Chicken pox is a communicable disease but is also self limiting, which means, the virus gradually leaves the body in few days naturally. Chicken pox is caused by Varicella-zoster virus. Most cases occur through contact with an infected person. The virus can spread through:<ul><li>saliva</li><li>coughing</li><li>sneezing</li><li>contact with fluid from the blisters</li></ul> Symptoms:<ul><li>The obvious sign of chickenpox is a super-itchy skin rash with red blisters. Over the course of several days, the blisters pop and start to leak transparent watery fluid. Then they dry out before finally healing. The first sign is usually a general feeling of being unwell.</li><li>Body aches</li><li>Fever</li><li>Feeling extremely tired (fatigue)</li><li>Feeling irritable</li><li>Loss of appetite</li><li>Headache</li></ul> Most cases of chickenpox are mild and go away on their own. But see your doctor right away if your child develops any of the following symptoms:<ul><li>The rash spreads to one or both eyes.</li><li>The rash gets very red, warm, or tender.</li><li>Dizziness</li><li>Shortness of breath</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Stiff neck</li><li>Fever over 102 F</li></ul> Spreading: You can get the virus by breathing in particles that come from chickenpox blisters or by touching something on which the particles landed. Diagnosis: Your doctor will be able to diagnose chickenpox based on a physical exam of blisters on your child’s body. Treatment:Chickenpox generally resolves within a week or two without treatment. There is no cure, but a vaccine can prevent it. Your child's doctor may prescribe medication or advise on how to reduce the symptoms of itchiness and discomfort.<ol><li>Pain or fever: Your child's doctor will prescribe a medicine that will help with symptoms of high temperature and pain.</li><li>Avoiding dehydration: It is important that your child drinks plenty of fluids, preferably water, to prevent dehydration. Some doctors recommend sugar-free popsicles for children who are not drinking enough.</li><li>Mouth soreness: Sugar-free popsicles help ease symptoms of soreness if there are spots in the mouth. Salty or spicy foods should be avoided. If chewing is painful, soup might be a good option, but it should not be too hot.</li><li>Itchiness: ltchiness can become severe, but it is important to minimize scratching to reduce the risk of scarring. The following may help prevent scratching:</li></ol><ul><li>keeping fingernails clean and as short as possible</li><li>placing mittens or over a child’s hands when they go to sleep</li><li>applying skincare lotion prescribed by the doctor</li><li>wearing loose clothing</li></ul> Precaution:<ul><li>Do not send your child to school so that other children are safe.</li><li>Keep other kids in the house away from the infected child.</li><li>Calamine lotion is usually used to soothe the spots.</li><li>Make children wear light cotton clothes.</li><li>Make them drink plenty of fluids.</li><li>Don’t let your child scratch his/her itchy skin. This could lead to bacterial infection and leave scars.</li></ul> Prevention:Your child should get 2 dose of Chicken pox Vaccine. One at 15th month and second at 18th month to prevent the disease. Vaccine is painless, Very safe and 95% effective if both the doses are given on time.

Here are Chicken pox Symptoms, Causes, Spreading, Prevention, Precaution, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

All about Chicken pox

Ravina Sewani

<ul><li>Allergic Rhinitis is a type of inflammation in the nose following an exposure to the pollen or inhalation of indoor allergens like mould, pet dander, dust mites, dried skin flakes, or smoke.</li><li>As a preventive measure, you may reduce your child's exposure to the outdoor allergens and provide a clean environment free from indoor allergens.</li><li>The symptoms of allergic rhinitis are similar to common cold like runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, nose/eye itching, and teary eyes.</li><li>Allergic Rhinitis can develop in children as early as 18 months.</li><li>In the case of Allergic Rhinitis, your child’s doctor can prescribe either antihistamines or decongestants.</li></ul>

Allergic rhinitis is a severe allergic reaction against allergens.

