Illness Archives - Kids' Health

With schools closing in Massachusetts (and across the country), the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting close to home. Here’s how parents can ease the stress of self-quarantining. With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continuing to spread across the country and Massachusetts being among the hardest-hit states (as of April 15, 2020), parents are understandably beginning to feel anxious, confused, or even downright stir-crazy. The good news is that, based on current data, children have accounted for a disproportionately small fraction of COVID-19 cases in the United States thus far. As long as your child isn’t immunocompromised and doesn’t have a pre-existing respiratory condition, they are at no higher risk than adult

Measles was once considered eradicated in the United States. Now, it’s back. Here’s how to keep your child safe. Just under two decades ago, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared victory over measles. After seeing zero transmission of the disease for a period of over twelve months, the CDC confidently affirmed the success of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine — and the U.S. population’s herd immunity from measles. However, in recent years, much of that progress has been undone. As anti-vaccination movements have grown in popularity in

Mononucleosis can take a toll on your teen and your entire family. Here are some of the most common signs of mono, as well as what you can do to support your teen physically and emotionally. For most teens, a mononucleosis diagnosis may feel like the end of the world. They’ll feel bad for weeks, be prevented from doing most normal activities, and have to deal with the stigma of what’s known as “the kissing disease.” If you’re supporting a teen with mono, it’s important to understand the causes, symptoms, and recovery time of the disease.

When your child is sick, you’re extra-vulnerable to getting sick yourself. Stay healthy this flu season with these easy tips. Despite our best efforts, it’s hard to keep children from getting sick in the winter. Even if they’ve gotten flu shots and learned good hand-washing habits, they likely spend all day sharing toys, snacks, and playground equipment with lots of other children — it’s only to be expected that they sometimes return home with a cough, sneeze, or sniffle. If you’re playing nurse to your sick child, you don’t have to succumb to the winter bug too.

New parents should familiarize themselves with these common infant illnesses. It can be nerve-wracking to be a new parent, and understandably so. Many new parents have no idea what to expect during their child’s first year of life, but the illness is almost guaranteed to strike at some point, as infants are more vulnerable to infections or diseases than older children. Fortunately, many of the illnesses that new parents run into are common and easy to treat at home. However, infants are at risk of contracting some more serious conditions that do require a doctor’s attention.