Free Common Childhood Illnesses MCQs with Answers

• A. Pneumonia requiring urgent referral
• B. Pneumonia requiring oral antibiotic treatment
• C. Cough or cold without pneumonia
• D. Severe respiratory infection with danger signs

Explanation: A child with cough but no fast breathing, chest indrawing or general danger sign is classified as cough or cold without pneumonia.

• A. Offer warm fluids and reassess later
• B. Place the child upright and give prescribed oxygen
• C. Encourage ambulation to loosen secretions
• D. Administer an antidiarrhoeal medicine first

Explanation: Low oxygen saturation with increased work of breathing indicates impaired breathing, so airway and breathing take priority.

• A. Small hard stools with abdominal straining
• B. Frequent watery stools resembling rice water
• C. Bloody stools with painful rectal spasms
• D. Greasy stools with chronic poor growth

Explanation: Cholera classically causes sudden, profuse, painless watery diarrhoea that may resemble rice water and can rapidly cause dehydration.

• A. Withhold fluids until vomiting has stopped
• B. Begin oral rehydration according to the child assessment plan
• C. Give only plain water for the next four hours
• D. Start an antibiotic before assessing hydration further

Explanation: Restlessness, thirst, sunken eyes and a slowly returning skin pinch are consistent with some dehydration.

• A. Bacterial pneumonia
• B. Acute appendicitis
• C. Otitis externa
• D. Simple constipation

Explanation: Measles can weaken immune defenses and is commonly complicated by pneumonia.

• A. Share eating utensils only after rinsing them
• B. Improve ventilation and avoid close contact with secretions
• C. Give antibiotics to every household member
• D. Keep the affected child in a dark room alone

Explanation: Mumps spreads mainly through respiratory droplets and saliva, so ventilation, hand hygiene and avoiding close contact with oral and…

• A. Keep the fingernails short and use prescribed soothing treatment
• B. Break each vesicle to speed crust formation
• C. Apply antibiotic powder to every lesion routinely
• D. Encourage scratching to remove the crusts

Explanation: Short nails and prescribed soothing measures reduce skin trauma, secondary bacterial infection and discomfort.

• A. Offer small frequent feeds and observe for breathing difficulty
• B. Force a large feed after every coughing episode
• C. Give cough suppressant medicine without medical advice
• D. Place the child flat immediately after feeding

Explanation: Small frequent feeds can reduce exhaustion and vomiting during pertussis, while close observation may detect cyanosis or apnoea.

• A. Assess the child and confirm the prescribed medicine and dose
• B. Give two doses together to remove all worms quickly
• C. Withhold food and fluids for 24 hours
• D. Administer an antimalarial medicine instead

Explanation: The nurse should assess the child and verify the correct prescribed antihelminthic, dose and contraindications before administration.

• A. Mild abdominal discomfort
• B. Circulatory shock from severe fluid loss
• C. Temporary loss of appetite
• D. Uncomplicated intestinal worm infestation

Explanation: Drowsiness, cold extremities, weak pulse and delayed capillary refill indicate poor circulation and possible hypovolaemic shock from…

• A. No signs of dehydration
• B. Some dehydration
• C. Severe dehydration
• D. Dehydration with shock

Explanation: The child has no clinical signs used to classify dehydration. Some dehydration requires findings such as restlessness, thirst, sunken eyes…

• A. Bordetella pertussis
• B. Streptococcus pneumoniae
• C. Measles morbillivirus
• D. Varicella-zoster virus

Explanation: Pertussis is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which spreads through respiratory droplets.

• A. Give aspirin for fever and body aches
• B. Keep the fingernails short and clean
• C. Break the vesicles to dry the rash
• D. Send the child to school after the first day

Explanation: Short, clean nails reduce skin damage and secondary bacterial infection from scratching.

• A. Store drinking water in an uncovered container
• B. Wash hands with soap after using the toilet
• C. Give antibiotics to every family member
• D. Restrict all fruits from the child's diet

Explanation: Handwashing with soap after defecation and before preparing or eating food interrupts faecal-oral transmission.

• A. Maintain adequate fluids and monitor for pneumonia
• B. Apply antibiotic ointment to every skin lesion
• C. Keep the child fasting until the rash disappears
• D. Give aspirin regularly to control the fever

Explanation: Fluids support the child during fever, and respiratory assessment is important because pneumonia is a serious measles complication.

• A. Testicular inflammation and pain
• B. Barking cough and stridor
• C. Bloody diarrhoea and dehydration
• D. Painful vesicles on the skin

Explanation: Mumps can cause orchitis, especially after puberty, so the nurse should observe for testicular pain and swelling.

• A. Provide supportive care and safety-net advice
• B. Start injectable antibiotics immediately
• C. Prepare for emergency airway surgery
• D. Give a routine antimalarial medicine

Explanation: A child without fast breathing, chest indrawing or general danger signs usually needs supportive care, observation and clear return…

• A. Iron-deficiency anaemia
• B. Parotid gland enlargement
• C. A vesicular skin eruption
• D. A whooping cough

Explanation: Hookworms attach to the intestinal mucosa and cause chronic blood loss, which can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia.

• A. Continue breastfeeding and offer suitable foods
• B. Stop breastfeeding until stools become normal
• C. Give only clear water for twenty-four hours
• D. Withhold food to rest the intestine

Explanation: Breastfeeding should continue during diarrhoea, with age-appropriate nutritious foods offered as tolerated.

• A. Improve ventilation and avoid indoor smoke
• B. Share drinking cups only with siblings
• C. Keep windows closed throughout the day
• D. Use antibiotics whenever a child coughs

Explanation: Ventilation reduces the concentration of infectious respiratory particles, while avoiding tobacco and other indoor smoke protects the…