Allergic Rhinitis

Alihusen Momin

Physical Deformity in another words are called physical abnormality; Birth Defect; Congenital Abnormality; Congenital Anomaly; Congenital Disorder; Congenital Defect. A congenital deformity or physical abnormality is a change in the normal size or shape of a body part caused by a condition that a baby is born with. Deformities can be:congenital: present at birthdevelopmental: appearing later in childhoodacquired: caused by injuries or illnesses that were not present at birthCommon congenital deformities include cleft lips and palates, clubfeet, spina bifida, and spinal deformities like scoliosis, kyphosis, and hyperlordosis. Most congenital deformities are caused by abnormal genetic coding, but some can be due to infections or environmental factors — such as alcohol abuse — that affect the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Congenital deformities can range from mild to severe. Mild deformities might not be visible or cause any symptoms. In severe cases, deformities can be readily apparent, cause pain, interfere with the movement and functioning of affected body parts, and negatively affect self-image. Treatment depends on the specific deformity and often includes surgery or the use of corrective devices like back braces and leg casts. Keep in MindMany congenital deformities can't be seen, won't cause any problems, and will never need treatment. Others respond very well to treatment, especially if it begins as soon as a doctor thinks a baby is ready for it. Cleft lips and palates, for example, can be corrected through surgery; and spinal deformities and clubfeet often can be successfully realigned through bracing and casting.

A congenital deformity or physical abnormality is a change in the normal size or shape of a body part caused by a condition that a baby is born with.

Physical Deformity in children

Dr Ajab Primuswala

The most important thing is to make sure that your child is diagnosed of autism by a psychiatrist or psychologist. You should not confuse autism with social anxiety or social awkwardness. As a parent you have to be extra loving and caring. Be very specific in what words you use with your child. This makes the child comfortable with you and develops a rapport which helps them in expressing themselves in front of you. Things to be taken care of:<ul><li>As a parent, we tend to get aggressive easily when we feel the child is not understanding or obeying us. But leave your aggression aside and be friendlier with your child. The first rule to deal with a child with autism is, be friendly and loving.</li></ul> <ul><li>Second most important thing is to know that a child with autism doesn’t understand eye movements or non verbal communication like signs and gestures. They always need verbal communication for better understanding.</li></ul> <ul><li>For example: If you want your child to sit down, rolling your eyes down won’t make any sense to him/her. It is better to tell him precisely, “Please sit down”. Or you can tell him/her that you would appreciate it if (s)he would sit down.</li></ul> <ul><li>Once you have child has been diagnosed with autism, start working with them as per your psychiatrist/psychologist’s guidance. Your child will develop a lot of coping skills if given regular therapy and constant words of encouragement from you. So when your doctor suggests therapy, go ahead with it and be regular in that.</li></ul> <ul><li>Don’t treat them as different children or disabled children. They are quite normal. It is just that their way of understanding; their way of perception is different than ours.</li></ul> <ul><li>For them, the world is what they perceive, not what we want them to perceive.&nbsp;Be very open in sharing how you are feeling. If you do not like their certain behaviour, you can verbalise and tell them , “I don’t like your behaviour and I would appreciate if you do not repeat it again.” Scolding them for everything they do, is not going to work in a progressive manner.</li></ul> <ul><li>As a parent you can tell people in your surroundings that you can be verbal and caring towards these children. Just don’t treat them differently. Don't be aggressive to them. Be loving and gentle. Convey this to you family, relatives, near and dear ones, so everyone treats him/her in a similar manner as they treat other children.</li></ul>

Children with autism, sure need extra care but they should never be treated as "misfit" children.

