Children's Health and Well-Being

Paediatricians are concerned with the care of infants, children and early adolescents. Paediatricians are often the primary care physicians from the birth of a child to caring for their health as well as general growth and well-being, including administering inoculations and vaccinations as and when necessary

Common Illnesses That Affect Children

A common condition in newborn babies and young children due to their tear ducts developing, the sticky discharge in the corner of their eyes or eyelashes are nothing to worry about.

Common in infants and toddlers, ear infections tend to be caused by viruses after a cold. It can be painful, may cause a fever and cause your child to try and rub or pull at their ears. Young babies cannot always describe where the pain is coming from and react by being irritable or crying.

Seek help when:

- Symptoms last longer than 4 days

- Pain becomes more severe

- Your child develops a high temperature

- Your child experiences breathing difficulties

Though mild to us, the common cold can still be self-limiting and even the smallest viral infection of the upper respiratory tract should be cautioned in children. From nasal stuffiness to running noses, sneezes as well as sore throats, coughs and fevers, your child may be irritable and face difficulty with feeding.

Seek help when:

- Symptoms last more than 10 days

- Your child has a rash with fever

- Your child is not waking or interacting

- Your child faces difficulty in breathing

Very common among children of all ages, the stools they pass may be hard and difficult. Other signs of constipation may be persistent abdominal pain.

A mild disease and a rite of passage for many, chickenpox is a disease that most children will catch at some point. Older children and adults are at higher risk the later they catch the virus.

Seek help when:

- The victim of chickenpox is a pregnant woman

- The victim of chickenpox is an infant

- The victim of chickenpox has a weakened immune system

It is important to note that chickenpox can be passed onto others about 2 days before any symptoms have shown. It is best to keep your child away from public areas if they have chickenpox.

If your child or infant experiences running noses, a dry persistent cough, difficulty breathing and a temperature, they may just be dealing with one of the most common respiratory tract infections – bronchitis.

Though loose stools in children can happen on occasion, diarrhea however is when your child ppasses unformed and watery stools on a frequent basis. They may have food allergies but most of the time this is caused by an infection or a stomach bug. Called gastroenteritis, the most common causes are usually viruses like the rotavirus. In younger children, diarrhea and vomiting may be more serious, especially babies as they can easily lose too much fluid from their bodies and become severely dehydrated.

Seek help when:

- Your child has passed six or more diarrhea stools

- Your child has vomited three or more times within 24 hours

- Your child has not been able to hold down fluids for at least 8 hours

- Your child is floppy, irritable and has no appetite

- Your child is experiencing stomach pain

- Your child has a headache and/or a stiff neck

As a common and long-term health condition, the severity of asthmatic symptoms may change depending on the child. It affects their airways with a sudden and severe onset of symptoms such as the difficulty to breathe, wheezing and shortness of breath.

If your child or infant is experiencing inflamed eyes, this could be a highly infectious bacterial or viral condition. If the discharge present is yellow, it is usually bacterial in nature, if clear and stick, viral. Their eyes may swell, feel sore, become red and itchy with sticky eyelids and water more than usual.