Infections

Fighting infectious diseases today is much easier than in the past. With proper hygiene and proper precautions, in addition to numerous vaccines and rapidly advancing medical technology, people are better equipped than ever to avoid getting sick.

Prevention is the key to fighting many infectious diseases. Part of preventing the spread of an infectious disease includes the following:

• proper hand washing techniques

• taking certain precautions, depending on the disease

• following the nationally recommended immunization schedule for children and adults

• taking medications correctly

Even with proper prevention, sometimes, a disease is unavoidable. Some reasons may include the following:

• evolution of drug-resistant strains of a disease
• changes in a person's environment
• increased travel
• inappropriate use of prescription drugs
• lack of attention to proper personal hygiene

Some infectious conditions are fairly common in childhood and may require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. Listed in the directory below are some, for which we have provided a brief overview.

If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Pediatrics Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.