This document provides an overview of common communicable diseases that affect children, including definitions, causative agents, modes of transmission, symptoms, and treatments. Some of the diseases discussed are chickenpox, diphtheria, measles, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and scabies. The summary focuses on defining the key aspects of each disease such as transmission method, incubation period, symptoms, and complications. Nursing management strategies are also briefly outlined for some of the conditions.

2. COMMON
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
IN CHILDHOOD
Ms.Ann Mariam George
MSc.Nursing IInd year
KIMS CON

3. INTRODUCTION

4. DEFINITION
•A communicable disease is an illness caused
by a specific infectious agent or its toxic
products through a direct or indirect mode of
transmission of that agent from a reservoir.
Wikipedia

5. Common communicable diseases in
childhood
•Chickenpox
•Diphtheria
•Erythema infectiosum
•Measles

6. • Scarlet fever
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Mumps
• Poliomyelitis
• Rubella (german measles)
• Tuberculosis
• Scabies

7. Chickenpox
• Agents: varicella-zoster virus
• Source: primary secretions of respiratory tract of
infected persons; to a lesser degree, skin lesions
(scabs not infectious).
• Transmissions: direct contact, droplet spread and
contaminated objects.
• Incubation period: 2-3 weeks, usually 14-16 days.
• Period of communicability: probably 1 day before
eruption of lesions to 6 days

8. • Clinical manifestations:
• Prodromal stage
• Constitutional signs and symptoms
• Distribution: centripetal, spreading to face and proximal
extremities but sparse on distal limbs and less on areas not
exposed to heat
• Management:
• Complications:

9. DIPHTHERIA
• Agent: corynebacterium diphtheria
• Source: discharges from mucous membranes of nose
and nasopharynx, skin and other lesions of infected
person.
• Transmission: direct contact with infected person,
carrier or contaminated articles.
• Incubation period: usually 2-5 days, possibly longer
• Period of communicability: usually 2 week but as long
as 4 week.

10. • Clinical manifestations:
Nasal
Pharyngeal
Laryngeal
Management:
Complications:

11. ERYTHEMA INFECTIOSUM
• Agent: human parvovirus B19(HPV)
• Source: infected persons
• Transmission: possibly respiratory secretions
(droplet infections) and blood
• Incubation period: 4-14 days
• Period of communicability: uncertain but before
onset of symptoms in children with aplastic crisis.

12. • Clinical manifestation:
• Therapeutic management:
• Nursing management:

13. MEASLES (RUBEOLA):
• Agent: Myxo virus
• Source: respiratory tract, secretions, blood, and
urine of infected persons.
• Transmission: usually by direct contact with droplets of
infected person.
• Incubation period: 10-20 days
• Period of communicability: from 4 days before to 5 days
after rash appears, but mainly during prodromal stage.

14. • Clinical manifestation:
• Prodromal stage: fever, malaise followed in
24 hours by coryza, cough, conjunctivitis, koplik spot
(small irregular red spots with a minute bluish
white center first seen on the buccal mucosa
opposite the molars) 2 days prior to rash;
symptoms gradually increase in severity.
• Rash: appears 3-4 days after onset of prodromal
stage, begins as a maculopapular eruption on face and gradually
spreads downwards.

15. •Constitutional signs and symptoms:
anorexia, malaise, generalized
lymphadenopathy.
•Therapeutic management:
•Nursing management:

16. MUMPS
• Agent: rabula virus
• Source: saliva of infected persons
• Transmission: direct contact with or
droplet spread from an infected person
• Incubation period: 14-21 days
• Period of communicability: most communicable
immediately before and after swelling begins.

17. •Clinical manifestation:
•Management:

18. • PERTUSSIS (WHOOPING COUGH)
• Agent: bordetella pertussis
• Source: discharge from respiratory tract of infected persons
• Transmission: direct contact or droplet spread from infected
person, indirect contact with freshly contaminated articles.
• Incubation period: 5-21 days, usually 10 days.
• Period of communicability: greatest during catarrhal stage
before onset and may extend to 4th week.

