AT THE PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT

Children who suffer from different diseases are treated at the Pediatric department. Professional child health nurses must develop specialized knowledge and skills. Working with children is different from working with other populations because changes in child health status occur more rapidly, children are often unable to communicate verbally. All children encounter infectious diseases of one type to another. It is important to know the status of disease occurrence.

Scarlet fever is an acute disease that can occur more than once. The incubation period is 2-5 days. Тhе contagion period is 10-20 days. The causative agent belongs to Group A streptococci. The disease is transmitted through direct contact with the infected person or carrier-droplet spread by oral-nasal secretions.

Typical symptoms include fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, malaise, irritability and a sore throat. The rash is characterized by very small, fine red papules that occur on the trunk and extremities. The face appears flushed with circumoral pallor. The tongue is rough and red. The skin feels rough to the touch. After 7 to 10 days peeling of the skin on the hands and feet occurs.

Nursing care interventions include keeping the child in bed during the febrile period, encouraging fluid and soft food intake, maintaining isolation during the communicable stage, and administering antibiotics as prescribed. Since most children are not hospitalized, parents, the child, and the family members must understand the illness, its communicability, treatment, and possible complications.

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious infection. It occurs most commonly in infants under 6 month of age because they have not yet completed their immunization regimen.

The incubation period is 7 to 10 days; the contagion period is 4 weeks. The disease is transmitted through droplet exposure (direct contact) or through contaminated articles (indirect contact). There are 2 stages of the disease - the catarrhal stage and the paroxysmal stage. The illness lasts from 6 to 10 weeks. There is little or no fever. Young infants require hospitalization, and respiratory isolation should be initiated for 5 days after the introduction of erythromycin therapy.

Complications include pneumonia, haemorrhages, hernia, trauma of the tongue, and rectal prolapse. Pertussis immunoglobulin is recommended for children under 2 years of age or for children with severe cases.

Nursing interventions include maintaining strict respiratory isolation, encouraging bed rest and a quiet environment, maintaining adequate fluid and nutritional intake, and administering antibiotics for bacterial infections and sedation to relieve coughing paroxysms.

Mumps(swelling of the parotid glands) is painful and is accompanied by fever, headache, and vomiting, which may be severe. The infection occurs most often in late winter or early spring. Patients should be isolated until the swelling has subsided.

The incubation period is 16 to 18 days; the contagion period is as long as 7 days prior to parotid swelling and 5 to 9 days after the onset of parotid swelling.

Nursing care includes strict respiratory isolation during the communicable period; provision of adequate rest until the swelling subsides; attention to nutrition and fluid and electrolyte balance by providing fluids and a soft bland diet; administration of mouth care several times a day; and administration of acetaminophen to relieve pain. Parents should be taught the signs and symptoms of complications.

Ex.3. Suggest the Ukrainian equivalents:

specialized knowledge and skills; child health status; abdominal pain; indirect contact; complications include; nursing interventions; maintaining strict respiratory isolation; maintaining adequate fluid and nutritional intake; provision of adequate rest.

Ex.4. Suggest the English equivalents:

хворіють на інфекційні захворювання; скарлатина; інкубаційний період; типові симптоми; сестринські втручання; можливі ускладнення; супроводжується; потребують госпіталізації; забезпечення необхідного відпочинку; дві стадії захворювання; введення антибіотиків.

Ex. 5. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What is the incubation period of scarlet fever? 2. How is the disease transmitted? 3. When does peeling of the skin on the hands and feet occur? 4. What do nursing care interventions include? 5. When does mumps most often occur? 6. What is the contagion period of mumps? 7. Who does whooping cough most commonly occur in? 8. What do complications include?

Ex.6. Say if it true or false:

1. Working with children is different from working with other populations.

2. Scarlet fever is an acute disease that can occur only once.

3. The causative agent belongs to Group B streptococci.

4. The skin feels soft to the touch.

5. The disease is transmitted only through direct contact.

6. Mumps occurs most often in late winter or early spring.

7. Parents should be taught the signs and symptoms of complications.

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