Palak Vyas

Infectious diseases that spread from person to person are said to be contagious. Contagious diseases can spread through insect bites or by ingesting contaminated food or water. Contagious or communicable diseases include: Flu, Common cold, Hepatitis A and B, Measles, Cholera, Rubella, Lice, Mumps, Chicken pox, Cough, Meningitis, Strep throat, Conjunctivitis. To avoid communicable diseases:<ul><li>Ask your children to wash their hands often with soap to reduce the risk of catching any infection. Specially before and after taking food and after using toilets. You too should maintain proper hygiene while preparing food. Tell them not to keep touching their eyes, nose or mouth with their hands.</li><li>Get your child vaccinated for rubella, measles, diphtheria, typhoid on due time.</li><li>Keep your child at home when he or she is ill. If they have any of the symptoms like fever, diarrhoea, or vomiting, don’t send them to school. Sending them to school can worsen their own health plus they may cause infection to other&nbsp;healthy children.</li><li>While you prepare food, use disinfectant and cleaners to clean kitchen surfaces.</li><li>Make sure they don't share their personal items like a toothbrush and comb either with friends or siblings. Avoid sharing drinking glasses and dining utensils too.</li><li>If you are travelling out of the country, go see a doctor first. Ask your doctor about any special vaccination such as yellow fever, cholera, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B etc.</li></ul>

It is very important to take proper precautions to stay away from communicable diseases. Children catch diseases faster than adults as their immune system is weaker than adults.

Precautions for contagious disease

Ravina Sewani

<ul><li>Pet allergy is body’s immune response against animal’s dander (dead skin in animal fur), animal’s saliva, or animal’s urine. The body perceives all of these as a threat and triggers an allergic reaction in your child.</li><li>A pet with a lot of fur or feathers on its body holds a greater chance of triggering an allergic reaction in your child.</li><li>If your child has been diagnosed of pet allergy by your child’s paediatrician, it is better to not own a pet. If your child loves animals, you can take him/her visit your friend’s or relative’s pets once in a while.</li><li>If your child is allergic to other things as well, then your child may show immediate symptoms after coming in contact with some animals.</li><li>Pet allergies are known to self-resolve after avoiding animals for some time. But if this is not the case, it is better to not own pets at all.</li><li>Pet allergens are airborne so use an air filter in your house to keep your child from contacting these allergens. Keep the carpets at the minimum in your house.</li><li>Keep your pet’s belongings and cage clean and free of fur.</li><li>Keeping pets outdoor might help a bit but does not solve the problem entirely.</li><li>Treatments include prescription of antihistamines and nasal sprays by your child’s paediatrician.</li></ul> Symptoms:<ul><li>Itching</li><li>Rashes</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Diarrhoea</li><li>Swelling of the lips or tongue or face</li><li>Throat constriction</li><li>Difficulty in breathing</li><li>Allergies may sometimes also cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis which constricts the airway passage and requires immediate medical attention.</li></ul> Diagnosis:<ul><li>Always get your child diagnosed by a healthcare expert and never on your own. Never self-assume that your child has peanut allergy. Commercial home test kits for self-diagnosis are not recommended as they may not be of the required standards.</li><li>Your child’s paediatrician may recommend that your child undertake tests like skin prick test, blood test or food/drug challenge. It is important that these tests are performed under medical supervision as these tests might trigger an allergic reaction. Along with these tests, your child’s paediatrician will also examine your child's medical/family history, existing conditions like asthma and eczema.</li></ul>

Children love pets. But sometimes, the pet dander may cause allergies in children.

