Infectious Disease

Question 1

What are the 6 rash-causing diseases in paediatric medicine and what are their causes?

Answer 1

1st disease: measles - Measles virus
2nd disease: scarlet fever - Streptococcus pyogenes
3rd disease: rubella - Rubella virus
4th disease: -
5th disease: erythema infectiosum - Parvovirus B19
6th disease: roseola infantum - HHV6 and HHV7

Question 2

What are the signs and symptoms of measles?

Answer 2

4 C’s + Fever (4 D’s) + Rash

Cough
Coryza
Conjunctivitis
Cranky

Fever which lasts 4 days
Koplik spots

Rash which spreads across the body, which starts around the hairline and behind the ears

Question 3

How long to exclude a child from school for measles?

Answer 3

4 days from onset of rash

Question 4

Treatment for measles

Answer 4

Conservative - fluids and analgesia if required

Question 5

What are the signs and symptoms of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease?

Answer 5

Mild systemic upset i.e fever, irritability, fatigue

Formation of vesicles on palm and soles of feet

Question 6

How long to exclude a child from school for Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Answer 6

No exclusion

Question 7

Some complications of measles infection?

Answer 7

Otitis media (most common)
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Encephalitis (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis - rare)
Corneal ulceration

Question 8

Features of congenital rubella syndrome?

Answer 8

Deafness
Heart defects - PDA/pulmonary stenosis
Cataracts
Intellectual disability
Liver and spleen damage

Question 9

Features of rubella infection

Answer 9

Lymphadenopathy - suboccipital, postauricular, cervical
Macular rash

Non-specific symptoms: Fever, non-purulent conjunctivitis

Question 10

Treatment for rubella

Answer 10

Self-limiting - fluids + analgesia

Question 11

What are the features of mumps?

Answer 11

Painful parotid swelling
Painful ear
Low grade fever
Muscle ache
Loss of appetite

Question 12

Most common complication of mumps for boys?

Answer 12

Epididymo-orchitis

Infertility

Question 13

What is the treatment for scarlet fever?

Answer 13

Phenoxymethylpenicillin V

Question 14

What are the SSx of scarlet fever?

Answer 14

Fever
Exanthematous rash (sandpaper texture around body)
Desquamation
Mucosal involvement i.e strawberry tongue, erythema
Cervical lymphadenopathy
Pharyngitis

Question 15

Investigation for scarlet fever?

Answer 15

None, usually clinical

Throat swab - not advised unless diagnosis is uncertain

Question 16

What is the characteristic SSx of HFMD?

Answer 16

Maculopapular lesions in oral cavity which become vesicular in nature
Maculopapular and partially vesicular rash on hands and feet which develop after oral lesions