A vaccination to protect against meningococcal strains A, C, W and Y will be offered to 15-19 year olds in an Australian-first, statewide program to start in school Term 2, with the majority of vaccinations planned for Term 3.
Childhood eczema is very common and sometimes found in the same child as part of the allergic triad of asthma, eczema and hay fever. Unfortunately it is often under treated in children due to fears about the overuse of steroid creams. This arises from well meaning yet misguided advice given by health professionals as well as friends and family.
Introducing Solids to Babies
On average, infants visit their GP 11 times in the first year of their life and a common query is when to introduce solids. There is often conflicting advice given by well-meaning relatives and friends as well as various websites which leads to confused parents.
Babies either born premature, with poor weight gain or special health needs then it is essential to consult a doctor or dietician to assist.
For most infants it is recommended to commence solids between 4 and 6 months of age. They should however continue to breast feed or use infant formula to the age of 12 months.
Headaches in Children
Headaches are one of the more common reasons children visit their GP. This is not surprising given that headaches increase in frequency from affecting around 5% of preschool children and rising to around 70% of adolescents. Understandably when their child is affected by a more severe or prolonged headache, parents fear the worst diagnosis that they can imagine: this usually being a brain tumour or meningitis.
Anxious Children
Childhood anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health issues in young people and can often continue in some form into their adult life. There are many helpful psychological strategies they can learn at any age to help manage their anxiety so that it becomes less of an issue.
A degree of anxiety can be a good thing in all of us by giving motivation to change and adapt to new requirements in the environment. However, if the level of anxiety is not appropriate to the situation or causes a person to avoid doing things that are in their best interest, it can become a problem.
Fever in your child
The vast majority of fevers in children are caused by minor and self-resolving viral illnesses. But, rarely, they can be an indicator of more severe illness. So, when can you relax and let their natural immunity fight off the illness and when do you need to seek medical care?
For centuries a variety of behaviours and illnesses in infants and toddlers has been blamed on teething. Some of these now we dismiss out of hand as our knowledge of disease has grown. Serious infections could previously be attributed to a baby teething and indeed teething would be put down on a death certificate in times gone by as a cause of death. However, today many people will still attribute their baby’s ill health to cutting teeth. How valid is this?