The illness is usually mild, but can result in bacterial skin infections that are very severe. A vaccine is available, and highly recommended at 12 months of age and four years of age to prevent serious illness.

What is candida? Candida is a yeast-like fungus that lives on our skin and mucus membranes. If the conditions are right, this fungus can overgrow, causing an itchy red rash on the skin or white patches in the mouth.

The most common infections by Candida occur on the diaper area of small children or in the vagina of girls or women (after puberty). It can also occur in the mouth, and then it is called “thrush.”

What is a virus? A virus is a microscopic germ that causes disease. There are millions of different kinds of viruses. Examples of common viruses include: the common cold, influenza, varicella (chicken pox), measles, HIV, polio and rabies.

Viruses are unable to be killed by antibiotics, but giving vaccines can control the spread of some common diseases caused by viruses.

What are colds? Colds are viral infections of the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat and ears). The only treatment for a cold is rest and fluids. Over-the-counter remedies (acetaminophen, ibuprofen or decongestants) are helpful for symptom relief but do not shorten the course of the illness. Antibiotics are NOT effective.

What is an abscess? An abscess is a collection of pus anywhere in the body that is contained by a wall of damaged and inflamed tissue. It needs needs surgical drainage to resolve, and often also needs to be treated with antibiotics.

What is cellulitis? Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and surrounding tissues. It results in a red, warm, tender and firm area of skin that can spread rapidly if left untreated. It requires antibiotics to be effectively treated.

What are cold sores? Cold sores are caused by the virus herpes simplex. They are recurrent painful blisters. Cold sores usually form at the border of the lip, but can also occur inside the mouth.

Most people become infected with the virus that causes cold sores in childhood. The initial infection may be mild and go undetected, or may cause multiple severe ulcers inside the mouth along with high fevers.

After the initial infection, the virus remains dormant in the body until it is reactivated—often by mild trauma, such as dental procedures, sunburn, anxiety, stress or fever—at which time the typical blister forms.

What is diphtheria? Diphtheria is an infection of the throat caused by the bacterium corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is highly infectious, and can cause thick plaques of inflammation in the back of the throat, causing air constriction, difficulty breathing and eventually heart failure.

This disease is now rare in western countries due to the combined tetanus-diphtheria vaccine that is almost universally given. The disease still occurs in other countries around the world, which is why physicians continue to vaccinate their patients against it.

What is polio? Polio is a neurologic disease caused by a virus. The disease can range from mild, with symptoms of stomach upset, to severe, with complete paralysis of all muscles.

There is no treatment once you are infected, but a vaccine is available that is highly effective in preventing disease. This disease is now rare in the Western Hemisphere, although it still occurs throughout the world.

What is Fifth Disease? Fifth disease is a viral illness that is common in children between the ages of 5 and 15 years. By the time children have reached adulthood, half will have had Fifth disease.

The disease is characterized by a red rash on the cheeks that make the cheeks appear as if “slapped.” The rash then spreads to the trunk, arms and legs and appears lacy. It gets its name from being the “fifth” disease named in a series of illnesses with similar red rashes.

What is Roseola? Roseola is a viral illness associated with a fever and rash. Children with Roseola typically develop mild cold symptoms followed by a high fever. The rash, which typically is described as pinkish raised and flat spots, often appears as the fever is resolving. Roseola usually affects children between six months and two years of age. Two similar viruses, human herpes viruses 6 and 7, cause this disease.

What is influenza? Influenza is an illness caused by a virus. Typically, influenza virus causes a high fever, body aches, cough, sore throat and runny nose. The illness may last five to seven days, and usually occurs between November and April.

Protection against influenza can be provided by a yearly “flu” shot.

Can you get “flu” from the flu shots? No. Although some people complain of feeling “off” or have a general feeling of discomfort, you cannot actual get influenza from the injectable vaccine.

FluMist, the nasal vaccine, is a live vaccine. People who receive FluMist vaccination may suffer mild cold symptoms, or even a fever for a day or two, but are much more effectively protected against the flu than those who receive the injectable vaccine.

What is hand-foot and mouth disease? Hand-foot and mouth disease is a viral illness caused by the Coxsackie virus. This virus causes fever and sores or blisters in the mouth and on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Some children will also develop a mild sore throat, stomachache and nausea.

Can impetigo be cured? Impetigo is a contagious infection of the skin. It produces blisters and sores, usually on a “crusty” base. It is usually caused by bacteria which live on the skin. These bacteria look for an area of broken skin, such as a scratch or eczema, to start an infection.

Impetigo can be cured with oral or topical antibiotics.

What is Kawasaki disease? Kawasaki disease is an illness characterized by a prolonged, high fever, which usually lasts for longer than five days. Children with Kawasaki can also have:

• Swollen neck glands
• Red eyes
• A body rash
• Red, dry, cracked lips
• Swollen and red palms

It occurs most often in children under five years of age. It can have serious complications that can involve the heart.

No one knows what causes Kawasaki disease but it can be treated if it is caught early.

