Common Health Concerns
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can be difficult to identify because they can change in appearance based on what stage they are at in their life cycle and if they have recently fed. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color and approximately the size of an apple seed.
Bed bugs are most active at night, but have been known to feed during the day if someone is regularly sleeping or resting. If you think you have a bed bug infestation, you may notice cast skins (the clear, empty shell the bug leaves behind as it grows) and fecal spots.
For more information and how to control bed bugs, please visit the "Let's Beat the Bed Bug!" website from the University of Minnesota.
Bone Fractures
A fracture is a break, usually in the bone. There are many types of fractures. Breaks where the broken bone punctures the skin is called an open or compound fracture while a stress fracture causes very small cracks in the bone, usually brought on by overuse.
Symptoms include:
Intense pain
Deformity-the limb looks out of place
Swelling, bruising, or tenderness around the injury
Numbness and tingling
Problems moving a limb
If a fractured bone is suspected, medical care should be sought right away. An x-ray can tell if the bone is broken and how severe the injury is.
Please alert our Health Office team to any fractured bones for pain management and/or activity restrictions.
More Information:
Chickenpox (Varicella)
Chickenpox is a disease that causes an itchy rash of blisters and a fever. The rash can spread over the whole body. Symptoms can also include fatigue and loss of appetite. Breakthrough cases of chickenpox are not uncommon for those who have been vaccinated.
The disease spreads mainly through close contact with someone who has chickenpox or shingles. For example, it can spread when a person touches or breathes in the virus particles that come from the blisters when they get scratched.
Chickenpox can spread 1 to 2 days before the infected person gets a rash and doesn't stop spreading until all the blisters have formed scabs. The incubation period for chickenpox is about two weeks, usually lasting about a week. It is extremely contagious to those who have not had it or been vaccinated.
More Information:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Chickenpox
Concussions
The CDC describes a concussion as a type of traumatic brain injury-or TBI-caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.
For more information, please visit the CDC Heads Up website on concussions in children and teens.
COVID-19
COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a disease caused by a virus. It can be very contagious and spreads quickly.
COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can reel much like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia, but may also attack more than your lungs and respiratory system. Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people become severely ill.
Symptoms may include:
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea
COVID-19 spreads when an infected person breathes out droplets and very small particles that contain the virus. Other people can breathe in these droplets and particles, or these these droplets and particles can land on their eyes, nose, or mouth. In some circumstances, these droplets my contaminate surfaces they touch.
Anyone infected with COVID-19 can spread it, even if they do NOT have symptoms.
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Ear Infections
There are different types of ear infections. Middle ear infection (acute otitis media) is an infection in the middle ear.
Another condition that affects the middle ear is called otitis media with effusion. This condition occurs when fluid builds up in the middle ear without causing an infection. This type of fluid build-up does not cause fever, ear pain, or pus build-up in the middle ear.
Otitis Externa, or Swimmer's Ear, is a bacterial infection of the outer ear canal that is typically caused by water that stayed in the outer ear canal for a long period of time, providing a moist environment for bacteria to grow.
Symptoms may include:
Ear pain
Fever
Fussiness/Irritability
Rubbing or tugging at an ear
Difficulty sleeping
Although antibiotics are sometimes prescribed for ear infections many providers take a "wait-and-see" approach, especially if the infection is caused by a virus.
Ear pain can be treated by acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
More Information:
Fifth Disease
Fifth disease is a mild rash illness caused by parvovirus B19. It is more common in children than adults. A person usually gets sick with fifth disease within 14 days after getting infected. It got it's name because it was fifth in a list of historical classifications of common skin rash illnesses in children.
The rash is most recognized feature of fifth disease and often appears on the face which is called "slapped cheek" rash. A second rash my appear a few days later on the chest, back, buttocks, or arms and legs. It may be itchy, especially on the soles of the feet. It may also come and go for several weeks and as it goes way, my look lacy.
Symptoms may include:
Fever
Runny nose
Headache
Rash
Joint pain (especially in adults)
Parvovirus B19 spreads through respiratory secretions, such as saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus, when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is most contagious when it is at "just a fever/cold" symptoms and less likely to be spread once the rash develops.
More Information:
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is common in children under 5 years old, but anyone can get it. The illness is usually not serious, but is very contagious. It spreads quickly at schools and day care centers.
Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease usually include fever, mouth sores, and skin rashes. The rash is commonly found on the hands and feet and is usually not itchy and looks like flat or slightly raised red spots, sometimes with blisters that have an area of redness at their base.
The virus can spread through nose and throat secretions, fluid from blisters or scabs or feces. People with the disease are most contagious during the first week that they are sick. People can sometimes spread the virus to others for days or weeks after symptoms go away or if they have nos ymptoms at all.
More Information:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Hand, foot, and Mouth
Head Lice
Head lice are insects that can infect people. They multiply rapidly by laying small greyish-colored, oval-shaped eggs (called nits) which they glue to the base of the hair, close to the scalp.
Anyone can get head lice. They are not a sign of being dirty. Most people don't know they are infested until they see the nits or lice. Head lice are spread through direct head-to-head contact.
For more information and treatment, you can download the MN Department of Health Head Lice Fact Sheet here.
Influenza
Influenza is a respiratory viral infection that some people refer to as flu. Influenza viruses cause infection, which occurs in the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs.
Common Symptoms of Influenza:
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or blocked nose
Fever and chills
Body aches
Headache
Fatigue
Duration:
Flu signs and symptoms usually come on suddenly, usually 2 to 4 days after exposure.
Most symptoms go away in 4-7 days, although the cough and feeling tired may last for weeks.
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Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
People often call conjunctivitis "pink eye" because it can cause the white of the eye to take on a pink or red color.
Several viruses and bacteria can cause conjunctivitis, some of which are very contagious. Each of these types of germs can spread from person to person in different ways, some of which include close personal contact (touching or shaking hands), coughing or sneezing, and/or touching an object or surface with germs on it and touching your eyes before washing hands.
Symptoms may include:
Pink or red color in the white of the eye(s)
Swelling of the conjunctiva (the thin layer that lines the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelid) and/or eyelids
Increased tear production
Feeling like a foreign body is in the eye(s) or an urge to rub the eye(s)
Itching, irritation, and/or burning
Discharge (pus or mucus)
Crusting of the eyelids or lashes, especially in the morning
COntact lenses that feel uncomfortable and/or do not stay in place on the eye.
Depending on the cause, other symptoms may occur.
More Information:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Conjunctivitis
Sprains and Strains
The difference between a sprain and a strain is that a sprain injures the bands of tissue that connect two bones together , while a strain involves an injury to a muscle or to the band of tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone. The most common location for a sprain is in your ankle while the strain is more likely to occur in your lower back or back of the thigh.
Most strains and strains can be treated at home with rest, ice, compression and elevation. Sometimes, a severe strain or sprain will require surgery to repair the ligament or tissue involved in the injury.
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"Stomach Flu"
Norovirus or other gastrointestinal viruses are often referred to as the "stomach flu" or a "stomach bug" but it is not technically the flu. It's a quick, yet uncomfortable, bout of gastrointestinal illness.
Common Symptoms of Norovirus:
Watery diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Fever
Duration:
Diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting typically begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure. Norovirus symptoms usually last 1 to 3 days. Most people recover completely without treatment.
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Questions or Concerns:
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's condition, please don't hesitate to contact our Health Office staff.
