Macomb County Web Site
macomb county public health
| DIPHTHERIA Diphtheria is a very serious bacterial infection of the throat, mouth, and nose that can cause fever, enlarged neck glands, and difficulty breathing. The infection can cause heart and nervous system damage, death and permanent disability even in treated cases. |
| PERTUSSIS Pertussis, sometimes called "whooping cough", is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory system. Pertussis can cause spells of coughing and choking that make it hard to eat, drink or breathe. Some babies with pertussis will develop pneumonia and brain problems or may even die from the disease. |
| TETANUS Tetanus, sometimes called "lock jaw", is a very serious disease that can occur after a cut or wound lets the germ into the body. The disease affects the nervous system and leads to severe muscle spasms. Even with treatment, tetanus is often a fatal disease. |
| POLIO Polio is a very serious disease caused by a virus. Some people who get a serious case of polio may develop muscle weakness and paralysis. Although only a few cases of polio occur in the U.S. each year, it is important to protect children so that they cannot get the disease when someone brings the virus into the U.S. from another country. |
| MEASLES Measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. It causes a high fever, cough, and a rash which lasts 4-7 days. It is the most serious of the childhood rash illnesses because it has a high rate of complications including pneumonia and encephalitis (brain infection). |
| MUMPS Mumps is generally a mild disease caused by a virus that causes fever, headache, and inflammation of the salivary glands. In some cases mumps can cause meningitis, an inflammation of the covering of the brain and spinal cord. |
| RUBELLA Rubella, also known as German Measles, is a disease caused by a virus that causes fever, swollen glands in the neck, and a rash. It is usually a mild disease but it can cause damage (deafness, heart disease, and mental retardation) to a baby developing in the uterus of a pregnant woman who gets the disease. |
| HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE TYPE B (HiB) Hib is a bacterium that can cause serious disease, especially in children under age five. It was the most common cause of meningitis (an infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord) in this age group before vaccines became available. The infection can lead to permanent brain damage or even death. |
| HEPATITIS B Hepatitis B is a virus that causes an infection of the liver. Some people who get hepatitis B go on to develop liver failure, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. These complications are more common if a person gets hepatitis B as an infant or young child. |
| VARICELLA Varicella or chickenpox is one of the most common childhood viral diseases. It is usually mild and not life-threatening in otherwise healthy children. Chickenpox is highly contagious and is spread by direct contact with fluid from the blisters of an infected person or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The most noticeable sign of chickenpox is a skin rash that lasts 3 to 4 days. The rash forms itchy blisters that dry up into scabs 2 to 4 days later. Other symptoms of chickenpox include fever, headaches, and loss of appetite. |
| INFLUENZA Influenza (sometimes called the "flu") is a viral disease that is spread by direct contact with an infected person or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. In most healthy people symptoms last 2-7 days. In elderly persons or persons with special health problems such as existing heart or lung disease, influenza infection may lead to pneumonia or even death. |
| PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE Streptococcus pneumonia is a bacterium that can cause serious infections of the lungs (pneumonia), the bloodstream (bacteremia), and the covering of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). Anyone can get pneumococcal disease. However, persons 65 years of age or older and persons with special health problems such as heart or lung disease, kidney failure, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, immune suppression, or certain types of cancer are at greater risk and should receive the pneumococcal vaccine. |
