Measles (Rubeloa) and Rubella
If a pregnant woman contracts rubella early in her pregnancy, the chance of birth defects can be as high as 80 percent.

Bites: Human and Animal
Human bites happen more often than you think. The "biters" usually are children. Animal bites raise three concerns: bleeding, the possibility of viral infections such as rabies, and the possibility of bacterial infections.

Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use the insulin produced properly. There are three types of diabetes, type 1 (formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes), type 2 (formerly called adult-onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes) and gestational diabetes (diabetes that only occurs during pregnancy).

Children and Teen Health
The health risks children and teenagers face are as varied as the interests and skills they learn as they grow up. You need to weigh many factors when deciding how often to bring your children and teens to their health care provider.

Hypothyroidism
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is chronic thyroiditis, also called Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Chronic thyroiditis occurs when the body's immune system attacks thyroid tissue with antibodies and white blood cells -- as if the tissue were foreign to the body.

Asthma
Asthma interferes with normal breathing by narrowing the airways that are within the lungs and that lead to the lungs. This can happen when the muscles around the airways tighten, when there is inflammation and swelling of the airway's lining, or when extra mucus is produced.

Preventive Care for Children and Teens
Here is a summary of the preventive health care schedules for children and teenagers. The schedules are mainly for children without symptoms of health problems and who do not have special health risks.

Immunizations
Adults who were routinely vaccinated as children may still require boosters for certain immunizations. Some adults need vaccines they have never before received.

Viral Hepatitis
Viral hepatitis often begins with flulike symptoms: fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, and a low-grade fever (below 101 degrees F). As symptoms get worse, other signs may be present, such as jaundice (yellow color to skin and whites of eyes), brown urine and pale stools, and pain or pressure on the right side below the ribs.

Allergies
An allergy is a reaction in the body to a normally harmless substance. Usually the immune system functions as the body's defense against invading bacteria and viruses. In most allergic reactions, the immune system is responding to a false alarm.