Raising a Child with Autism

The feeling of blocked or clogged ears is either due to water or sir getting stuck in the ears. Water in the ears:When water enters in an ear due to any reason, the ear feels clogged/blocked. If there's too much water in the ears, surrounding sounds also get muffled. It is important to remove the water from ears because otherwise it can cause infections. You can get the water out of your child's ear, these are a few steps to follow:<ul><li>First dry out your child's ear using a soft towel. Do not push the towel deep into the ear canal.</li><li>Ask your child to tilt their head on the side of the ear which has water stuck in it and let gravity to do the work. Slightly pull their earlobes; this will straighten the ear canal helping in draining the water.</li><li>If the clogging of the ear persists, you can get ear drops prescribed by your child's doctor.</li><li>Do not use cotton swabs as they will push the dirt deep into the ear. Warn your children to not stick their finger in their ear.</li></ul> Air in the ears:The ears tend to feel full and clogged when a person is sick, or when altitudes change. To relieve from this feeling, one needs to pop their ears. Here is how you can help your child:<ul><li>Yawn: Instruct your child to yawn as many times as possible as yawning helps in opening up the ear canal hence helping the ears to pop.</li><li>Swallow: Give water to your child or a candy to suck on as swallowing activates the muscles that open up the ear canal.</li><li>Valsalva maneuver: Take a deep breath and pinch your nose shut. Keep your mouth closed and gently exhale through the nose. If your child is too young, this technique to pop the ears is not advised as it carries a minute risk of rupturing the eardrum.</li><li>Toynbee maneuver: Pinch the nose shut and with your mouth closed, try swallowing. If your child has difficulty doing this, a mouthful of water will help in swallowing.</li><li>If nothing works, consult your child's doctor.</li></ul>

The feeling of blocked or clogged ears is either due to water or sir getting stuck in the ears.

Blocked ears

Allergy to soy is developed due to the trigger of immune response against the soy proteins which the body considers as threat.Allergic reactions to soy are usually mild and the anaphylactic reaction from soy is very rare.Studies also show that many children outgrow soy allergy in later life but it is better to stay careful. Symptoms:<ul><li>Nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing or dry cough</li><li>Eczema (a dry, itchy rash) or hives (reddish, swollen, itchy areas on the skin)</li><li>Redness of the skin around the mouth or eyes</li><li>Itchy mouth, ear canal or lip swelling, odd taste in the mouth</li><li>Nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea or stomach pain</li><li>Severe reactions include loss of consciousness, chest pain, turning pale, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing, or anaphylaxis.</li></ul> Diagnosis:Get your child diagnosed by a doctor. The doctor might examine your child’s medical history as well your family history. The doctor might also suggest one of the tests - skin prick test, blood tests or an Oral Food Challenge to confirm whether your child has an allergy to soy or not. Precautions and treatments:<ul><li>Develop a habit of reading the food labels for ingredients and allergy information.</li><li>Teach your child to mention about the allergy whenever he/she goes to visit someone.</li><li>Inform your child’s school about your child’s allergy to soy. You can also give the medicines prescribed by your doctor to the school which they can use in case of sudden allergic reactions.</li><li>Be careful about the possibility of cross-contact; especially when visiting a restaurant.</li><li>Your child’s paediatrician might prescribe antihistamine medicines to fight against allergic reactions due to soy. Always give medications for allergy under proper guidance of the doctor.</li><li>Always keep the allergy medication handy for your child.</li></ul> Foods to avoid in case of soy allergy:<ul><li>Cold-pressed, expelled or extruded soy oil, Natto, Soy cheese, Soy milk, Soy yogurt, Soy sauce, Tofu</li><li>Some of the formula milk contains soy or soy derivatives so it is advisable to consult with your child’s paediatrician before deciding any formula milk for your child.</li><li>Some children can tolerate highly refined soy oil.</li><li>Soy is also a hidden ingredient is some of the pet foods and beauty products like soaps and moisturisers.</li></ul>

Soy, like peanut belongs to the legume family but a child who has a peanut allergy will not necessarily be allergic against soy and vice versa.

