Free Health Dissertations - The Risk Of Infectious Diseases In Children A Review Introduction: In This
The Risk of Infectious Diseases in Children A Review
Introduction:
In this literature review we discuss the risks of infectious diseases in children, especially children who are in care, or in residential facilities or are looked after and accommodated. Children in care and or in placement homes require special physical and emotional attention as risks of infections may be high in these children as they are usually not in the care of real mother or any other member of the family. The clinical research and case studies considered here in this literature review are related to infectious diseases in these special children and the diseases specifically considered are Tuberculosis, Hepatitis A., B, C and Meningitis. For our dissertation purposes, we conduct a literature review using search engines and clinical databases. Medline, Sciencedirect, Ingenta, Entrenz and the Department of Health databases are some of the clinical and health related databases and collection of journals that we searched for case studies on foster children or children in care suffering from risks of infectious diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis and meningitis. We used search terms such as ‘children hepatitis’ or ‘foster children care’, ‘children in care tuberculosis’ and many such combinations of related words to get several clinical studies on children in care and suffering from diseases. The search terms were used to do a thorough literature review on these areas discussed using several scientific and medical journals’ databases and online compilations of journals.
Evidential Studies Children and Infectious Disease
Children in care are special children as they are in many cases deprived of direct care of their parents and suffer many emotional problems. Children in care also have special emotional, physical, social and educational needs (Zetlin et al, 2005). Abused and neglected children have to be cared for using attachment theory and other related psychological theories to give them better attention. Mennen and O’Keefe (2005) review the importance of attachment theory in foster care and research on the effects of maltreatment on attachment. Specific intervention programs supporting children and providing them with secure attachments has been particularly emphasized in child welfare processes. Care of foster children, adopted children as well as neglected and deprived children are all based on developing stronger attachments for their emotional well being and normal social development.
Yet, the emotional development apart, children’s health in care is also dependent on their physical strength and their capabilities of resisting infectious diseases. In this review we focus mainly on the elements of care and how these relate to children’s infections mainly in areas such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and meningitis as well as infectious diseases such as HIV.
