CHILDREN'S HEALTH

Take Care Tips of Children's Health:

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Children's Health:

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease:

Signs and Symptoms--

1. Small, tender, canker-like sores on the tongue and inside of the cheeks.

2. An itchy reddish rash or small blister on the hands and feet, between the fingers and toes, and sometimes appearing on the buttocks.

3. Low fever up to 102 degrees.

4. Tiredness.

What to do now--

1. Be sure your child drinks plenty of fluids.

2. If the rash is itchy, apply an anti-itch cream.

3. Avoid citrus fruits, spicy foods, and other foods that might irritate your child’s sore mouth. Try serving nutritious liquids, such as chicken or vegetable soup, and soft foods, such as mashed banana, if solid foods are too painful to chew.

4. To help relieve pain or reduce your child’s fever, give acetaminophen. (Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has hand, foot, and mouth disease, chicken pox, flu, or any other illness you suspect of being caused by a virus).

When to call a doctor--

Call for an immediate appointment:

1. If your child have extreme difficulty swallowing.

2. Whenever your child gets a rash. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is not serious, but it can be confused with a rash.

How to prevent it--

1. Make sure children don’t share glasses, silverware, or toys that have been in other children’s mouths.

2. Ensure that your children wash their hands after using the toilet.

Lead Poisoning:  


Signs and Symptoms--

With low levels of lead poisoning, most children show no clear symptoms. Sometimes, however, they will have:

1. Loss of appetite.

2. Vomiting.

3. Fatigue.

4. Constipation.

5. Behavior problems.

Severe lead poisoning:

1. Stomach pain.

2. Headaches.

3. Lack of physical coordination.

4. Loss of recently acquired mental skills.

What to do now--

1. Ask a pediatrician whether you can have a test of your child’s blood for lead; this is the only way to know the level in your child’s blood.

2. If test results show an high lead level 10 micrograms per deciliter or more, according to the CDC - talk to your doctor about ways you can protect your child from further exposure.

3. In severe cases (45 to more than 69 micrograms per deciliter), a treatment that increases the body’s ability to eliminated lead (chelation therapy) can be given.

When to call a doctor--

1. If you think that your child has been exposed to lead; for example, if your house paint is old and peeling or if your house has recently been renovated.

How to prevent it--

1. Consider having the paint, water, and soil in and around your home tested; you may then need to rid your home of lead hazards.

Other steps to take:

1. Keep your house as clean and dust-free as possible. Pay attention to areas where dust tends together, such as windowsills. Frequently damp-mop floors and damp-dust surfaces.

2.Take precautions against lead hazards if you are going to renovate your house. If possible, children and pregnant women should move out of the house during renovation. If this is not possible, they should take extra precautions to avoid being exposed to lead.

3. Wash children’s toys and bottle nipples frequently.

4. Unless a lead test shows that your tap water is safe, use bottled water or a water filter that removes lead from the water. Use only cold water from the tap for drinking, cooking or preparing baby foods.

5. Wash your hands before preparing food, and wash your child’s face and hands before meals.

6. Feed your child balanced meals that include plenty of calcium and iron-rich foods; these can reduce lead absorption.

7. Never purchase, store, or heat foods in cans manufactured in another country; these may contain lead.

8. If you work with lead in your job; remove your work clothes and shower before going home.

Mumps: 

Signs and Symptoms--

1. Low fever from 100 to 101 degrees.

2. Swollen, inflamed neck glands below the ear near the jawbone, on one or both sides of the face.

3. Headache.

4. Earache (sometimes).

5. Loss of appetite.

6. Fatigue.

7. Nausea and vomiting (sometimes).

8. In adults, swelling in one or both testes in men; swelling or ovaries in women. (sometimes)

What to do now--

1. Make sure your child gets lots of rest as long as he or she has a fever.

2. Provide plenty of liquids and a diet of soft foods, such as soups, cooked vegetables, and fruits. But don’t offer sour fruits and juices, which can irritate swollen glands.

3. To ease discomfort, apply ice packs, warm cloths, or heating pads to swollen areas.

4. Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease pain and reduce fever if doctor prescribes. (Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has mumps, chicken pox, flu, or any other illness you suspect of being caused by a virus).

When to call a doctor--

1. If your child has mumps and feels severe abdominal pain or vomits; this could signal an inflamed pancreas.

2. If your child has the symptoms of mumps and a severe headache, neck pain, listlessness, or unusual behavior; this could indicate meningitis.

3. If you suspect your child has mumps.

How to prevent it--

1. Make sure that your child gets the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. This will help prevent mumps. The injection is usually given at 12 months, with a booster at 12 years.

2. To prevent other children from infection of mumps from your child, keep him or her home for seven to ten days after the swelling appears. Don’t send him or her to school.

Teething: 

Signs and Symptoms--

1. Increased fussiness, nighttime crying, and clingy behavior.

2. Excessive salivate.

3. Chewing on fingers and other objects.

4. Swollen, red, and inflamed gums.

5. Increased desire for nursing or bottle-feeding, or child may refuse breast or bottle because sucking action hurts sore gums.