19. • Clinical manifestation:
• Catarrhal stage: begins with symptoms of upper respiratory
infection- coryza, sneezing, lacrimation etc. symptoms
continue for 1-2 weeks, when dry hacking cough becomes
severe.
• Paroxysmal stage: short, rapid coughs mostly occurs at
night, followed by sudden inspiration associated with a
high pitched crowing sound or whoop during paroxysms,
cheek becomes flushed or cyanotic, eyes bulge and tongue
protrudes.
• Management

20. POLIOMYELITIS
• Agent: enterovirus, 3 types: type 1-most frequent
cause of paralysis, type 2 -least frequently associated
with paralysis, type 3- second most frequent.
• Source: feces and oro-pharyngeal secretions of
infected persons, especially young children.
• Transmission: direct contact with apparent or
inapparent active infection, spread is via fecal-oral
and pharyngeal-oropharyngeal routes.

21. Virus enters the alimentary tract (alimentary phase)
Virus multiplies and get into the blood stream
Reaches CNS and causes meningeal symptoms and paralysis
• Incubation period: usually 7-14 days
• Period of communicability: The cases are most infectious 7-10
days before and after onset of symptoms. In th efeces the virus is
excreted commonly for 2-3 weeks ,sometimes as long as 3-4
months.

22. • Clinical manifestation:
 Inapparent infection: Occurs approximately in 91-96 % of
poliovirus infections .There are no presenting symptoms.
 Abortive polimyelitis- the child is asymptomatic during abortive
phase, produces fever in viremic phase.
 Non-paralytic polimyelitis- meningeal irritation (headache,
vomiting, neck pain, stiffness), no paralysis.
 Paralytic polimyelitis- paralysis involving spinal cord and
sometimes brain stem, muscle pain, tenderness, retention of
urine, constipation, spinal and abdominal muscles are also
involved.

23. •Management
• Therapeutic
Nursing

24. RUBELLA (GERMAN MEASLES)
• Agent: RNA virus of togavirus family
• Source: nasopharyngeal secretions of persons with apparent
or inapparent infection, virus also present in blood, stool and
urine.
• Transmission: direct contact and spread via infected person,
droplet infection, through feces or urine.
• Incubation period: 14-21 days
• Period of communicability: 7 days before to about 5 days after
appearance of rash.

25. •Clinical manifestation:
• Fever
• Pain in joints
• Posterior cervical and posterior auricular lymphadenopathy
• Maculo-papular rash (rapid progression from face to extremities)
• Infant borne to mother exposed to rubella- growth retardation,
macula-papular rash, heart murmurs, cataracts, visceromegaly,
microcephaly, mental retardation etc.

26. SCARLET FEVER
• Agent: group A beta hemolytic streptococci virus
• Source: nasopharyngeal secretions of infected persons and
carriers
• Transmission: direct contact with infected person or droplet
spread, ingestion of contaminated milk or other food.
• Incubation period: 2-4 days
• Period of communicability: during incubation period and
clinical illness approximately 10 days.

27. • Clinical manifestation:
• Prodromal stage: abrupt high fever, increased pulse, vomiting,
headache, chills, malaise, abdominal pain.
• Enanthema: enlarged tonsils, edematous, reddened and covered
with patches of exudates, pharynx is edematous and beefy red, red
and swollen papillae, and palate is covered with erythematous
punctate lesions.
• Exanthema: rash appears within 12 hours after prodromal signs,
red pin-head sized punctate lesions rapidly become generalized but
are absent on face, rash is more intense on folds of joints.

28. TUBERCULOSIS
• Agent: mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Source: respiratory secretions of actively infected persons
• Transmission: direct contact with infected persons
• Incubation period: from infection to primary lesion, about
4-6 weeks
• Period of communicability: as long as bacilli are
discharged

29. • Clinical manifestations:
Usually asymptomatic
Demonstration of bacilli in sputum or
gastric aspirates.
In advanced cases, fever, pallor,
weakness, weight loss, cough, hoarseness, and
tachypnea.
Treatment:

30. SCABIES
Agent: Sarcoptes scabiei or Acarus scabiei
Source: actively infected persons
Transmission: direct contact with infected
Persons and contaminated clothes
Site of leisions: Hands and wrist(63%); the extensor aspect of
elbows(10.9%); axillae,buttocks,lower abdomen, feet and ankles.
Control measures: Treat with Benzyl Benzoate (25%) weekly twice
HCH:0.5 -1.5% ,2-3 Days of interval
Tetmosol: thrice a day application
Sulphur ointment: 2.5 to 10% daily for 4 days

31. NURSING MANAGEMENT

33. SUMMARY
What disease is this?

35. •Good job
everyone!

36. ASSIGNMENT
DOTS THERAPY FOR
TUBERCULOSIS

37. CONCLUSION