Pet allergy

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

Causes of deafness:<ul><li>Otitis media: middle ear infection</li><li>Premature birth</li><li>Diabetic mother</li><li>Genetic make-up</li><li>Smoking or consuming alcohol while pregnancy</li><li>Nervous or brain disorder</li><li>Illness of injuries - meningitis, encephalitis, measles, chickenpox, flu</li></ul> Look for these signs to make sure that your child's hearing is developing continuously: From birth to four months, your infant should:<ul><li>Startle at loud sounds</li><li>Wake up or stir at loud noises</li><li>Respond to your voice by smiling or cooing</li><li>Calm down at a familiar voice</li></ul> From four months to nine months, your infant should:<ul><li>Smile when spoken to</li><li>Notice toys that make sounds</li><li>Turn its head toward familiar sounds</li><li>Make babbling noises</li><li>Understand hand motions like the bye-bye wave</li></ul> From nine to 15 months, your baby should:<ul><li>Make various babbling sounds</li><li>Repeat some simple sounds</li><li>Understand basic requests</li><li>Use its voice to get your attention</li><li>Respond to name</li></ul> From 15 to 24 months, your toddler should:<ul><li>Use many simple words</li><li>Point to body parts when you ask</li><li>Name common objects</li><li>Listen with interests to songs, rhymes and stories</li><li>Point to familiar objects you name</li><li>Follow basic commands</li></ul> Hearing loss Symptoms:<ul><li>No reaction to loud noises</li><li>No response to your voice</li><li>Child makes simple sounds that taper off</li><li>Pulls or rubs an ear</li><li>Be constantly cranky for no clear reason</li><li>Stops paying attention</li><li>Has little energy</li><li>Does not understand directions</li><li>Often asks for the TV or radio to be louder</li><li>Has a fever</li><li>Has ear pain</li></ul> Diagnosis: Hospitals usually check newborns' hearing before they are sent home. Some others are particularly tested where deafness is known in the family. Types of Hearing Loss:<ol><li>Conductive hearing loss: It is caused by something that stops the sounds from getting through the outer or middle ear. This type is usually treated via medicines or surgery.</li><li>Sensorineural hearing loss: It is caused because of the functionality problem either of the inner ear or hearing nerve.</li><li>Mixed hearing loss: It is due both the conductive and the sensorineural hearing loss.</li><li>Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: The sound enters the ear normally but because of the defects in either the inner ear or in the hearing nerve, the brain does not understand what the sound is.</li><li>Unilateral or Bilateral hearing loss: Hearing loss in one ear (unilateral) or both the ears (bilateral).</li><li>Symmetrical or Asymmetrical: Hearing loss is the same in both the ears (symmetrical) or different in both the ears (asymmetrical).</li><li>Congenital or Acquired: Hearing loss from birth (congenital) or develops later in life (acquired).</li></ol> Treatment:<ul><li>Conditions like otitis media go away on their own. So if your child is diagnosed of otitis media, in time (s)he will be able to hear soon. An ENT doctor will guide you for the same. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics for this condition. If otitis media does not improve, an ENT doctor might suggest getting the ear tubes surgery done.</li></ul>Other treatments include:<ul><li>Hearing aids: Children as young as 1 month old can use this device. Consult an ENT doctor to choose the right device for your child.</li><li>Implants: These are electronic devices which are placed in the inner ear to help with the hearing. These are a second resort when hearing aids don't work.</li></ul> Prevention:<ul><li>Maintain healthy lifestyle during pregnancy.</li><li>Make sure the child gets all the vaccines.</li><li>Keep your child away from excessive loud noises.</li><li>Wear ear protection like earplugs or earmuffs if you are going to be around very loud noises for more than a few minutes.</li><li>Remove excessive earwax.</li></ul> Raising a child with hearing impairment:Hearing impairment can be either congenital defect, due to some injury/disease or due to exposure to loud noises after birth. Raising a child with hearing loss can be quite challenging. It is altogether different. It will demand more patience and more understanding with loads of love.Depending upon the level of deafness, parents can select a kindergarten or school where a child's special needs are met. There are special schools and educators for such differently-abled children. With certain children, hearing is possible with surgery or a hearing device. But sometimes this defect is irreversible and can’t be cured. In all cases, the child and parents can learn different ways of communication to understand each other better. Lip reading skills, written or printed texts and sign language, are the ways for communication with such children.&nbsp;There are important aspects that parents can work on:<ol><li>The most important of all is a child's self-esteem. As a parent, you can always boost their confidence by praising their little efforts and continuous smiles.</li><li>Motivate them throughout the process.</li><li>Usually parents tend to overlook and forget to acknowledge their child’s immense effort in coping with the situation.</li><li>Do not treat them as weak. Support them but at the same time let them learn to be independent.</li><li>Let them have their own battles and own victories. Do not talk on their behalf. Unless they ask you, stay away and let them deal with friends and people on their own.</li><li>Be around whenever they need help but do not impose yourself all the time and everywhere.</li><li>Gradually the child as well as people around develop understanding and learn to communicate with each other.</li><li>Stay consistent with your behaviour. Sometimes the parents start pitying their child. Avoid over sympathising with them. As a parent, you give them the liberties which you would not otherwise if they could hear. So do not do this. Raise them firmly and with the right kind of attitude. Do not compare your hearing-impaired child to another child who can hear properly.</li><li>There should be same rules and regulations for all the kids in the house.</li><li>Instil qualities of self-control, behavioural management, cooperative skills and positive responses to people.</li><li>Good communication is the basis of good bonds in the family. Be patient with such a child and let them have their time to communicate. Give them a fair chance to express in everyone’s presence.</li><li>You, as a family, can learn the sign language or develop a system to communicate with your child. Playing games using sign languages can enhance his/her communication skills.</li><li>Family support is the strength of such a child. Be sensitive and supportive of them. Help them feel normal, natural and strong.</li></ol>

Here are Deafness Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Prevention, and Diagnosis.