6. Reduced appetite.

What to do now--

1. When your child seems uncomfortable, rub his or her gums with a clean finger.

2. Wrap an ice cube in a soft cloth, and rub it gently on your child’s gums to reduce inflammation. Keep moving the ice over the gums to avoid damaging tissue.

3. If discomfort persists, consult doctor about using acetaminophen. ( Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has chicken pox, flu, or any other illness your suspect of being caused by a virus).

4. The drooling that accompanies teething can cause a rash on the face, neck, and upper chest.

5. Change wet clothing often, or use bibs.

6. Never rub brandy or any other alcoholic drink on your child’s gums (no matter what you might have heard). Alcohol, even in small amounts, is bad for children.

When to call a doctor--

1. If your child has no teeth by 12 months of age. This could indicate a harmless, inherited tendency to late teething, but it might mean a condition that causes delayed bone development.

2. If your child has a fever that lasts more than 48 hours or is higher than 100 degrees, has diarrhea, or is lethargic; these symptoms may indicate a condition more serious than teething.

3. If your child has cold symptoms, a persistent fever, trouble eating or sleeping, or garbs at the side of his or her face; this could signal an ear infection.


Whooping Cough: 

Signs and Symptoms--

First stage (lasts one to two weeks):

1. Low fever of 100 to 101 degrees.

2. Runny nose and sneezing.

3. Dry cough.

Second Stage (lasts two to ten weeks):

1. Severe, frequent coughing, sometimes followed by a whooping sound when breathing in. (Babies may have repeated coughing fits without making the whooping sound.)

2. Red or blue face during coughing episodes. If your child turns blue or stops breathing, Get emergency treatment.

3. Vomiting may follow coughing fits.

Third stage (which may last for several months):

1. Cough that gradually becomes less frequent and severe.

What to do now--

1. First diagnose the problem.

2. Keep your child comfortable.

3. Give your child plenty of liquids to drink. Frequent small meals may reduce likelihood of vomiting.

4. Children may be able to breathe more easily when coughing if they sit up and lean forward.

5. Do not give your child a cough suppressant, as it may prevent the clearing of mucus from blocked airways.

6. Give acetaminophen for pain relief.(Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has chicken pox, flu, or any other illness you suspect of being caused by a virus).

When to call a doctor--

1. If your child turns blue or stops breathing during or after coughing.

Call for an immediate appointment:

1. If your child’s cough becomes more severe and frequent.

2. If he or she has been exposed to someone with whooping cough, even if your child has been immunized.

How to prevent it--

1. Starting at the age of two months, a child should be immunized against whooping cough. The vaccine is about 80 percent effective after three doses.

2. Doctor may recommend preventive antibiotics for family members or schoolmates of a child who has whooping cough, even for those who have been immunized.

3. Avoid exposing your child to anyone who has whooping cough.

Chicken Pox: 

Signs and Symptoms

1. An itchy rash that usually appears on the face and torso.

2. In the beginning small, red spots; then turn into clear, fluid-filled blisters. In the final stage of the rash, the blisters burst and scab over. The rash typically lasts seven to ten days.

3. Occasionally - painful blisters in the mouth or vagina, or around the eyes.

4. A low fever.

What to do now

1. Give acetaminophen for pain. (Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has chicken pox, flu, or any other illness your suspect of being caused by a virus).

2. If your child wears diapers, leave them off as much as possible to let blisters dry.

3. Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and lots to drink.

4. To relieve itching apply calamine lotion to the rash, and try adding a handful of oatmeal, baking soda, or an over-the-counter anti-itch bath powder to your child’s bath water.

5. Keep your child’s skin, clothes, and bed linens clean.

6. To prevent scratching, trim your child’s fingernails and or cover her hands with socks or mittens.

When to call a doctor

1. If chicken pox is accompanied by persistent drowsiness, double vision, extreme sensitivity to light, eye pain, loss of hearing, speech impairment, a stiff neck or back, or a severe cough; these may be symptoms of acute encephalitis, a inflammation of the brain.

2. If breathing becomes difficult; this may be a symptom of pneumonia, a possible complication (sometimes in adults, rarely in children).

3. If areas of your child’s rash look increasingly red, swollen, or tender, or produce a yellow discharge.

4. If chicken pox is accompanied by a fever over 102 for three to four days, a symptom of possible strep infection.

How to prevent it

1. A Chicken pox vaccine is available for all children over 13 months, and it can be combined with other routine immunizations. For children under 13 years old, a single injection should provide immunity to the disease. Anyone
over 13 needs two shots, four to eight weeks apart.

Diarrhea In Children: 

Signs and Symptoms

1. Frequent bowel movements.

2. Loose, watery stools.

3. Abdominal pain or cramping.

What to do now

1. Avoid feeding your baby solid food at first to let the digestive tract rest.

2. Make sure your baby drinks enough clear, warm liquids (water, saline). Let him or her drink only moderate amounts for the first few hours, then as much as his or her stomach can handle.

