tranquilizers and anti-spasmodic drugs. The symptoms last for several weeks and require intensive hospital care. Complications of tetanus include pneumonia and fractures, and simple exhaustion from the muscle spasms. In the United States, four in every 10 persons who get tetanus die of it.

Hospital Release and Newborn Health

HealthNews from the publishers of the New England Journal of Medicine

     When is the ideal time for mothers and newborns to go home from the hospital? Two studies in the July 23/30 Journal of the American Medical Association don't resolve the question. Although the larger study suggests that discharge just one day after birth may be detrimental to some babies, newborn health may hinge more on a mother's knowledge and support at home.

     The larger study compared 2,029 rehospitalized newborns with 8,657 others. Babies sent home within 30 hours of birth were 28 percent more likely to be rehospitalized in the following week--primarily for jaundice, dehydration, or sepsis. Those at greatest risk for rehospitalization were born to mothers who were younger than 18, had no other children, or went into labor early.

     A smaller study found that babies who went home on the day of birth or the next day were no more likely to be rehospitalized for feeding-related problems than those discharged on day 3. Readmitted babies were more likely to have been breastfed, firstborn, born prematurely, or born to mothers who had not completed high school, were unmarried, or were receiving Medicaid.

     Public outrage over "drive-through deliveries"--the discharge of newborns 24 hours after birth--prompted federal legislation that, as of January 1998, will require insurers to pay for at least 48 hours in the hospital after childbirth.

     An editorial accompanying the studies notes that the optimal time for discharge may be impossible to determine and that the difference between a one- or two-day hospital stay may not be significant.

     HealthNews associate editor David Rosen, MD, says babies should be seen by a doctor soon after discharge, but parents should call earlier if they notice yellow skin that signals jaundice, any change in the baby's appearance or behavior, or less than vigorous feeding or if a breastfeeding mother is not producing milk. For feeding problems, you may be referred to a lactation consultant. All mothers, he says, benefit from the help of a relative or friend who has experience with babies.

     "Whether discharge is 'early' or 'late,' the best determinant of good outcomes is to have resources and support available in the first few days after delivery," Rosen says.

Diphtheria

Years ago, diphtheria was a widespread and greatly feared disease. Through the 1920's, about 150,000 cases and 15,000 deaths occurred annually.

     Since that time, the disease has gradually declined. There were 910 cases in 1960, 435 in 1970, 146 in 1976. Today, only a few cases occur each year, thanks to parents who have made certain that their children are immunized against this terrible disease.

     Diphtheria is caused by a bacterium that is found in the mouth, throat, and nose of a person infected with the disease. This germ is easily passed to others in the tiny droplets of moisture that are expelled by coughing or sneezing. Diphtheria also can be spread by carriers - people who harbor the bacteria but remain in apparent good health.

     Usually, diphtheria develops in the throat, where a grayish membrane may form. If the membrane continues to grow, it can interfere with swallowing. If it extends to the windpipe, it can block the passage of air and cause the patient to suffocate. Other early symptoms are sore throat, a slight fever, and chills.

     Diphtheria is a treatable disease, but if treatment is inadequate, or if it is not begun in time, a powerful toxin, or poison, may be produced by the diphtheria bacteria and may spread throughout the body. The poison may cause serious complications such as paralysis that may last for as long as 3 or 4 months, heart failure, or broncho-pneumonia. About 1 in every 10 persons who get diphtheria dies of it.
 

A Word To Parents

Immunizations are important. The eight childhood diseases (measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and polio) which are preventable by immunization, can, and do, cause crippling and, sometimes, death. These illnesses are serious and their complications can be terrible.
With the exception of tetanus, these diseases are contagious. They can spread rapidly from child to child and from community to community. As long as children remain unprotected against them, serious outbreaks of disease - even epidemics - can occur.

It is important for parents to understand what protection vaccines give and what risks vaccines create for their children. Generally, vaccines are among our safest and most effective medicines.

Like other medicines, however, vaccines can cause side effects. These are usually milk - a slight fever, a sore arm, a mild rash - and don't last long. But on rare occasions they are more serious.

If your child receives a vaccine, gets sick and visits a doctor, hospital, or clinic during the 4 weeks after the immunization, this should be reported to the office or clinic where the vaccine was received.

The overwhelming majority of medical experts in this country and abroad believe that the benefits of complete immunization far outweigh the risks. The Public Health Service strongly recommends that all healthy children be immunized against all of the vaccine-preventable childhood diseases. State laws require that children must be immunized before being allowed to enter school, with some exceptions.

The purpose of this booklet, which discusses what you should know about eight dangerous diseases and the vaccines that can prevent them, is to help you make a decision on the basis of accurate information. This booklet covers the eight diseases against which all children should be immunized. New vaccines are now being developed and may be recommended for routine use in the near future.

Please read the material on the following pages and discuss any questions you have with your doctor or with the staff at the health department clinic. Learn all you can about the serious diseases of childhood. Then, make certain that your children are protected.