Children and teenagers are among the most at-risk groups for infectious and other unpleasant and dangerous diseases. School life makes it even more possible to spread the viruses fast, attacking larger numbers of people. Thus, every parent and responsible student needs to be prepared to recognize and fight the diseases at first sight. However, to do so, you need to know what to expect.
Schools are getting reopened soon. Campuses will be filled with young people eager to learn, socialize, and prove themselves. Unfortunately, those young people are also exposed to thousands of social interactions and numerous viruses every day. Sometimes our immune system can handle the challenge, and sometimes it fails. Learn about the most common diseases among students to recognize and fight them.
The flu
Even though medical progress has gone extremely far in combating flu, this disease can still be dangerous, especially when not taken seriously. The flu can come at any time of the year. However, more cases happen during the seasons when the weather is changing (late autumn and early spring). Common flu symptoms are sore throat and fever. It’s recommended to stay at home when being sick to avoid spreading the virus further. Also, to avoid getting sick with the flu, you can take a flu shot every year.
Stomach flu
Stomach bug, or stomach flu, is a very common disease among teens and students. Being outside of the home and responsible for your own diet can be a challenge. Food in cafeterias can also be not of the highest quality sometimes. Overall, many factors can trigger stomach flu. The symptoms here are pretty common. Those are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes abdominal cramps, and headaches. Usually, the symptoms last no longer than 24 to 48 hours. However, in case the symptoms don’t stop or they grow rather severe, you should go to the doctor.
Drink a lot of water during the duration of sickness and the next few days after recovering. Stomach flu causes severe dehydration, and you need to restore the water balance in your body. Also, be more conscious of your food choice the next day after the flu. Give your body healthy, nutritious food that is easy to digest.
Mono
Mono can seem similar to flu at its first stages. This disease results in fever, headaches, sore throat, and constant exhaustion. It is a very common illness among children and teens. However, college students in their late teens and early twenties also often suffer from this disease. It’s fair to say that this one is no fun at all. Sometimes students have to miss a whole semester of sports activities or constantly seek help with essay and other homework due to long periods of sickness and recovery.
When being down with mono, drink lots of water, have enough rest and sleep, and see your doctor to ease the symptoms.
STDs
The lack of sex education speaks for itself. Unfortunately, people in their twenties are responsible for the high numbers of STD cases these days. The lack of understanding and awareness about various forms of STDs and their symptoms increase the odds of getting one. Also, when some STDs are treatable and easy to detect and cure on time, others can have more severe consequences on a young person’s life. The use of barrier contraception methods, open conversation, and increased awareness about sexual freedom can prevent this type of disease among young people.
Mental health epidemic
When talking about health risks among students, we can’t skip the mental health issues that prevail among young people these days. Truly, the mental health crisis is getting serious like never before, especially when it concerns young people and teens. The pressure of education and making the first independent steps in life is real. Unfortunately, modern technologies and social media did not make their mental health battles much easier as well.
These days, young students can hardly find an escape from bullying, self-image, and confidence issues, as well as FOMO (fear of missing out). Indeed, teens and college students commonly suffer from insomnia, anxiety, including social anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Most of those issues can be explained by growing social pressure, worsening financial situation in the world, lack of job opportunities, and increasing pace of life.
Depression, for one, is among the most common mental illnesses among students from 13 to late 20s. The given mental disorder is often hard to diagnose in the early stages, making it harder to track and prevent. Yet, this disorder can have severe consequences, from poor academic performance and dissociation from social life to self-harm, malnutrition, and suicidal thoughts or suicide.