3. If your baby’s stomach tolerates the fluids, try feeding bulk-adding foods such as bananas, white rice.

4. Don’t give anti-diarrhea products without doctor’s permission; allow your baby’s digestive system to expect whatever irritant or infectious agent may be causing the problem.

5. While your baby is recovering, avoid giving him or her milk products, and fiber-rich foods such as salads and fruit.

6. If your baby’s diarrhea is severe, be sure to avoid dehydration. The signs include dry mouth, sticky saliva, and dark yellow urine in smaller amounts than usual. Commercial dehydration drinks such as depilate (for infants) and sports drinks can help replace lost fluids and minerals.

When to call a doctor

1. If the diarrhea is a accompanied by severe cramping, light-headedness, chills, vomiting, or fever over 100 degrees.

2. If you notice signs of severe dehydration in your baby - dry mouth, sticky saliva, dizziness or weakness, and dark yellow urine Call for an immediate appointment.

3. If baby’s stools are bloody or tarry, or contain  mucus or worms.

4. If your baby have diarrhea frequently, or if it occurs while your baby are taking a medication.

5. If diarrhea lasts for more than 48 hours (one day for a child under three, eight hours for an infant under six months).

6. If your baby may have been drinking untreated water.

7. If you notice signs of dehydration, which can be dangerous for young children.

How to prevent it

1. Avoid giving foods to your baby that you know your baby’s digestive system cannot tolerate well.

2. When traveling in foreign countries, give your baby only bottled or boiled or canned beverages. Make sure your baby eats more fruits and vegetables.

Scarlet Fever: 

  

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of this disease vary person to person, but in most cases it develops as follows:

1. First day: fever from 101 to 104 degrees; red and sore throat; fuzzy tongue; white coating on tonsils.

2. Headache, swollen neck glands; vomiting (sometimes).

3. By the second day: bright red rash that breaks out on face (except right around mouth) and in groin area.

4. By third day: rash, which feels smooth to the touch and may itch, spreads to rest of body. Temperature falls, and tongue turns bright red.

5. By sixth day: rash fades and skin and tongue may peel exposing raw, tender skin.

What to do now

1. Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks lots of lots of liquids. Provide soft foods that won’t irritate a raw throat.

2. Your doctor may recommend acetaminophen to reduce fever and relieve pain. (Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has an illness such as chicken pox, flu, or any other illness you suspect of being caused by a virus).

When to call a doctor

1. If your child has a temperature of 102 degrees or higher.

2. If your child has a sore throat with a rash.

3. If he or she has other symptoms of strep throat or scarlet fever.

4. If your child doesn’t get better with treatment at home.

How to prevent it

1. Keep your child away from anyone who has been diagnosed with a strep infection.

2. Once scarlet fever is diagnosed, make sure other family members are tested for strep if they develop a sore throat, with or without a rash.

3. Get prompt diagnosis and treatment for strep throat or other strep infections.

Rheumatic Fever: 

  

Signs and Symptoms

1. Fever of 100 degrees or higher.

2. Very sore swollen joints.

3. In the beginning, a sore throat usually with swollen glands in the neck.

4. Fatigue and breathlessness.

5. Loss of appetite.

6. Pale skin.

7. Rash on chest, back, and abdomen (sometimes).

What to do now

1. Make sure your child gets rest in bed and drink plenty of liquids.

2. After diagnosis is confirmed, doctor may advise aspirin for joint pain.

When to call a doctor

1. If a child or an adult has recently had a strep infection and then shows symptoms of rheumatic fever.

2. If new, unexplained symptoms appear after treatment has begun; this could be a reaction to a prescribed drug.

3. If a child or an adult has fever, sore throat, and swollen glands that persist for 48 hours or more; these symptoms could signal a strep infection.

How to prevent it

Seek prompt diagnosis and treatment of a strep infection.

Measles: 

 

Signs and Symptoms

1. Fever as high as 105 degrees.

2. Swollen glands.

3. Runny nose & dry cough.

4. Watery red eyes that are sensitive to light

5. Loss of appetite; and muscles pain.

6. Painless, small, gray or white bumps surrounded by red rings in the mouth.

7. Red bumps that start on the face and neck, and then spread down the abdomen and back to the arms and legs.

What to do now

1. Give your child lots of fluids to drink.

2. Encourage your child to rest in bed as much as possible.

3. Try to keep your child’s room humidified.

4. If your child’s eyes are sensitive to light, darken the bedroom.

5. If your child has minor aches or pains, or if fever is causing discomfort, you can give acetaminophen. (Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who illness your suspect of being caused by a virus).

6. Keep your child away from anyone who is not immune to measles.

When to call a doctor

1. If your child has headache, is sensitive to bright light, and feels so drowsy that it is difficult to awake him or her. These can be warning signs of encephalitis.

2. If your child develops a fever of 102 degrees or higher (100 degrees or higher for infants six months or younger.)

3. If your child has a feeling of painful or not painful fullness in the ear.

4. If your child has chills, sweating, and chest pain.

5. If your child is short of breath while resting.

6. If your child develops any kind of rash or other infection diseases can have symptoms that resemble measles.

How to prevent it

Ensure that your child gets immunizations against MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella).