Eye On Health

Disease Descriptions

(CBS 11 News) Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. Measles causes rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, lasting about a week. The virus is spread by coughing and sneezing and it's considered highly contagious.

Mumps is a disease of the lymph nodes caused by a virus. Its symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, and swelling of the lymph nodes close to the jaw. The virus is spread by coughing and sneezing.

Rubella, which is also known as German Measles, is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. Its symptoms include a rash and fever for two to three days. Rubella is spread by coughing and sneezing.

Diphtheria is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria. Its symptoms include gradual onset of a sore throat and low-grade fever. Diphtheria is spread by coughing and sneezing.

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a disease of the nervous system caused by bacteria. Early symptoms include lockjaw, stiffness in the neck and abdomen, and difficulty swallowing. Later symptoms include fever, elevated blood pressure, and severe muscle spasms. Tetanus enters the body through a break in the skin.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria. Symptoms are severe spasms of coughing that can interfere with eating, drinking, and breathing. Pertussis is transmitted by coughing and sneezing, and is highly contagious. To hear and see audio and video clips of children wracked with cough and gasping for air please visit the website of the Texas Department of Health's Online Continuing Education at http://www.completecast.com/pertussis/sounds_video.htm.

Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. There may be no symptoms when a person is first infected. However, the likelihood of early symptoms increases with the person's age. If symptoms are present, they include yellow skin or eyes, tiredness, stomach ache, loss of appetite, nausea, or joint pain. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with the blood of an infected person or by having sex with an infected person.

Hib is a severe bacterial infection, occurring primarily in infants. The infection can be serious in children under age 1, but there is little risk of getting the disease after age 5. Symptoms include skin and throat infections, meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis, and arthritis. Hib is transmitted through coughing and sneezing.

Influenza, also known as the flu, is a highly infectious illness caused by a virus. Symptoms include fever and chills, dry cough, runny nose, body aches, headache, and sore throat. The flu is spread by contact with an infected person or the airborne virus. To learn how inactivated Influenza vaccine is made please click here. (This document is in PDF Format which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and prints nicest on legal sized paper).

Polio is a disease of the lymphatic and nervous systems. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, nausea, headaches, stomach aches, and stiffness in the neck, back, and legs. Polio is transmitted through contact with an infected person.

Varicella, also known as Chickenpox, is a virus of the herpes family. Symptoms include a skin rash of blister-like lesions, usually on the face, scalp, or trunk of the body. This highly contagious virus is spread by coughing and sneezing.

Pneumococcal Disease is caused by pneumococcus bacterium. It is the most common cause of pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, ear infections and sinusitis in children under 2 years old. Pneumococcal disease can result in pneumococcal pneumonia (begins with high fever, cough, and stabbing chest pains), bacteremia, and meningitis. Pneumococcus bacterium is in many people's noses and throats. It is unknown why it suddenly invades the body and causes disease.

Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver caused bye the hepatitis A virus. There may be no symptoms; however the likelihood of symptoms increases with the person's age. If symptoms are present, they include yellow skin or eyes, tiredness, stomach ache, loss of appetite, or nausea. Most often, hepatitis A is spread by the fecal-oral route (i.e., an object contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A is put into another person's mouth.) Less often, the disease is spread by swallowing food or water that contains the virus.

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