Childhood Diseases: Friend or Foe?

When I was a youngster, a friend of mine came down with the chickenpox. This was a common thing in those days, and what even seemed more common were that parents would then throw their children at this sick, chickenpox infected kid, hoping that their child will get the disease too.

The reasoning: to get it over with. Chickenpox is a disease that, even if caught in adolescence, can be a grave and serious illness whereas young children seem to only catch a light fever and get a case of the “itchies”. Once one has had chickenpox, the likelihood of having it again is minimal since a number of antibodies have now been built to fight that disease.

I’m not sure where along the way a vaccination was created for this illness, but it was and is now widely administered in an attempt to keep those red spots and mild fever away from our children. But I didn’t die from chickenpox; as a matter of fact, I had fun being off of school and felt quite well for the most part. Are childhood diseases really that bad?

It's Ok for Your Child to Get Sick

No one wants their child to become ill, but fact of the matter is, your child will get sick and in almost all cases it certainly is not the end of the world. My son is well over 1 year of age now and a cold or ear infection is not going to have me running to the emergency room. I have a couple of friends who will actually bring their kids out if they know mind has some sort of virus, in hopes that they will build up an immunity to it while they are young.

Build Their Immunity

That’s something else you need to consider: immunity. Any child who is under 1 month of age has a compromised immune system, so any illness within that period of time MUST be tended to by a physician. Breastfed children tend to initially have a better immunity as they are receiving antibodies continuously from their mother’s milk, whereas formula fed babies are not. Breastfed babies are continuously reported as contracting viruses and becoming illness less often than formula-fed babies (http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/breast_bottle_feeding.html#). Because of this, it is important to consider a formula-fed baby’s reduced immunity to illness and take further precautions.

The bottom line here is that a childhood disease can play the role of being either a friend (building immunity) or foe (causing illness or even death). The key here is to monitor your child should you suspect that he or she is feeling under the weather. There is a good chance that within 24 hours your child will begin to bounce back and be their bubbly and playful self again. If you do find your child going down hill and are concerned, do not by any means hold back from taking him or her to the doctor or the emergency room.

photo by Evah Smit