What are measles? Measles is an illness caused by a virus. It is also known by the name ‘rubeola’. The virus causes a fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes.

The rash of measles is typically red and blotchy. It starts of the head and spreads downward toward the feet. During the course of the illness, small red spots with lighter centers appear in the mouth on the inner cheeks.

Measles can be prevented by vaccination.

What is meningitis? Meningitis is an infection of the covering that surrounds the brain. This sort of infection can be caused by many different germs and can be very serious. Common symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck and a very ill appearance.

What is mononucleosis? Mononucleosis is an illness caused by viruses. Approximately 90 percent of mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.

Symptoms are variable and include fever, sore throat, swollen glands and fatigue. Mononucleosis can also cause a swollen spleen and liver. People with mononucleosis should be restricted from contact sports during the illness, which typically lasts 3 to 6 weeks.

Can you get mono twice? Mononucleosis refers to a symptom complex, a group of signs and symptoms that when grouped together and seen in an individual is referred to by a label.

Like the “common cold,” mononucleosis can be caused by a variety of organisms. Approximately ninety percent of mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, with a smaller percentage of this symptom complex being caused by cytomegalovirus. More unusual viruses cause the rest.

A person can get the symptom complex labeled ‘mononucleosis’ more than once.

Can you get mono by just sitting in class with someone who has it? Mono is not called the “kissing disease” for nothing. In order to catch mono, there needs to be an intimate exchange of germs. This can occur when people sharing water bottles, pop cans or toothbrushes.

What is shingles? Shingles (herpes zoster) are an outbreak of blisters and a red rash that is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, varicella. Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk for shingles. It is thought that the virus that causes chicken pox moves into the nervous system during the initial infection. When the virus reactivates, it moves back down the long nerve fibers to the skin and causes shingles.

When a person first develops shingles, he or she may feel a burning or tingling pain on the skin. There may also be fever, chills, headache and an upset stomach associated with the outbreak. Small fluid-filled blisters appear on the skin. The pain associated with shingles can be severe.

Can you get chickenpox from shingles? Yes, you can.

The blisters of shingles contain the same virus that causes chicken pox. A person can get chickenpox from someone who has shingles if he or she has not yet had chickenpox.

Since shingles is the reactivation of the chickenpox virus from nerves in the body, you cannot get shingles from someone who has shingles.

What is mumps? Mumps is an illness caused by a virus. Mumps spreads through saliva and can infect many parts of the body, especially the parotid glands. These glands, which produce saliva for the mouth, are found toward the back of each cheek, in the area between the ear and jaw. The parotid glands swell and become painful when infected with the mumps virus. People afflicted with mumps can have fever, headache and loss of appetite.

Mumps can lead to inflammation and swelling of the brain and other organs, although this is not common. Mumps in older boys can result in orchitis, an inflammation of the testicles. Mumps may affect the pancreas or, in females, the ovaries, causing pain and tenderness in parts of the abdomen. In some cases, signs and symptoms of mumps are so mild that no one suspects a mumps infection.

Mumps was common until the mumps vaccine was produced. Before the vaccine, more than 200,000 cases occurred each year in the United States. Since then the number of cases has dropped to fewer than 1,000 a year, and epidemics have become rare. Before the mumps vaccine, this was a common disease in children ages 5 to 14.

What is pertussis? Pertussis, or whooping cough, is an upper respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis or B. parapertussis bacteria. It is highly contagious, and is a serious disease that can cause permanent disability in infants, and even death.

The cough caused by this infection can make it hard to breathe. A deep "whooping" sound is often heard after a coughing spasm, when a child tries to take a breath. Often, the cough is so severe that a child will vomit after a coughing spasm.

When an infected person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets containing the bacteria move through the air. The disease is easily spread from person to person. Initially, symptoms may seem similar to the common cold. Severe spasms of coughing start about 10 to 12 days later. The infection usually lasts 6 weeks.

Many cases of whooping cough can be prevented by immunization.

What are pinworms? Pinworms are small, white worms that live in the intestines. Children infected with pinworms may sleep restlessly or be unable to sleep because of an itchy bottom. The itching is caused by the female pinworm that comes out of the rectum to lay eggs around the opening to the rectum, or anus. Sometimes tiny white worms can be seen around a child’s anus in the morning.

Pinworms are usually spread from child to child and the eggs can be picked up on children's fingers when they are playing. Eggs can stay on your child's skin for several hours. They can survive for two weeks on clothing and bedding.

Infections are common in young children and are easily treated with medication.

What is pneumonia? Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs. Many different germs can cause it, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Pneumonia can start as a common cold, with stuffy nose, runny nose and cough. After a few days, signs of pneumonia will appear. They include:

• Fever
• Rapid breathing
• Using extra muscles to breathe (muscles between the ribs or under the rib cage retract, or pull in, with each breath)
• Chills
• Cough
• Chest pain
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• Blue lips or fingernails

When a child has bacterial pneumonia, the symptoms occur very rapidly. Viral pneumonia come more slowly and sometimes will pass without ever knowing there was pneumonia.

