Infection in Babies
Fighting infectious diseases today is much easier than in the past.
Proper hygiene and proper precautions, along with numerous vaccines and
rapidly advancing medical technology, help prevent many infections.
However, a newborn baby has limited ability to prevent and fight
infectious diseases. Special care may be needed for babies who develop an
infection before, during, or after birth.
Prevention is the key to fighting many infectious diseases. At any time
of life, but especially during pregnancy and after the birth of a baby,
part of preventing the spread of an infectious disease includes the
following:
- receiving prenatal care from a qualified healthcare provider
- proper hand washing techniques
- taking certain precautions, depending on the disease
- following the nationally recommended immunization schedule for
children and adults
- taking medication correctly
Even with proper prevention, sometimes a disease is unavoidable. Some
reasons may be attributed to the following:
- evolution of drug-resistant strains of a disease
- changes in a person's environment
- increased travel
- inappropriate use of prescription drugs
- lack of attention to proper personal hygiene
Infections in babies require clinical care by a physician or other
healthcare professional. Listed in the directory below is some additional
information regarding infections, for which we have provided a brief
overview.
If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please
visit the High-Risk Newborn Online Resources page
in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain
additional information on that topic.
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