Pediatric Nursing Demystified

Soft diet with bland foods requiring minimal chewing.

Warm or cool compresses on the swollen neck.

Monitor for swollen testicles, which indicates complications of the disorder.

Monitor for Kernig sign(unable to straighten legs at knees), which indi-

cates complications of the disorder.

Monitor for Brudzinski sign(flexion of the hips and knees when neck

is flexed), which indicates complications of the disorder.

Report the diagnoses to local health officials according to policy.

Explain the disorder and treatment to the family.

Nursing alert Emphasize to the parents that anyone can be infected, adult or

child, and sterility can result from infection.

Nursing alert The patient is contagious beginning 7 days before the swelling

of the parotid gland and until 9 days after the swelling subsides.

Poliomyelitis

What Went Wrong?

Poliomyelitis is a viral infection by the polioviruses that is transmitted by con-

tact with infected oropharyngeal secretions or infected stools resulting in a

brief illness to paralysis. The incubation period is between 7 and 10 days

before the symptoms appear. Children should be vaccinated (inactivated

poliovirus vaccine [IPV]) beginning at 2 months of age.

There are three types of poliovirus:

Type 1: Brunhilde

Type 2: Lansing

Type 3: Leon

Signs and Symptoms

No symptoms

Fever

Headache

Vomiting

Nausea

Pharyngitis

Lethargy

Muscle weakness

Constipation

Urine retention

Paresthesia

(^314) Pediatric Nursing Demystified