What is respiratory syncitial virus (RSV)? Bronchiolitis is an inflammation of the small airways in the lungs. Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is the major cause of bronchiolitis in children less than two years old. In the winter months this virus is very common and spread easily from one person to another.

Some children are at a higher risk for developing severe illness from RSV. They are children with underlying lung disorders such as asthma, former premature infants and infants less than a year old.

Antibiotics are not helpful in treating RSV. Treatment in most cases is symptomatic, and helps the child to stay comfortable until the child's lungs can recover.

What is bronchiolitis? Bronchiolitis is an inflammation of the small air passageways in children's lungs. In the winter months this type of inflammation is very common and spreads easily from one person to another.

Some children are at a higher risk for developing severe illness from RSV. They are children with underlying lung disorders such as asthma, former premature infants and infants less than a year old.

Since bronchiolitis is most often caused by viruses, antibiotics are not helpful. Treatment in most cases is symptomatic, and helps the child to stay comfortable until the child's lungs can recover.

What are the signs of bronchiolitis? The first symptoms are similar to those of a cold—stuffy nose, watery eyes and a cough. As the illness progresses, more severe signs may be seen, such as difficulty breathing, breathing fast, using extra muscles in the chest area to help breathe, or "wheezing" (a musical sound when the child exhales).

A fever may accompany these symptoms. Many children with bronchiolitis may appear to have a "cold" and will get better without anyone noticing they have bronchiolitis. Other children may go on to develop more severe disease, even pneumonia.

What is rubella? Rubella is commonly known as the German measles or 3-day measles. It is a viral infection that affects the skin and lymph nodes. It was very common before the dawn of the immunization age, and infected mainly children ages five to nine.

Children get rubella in the same fashion that they get other viruses or colds; secretions from the nose or throat harbor the virus, and when an infected person sneezes or coughs, the virus is sprayed out into the environment.

Signs and symptoms of rubella include:

• Mild fever
• Swollen, tender lymph nodes
• A rash that appears in the back of the neck or behind the ears. As the infection progresses, the rash spreads toward the toes, clearing on the face as it goes

The rubella rash can look like many other viral rashes. The rash can itch and lasts up to three days.

Other symptoms which are more common in teens and adults include:

• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Conjunctivitis
• Cold symptoms including a stuffy or runny nose

Rubella is generally a mild disease in children. However, when rubella infects a pregnant woman, it can also pass through her bloodstream to infect her unborn child. This can cause congenital rubella syndrome.

Children with congenital rubella syndrome can have:

• Deafness
• Growth retardation
• Mental retardation
• Malformations of the heart and eyes

What is sepsis? Sepsis is an infection of the blood or tissues. A child with sepsis is very ill appearing and needs immediate medical attention. Symptoms of sepsis include: fever, listlessness, irritability, paleness of the skin, low blood pressure or problems breathing.

What are the tick-borne diseases?Tick-borne diseases are infections that are carried by ticks and transmitted to humans via tick bites. Some tick-borne diseases include:

• Lyme disease
• Ehrlichiosis
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• Babesiosis

What is Rocky Mountain spotted fever? Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial infection transmitted to children via tick bites. It occurs most often during spring and summer months when the tick population is large.

Despite its name, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is most common in the southeastern states and along the entire east coast. However, all parts of the United States have had at least one case of the illness.

The signs and symptoms of RMSF usually occur within 1 to 14 days of a tick bite. Symptoms usually begin suddenly. There is a high fever (often over 103 degrees) with chills, muscle aches and a headache. You may also see red eyes, muscle aches, stomachaches, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite and tiredness.

The RMSF rash may begin anytime between one to ten days after the fever and headache start, but it most often appears on the third to fifth day. As the disease implies, it looks like small red spots or blotches that begin on the wrists, ankles, palms, and soles. It can spread toward the trunk, but often spares the face. As the infection advances, the red spots may look more like bruises.

Antibiotics have helped to decrease much of the suffering and danger from this infection.

What is babesiosis? Babesiosis is a rare disease that is transmitted by ticks. Babesiosis infections have been reported in many parts of the United States, but are seen most often in the New England area.

Symptoms include high fever, chills, sweating, weakness, tiredness, poor appetite and headache. Some people with the illness may not have symptoms.

Despite varying symptoms, this disease can cause serious illness, or even death. Babesiosis can affect people of all ages.

Antibiotics are used in the treatment of babesiosis.

What is Lyme disease? Lyme disease is one of the more common tick-borne diseases. It is caused by a bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. Most cases occur between April and October.

A distinctive target-shaped rash may appear 3 to 31 days after an infective tick bite. Other symptoms include fever, a general feeling of discomfort, headache, muscle aches and joint pain.

This infection can become chronic so it is best to seek medical help early.

What is ehrlichiosis? Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne disease, caused by one of three different Ehrlichia species. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and weight loss. Symptoms occur five to ten days after the tick bite.

A rash may appear one week after the onset of symptoms.