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Why are infectious diseases a major health concern during childhood?
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childhood disease and disorder
Vaccines and the estimates of lives saved over the period 1974–2024.
Infectious diseases remain a major health concern during childhood because they are a leading cause of death among children worldwide. Several factors contribute to this vulnerability:12
- Immunological Naivety: Many clinical features of infectious diseases in the first few years of life are related to the fact that these are infections occurring for the first time. Because children have not yet been exposed to many pathogens, they lack the permanent immunity that adults often acquire through previous encounters.34
- Physiological Immaturity: Infants have a limited ability to maintain homeostasis during illness due to higher metabolic and nutritive requirements. Furthermore, the immaturity of renal and hepatic functions can complicate the body's response to stress and the metabolism of necessary medications.3
- Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors: Children in less-developed regions are particularly susceptible to waterborne, food-borne, and vector-borne diseases due to limited access to safe water, sanitation, and nutrition.5
- Public Health Challenges: While vaccinations have significantly reduced mortality, the underutilization of these preventive measures—driven by factors like vaccine hesitancy—continues to pose a serious risk, leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases such as measles.516