Soy allergy

In mastitis, your breasts might become tender, warm to touch, breast may get swollen, get a breast lump, skin redness, experience burning sensation continuously or while breast-feeding. Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast due to ineffective draining of milk. Mastitis is known to happen in only one breast but sometimes it can happen in both your breasts. Mastitis requires medical advice right away. When you are breastfeeding, milk production is a continuous process and if you do not empty your breasts, the pressure around the breasts increases and the milk builds up in the surrounding breasts tissues. This build up of milk causes redness and swelling. If the milk enters into the blood stream, your immune system might respond with fever or with chills and heat alternatively. Mastitis sometimes is also caused by bacteria entering your body through your cracked nipples or milk ducts. The risk of mastitis increases there is poor draining of milk, sore or cracked nipples, inefficient nursing, or if you wear a tight-fitting dress restricting your milk flow, if you smoke or have a poor nutrition compromising your immunity. If left untreated, mastitis could lead to abscess. Mastitis can be prevented by ensuring drainage of the milk from your breasts while breast-feeding. This can be done by allowing your baby to fully feed from one breast before offering the other.The usual treatment for mastitis includes prescription of antibiotics. Mastitis can recur if you do not treat the cause. You need to drain your breast totally during every feed. Continue to breastfeed through your bout of mastitis as this may help you. If you do not do this, you run the risk of another infection.

Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast due to ineffective draining of milk.

Mastitis in mothers

Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) or Pollen-Fruit Syndrome (PFS) is a type of contact allergy resulting in a local reaction in the mouth or throat following ingestion of certain foods (raw veggies and fruits).This is commonly seen in children who are highly sensitive to pollen due to the cross-reactivity between the allergy-causing pollen proteins and proteins present in certain foods or vice versa. Symptoms:<ul><li>Symptoms of an OAS are common during the pollen season.</li><li>If a child allergic to pollen develops an allergic reaction in the pollen season against a specific fruit or vegetable, it is not a 'true food allergy' but cross-reactivity.</li><li>True Food Allergy is an allergy to the proteins present in the food and is diagnosed by healthcare professionals based on the symptoms, history, and tests if required.</li><li>OAS is diagnosed by evaluating clinical history, followed by a skin prick test containing extracts of pollen and the specific food if required.</li><li>Symptoms of an OAS are immediate within a few minutes, with a rapid onset of itching or swelling of mouth, throat, tongue or face. These symptoms usually disappear in a few minutes as well. The reactions of OAS are usually mild and can be treated by giving your child antihistamine medication prescribed by your doctor.</li></ul>

Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) is a local allergic reaction in mouth and throat.

Oral Allergy Syndrome

Samiksha Choithani

Cleft is a split in the lip that can be immediately identified during the birth of a baby. A cleft lip is a split in the lip. Cleft lip and cleft palate can affect one or both sides of the mouth. Cleft lip and cleft palate can occur independently of each other or can occur together. A cleft lip is caused due to many reasons - it can be hereditary, exposure to substances like cigarettes, alcohol or medications, diabetes or obesity during pregnancy. Babies having cleft lip can breastfeed comfortably, however babies with a cleft palate may have difficulty in sucking.&nbsp;Consider this while feeding a baby with cleft lip (Without cleft palate):<ul><li>The baby may find it difficult to seal nipple with the mouth. If there is a hissing sound, it indicates that air is entering in the mouth.</li><li>Try to reposition the breast and baby’s mouth to form a vacuum.</li><li>The nipple should be behind the tongue; this will help the baby to hold the nipple in its mouth.</li><li>You can adjust and change positions to identify the one that works the best for your baby</li></ul> A cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of the mouth. A cleft palate can involve the hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth), and/or the soft palate. Consider this while breastfeeding a baby with cleft palate:<ul><li>Hold your breast in such a way that baby can get a good grip and latch properly.</li><li>The cleft can be repaired with surgery after 6-12 months but before that do not stop breastfeeding your child.</li><li>Breast milk is very helpful as it does not cause irritation on delicate tissues of the nose and throat and can help to reduce ear problems. Try to avoid formula milk.</li><li>Take help from nurses or specialists to feed the baby with a cleft palate. There are alternate methods like bowl and spoon-feeding, use a breast pump to get the milk in a bowl and feed the child with a spoon.</li></ul>

A cleft occurs because the tissues of the baby’s face and mouth don’t fuse (link) properly.

insect sting allergy health concerns

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