All about Deafness

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. The disease is most common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. Causes:<ul><li>Common sources of contamination include:</li><li>Municipal water supplies</li><li>Ice made from municipal water</li><li>Foods and drinks sold by street vendors</li><li>Vegetables grown with water containing human wastes</li><li>Raw or under-cooked fish and seafood caught in waters polluted with sewage</li></ul> When a person consumes the contaminated food or water, the bacteria release a toxin in the intestines that produces severe diarrhoea. Symptoms:Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five days after infection. These include:<ul><li>Rapid heart rate</li><li>Loss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly if pinched)</li><li>Dry mucous membranes, including the inside of the mouth, throat, nose, and eyelids</li><li>Low blood pressure</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Thirst</li><li>Muscle cramps</li><li>If not treated, dehydration can lead to shock and death in a matter of few hours.</li></ul> Diagnosis:Doctors usually take a stool sample or vomit sample to check for signs of the cholera causing bacteria. Treatment:<ul><li>Hydration is the treatment for cholera. Depending on how severe the diarrhoea is, treatment will consist of oral or intravenous solutions to replace lost fluids. Antibiotics, which kill the bacteria, are not used for mild cases. But they can reduce the duration of diarrhoea and also reduce the excretion of the bacteria, thus helping to prevent the spread of the disease.</li><li>Cholera vaccines are also available but whether your child needs one or not will be decided by your child’s doctor.&nbsp;</li></ul> Prevention:Use water that is boiled, chemically disinfected, or bottled water for the following purposes:<ul><li>Drinking</li><li>Preparing food or drinks</li><li>Making ice</li><li>Brushing your teeth</li><li>Washing your face and hands</li><li>Washing dishes and utensils that you use to eat or prepare food</li><li>Washing fruits and vegetables</li></ul> Avoid raw foods like:<ul><li>Unpeeled fruits and vegetables</li><li>Unpasteurised milk and milk products</li><li>Raw or under-cooked meat or shellfish</li><li>Fish caught in tropical reefs, which may be contaminated.</li></ul>

Here are Cholera Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

All about Cholera

Many people use the word depressed very casually. Never just assume that your child is depressed if you haven’t got your child assessed by a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. If your child is functioning fine but just remains upset or irritated, this might be some stress. You can talk to your child and understand the reason behind it. If your child along with being sad or irritated does not eat and sleep well, (s)he needs evaluation done by a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. Depression in children is different from their developing emotions. Sadness does not equal to depression. If your child’s sadness becomes constant and interferes his/her daily tasks and routine, family life, schoolwork, or their friendship, it may indicate that your child needs professional help. Symptoms:<ul><li>Irritability or anger</li><li>Continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness</li><li>Social withdrawal</li><li>Increased sensitivity to rejection</li><li>Changes in appetite – increased or decreased</li><li>Changes in sleep – reduced or excessive</li><li>Vocal outbursts or crying</li><li>Difficulty concentrating</li><li>Fatigue and low energy</li><li>Physical complaints (such as stomach aches, headaches) that don't respond to treatment</li><li>Reduced ability to function during events and activities at home or with friends, in school, extracurricular activities, and in other hobbies or interests</li><li>Feelings of worthlessness or guilt</li><li>Thoughts of death or suicide</li></ul>Not every child has the same symptoms. Most children display different symptoms at different times and in different settings. Risk factors:Children with a family history of violence, alcohol abuse, or physical or sexual abuse are at greater risk of experiencing depression. Causes:<ul><li>Physical health issues</li><li>Life events</li><li>Family history of depression</li><li>Family conflicts</li><li>Genetic vulnerability</li><li>Substance abuse</li></ul> Diagnosis:<ul><li>A doctor’s visit needs to be scheduled for your child if the symptoms of depression have lasted for at least two weeks. Remember that a visit to a mental healthcare professional – either a psychiatrist or a psychologist – is needed to properly have a plan of action for your child.</li><li>A mental health evaluation usually includes interviews with you (the parent or primary caregiver) and your child. Information from teachers, friends and classmates can be useful for showing that these symptoms are consistent during your child's various activities and are different from previous behaviour.</li><li>There are no specific tests that can clearly show depression, but tools such as questionnaires (for both the child and parents) combined with personal information, can be very useful in helping diagnose depression in children.</li></ul> Treatment:<ul><li>Treatment includes psychotherapy (counselling) and medication. Your child's doctor may suggest psychotherapy first, and consider antidepressant medicine as an additional option if there is no significant improvement.</li><li>It is difficult for parents to accept the fact that their child might be depressed. Some parents tend to live in denial of this fact and avoid taking help from a mental healthcare professional. It is very important for parents to understand depression and realise the importance of treatment so that children can grow physically and emotionally in a healthy way.</li></ul> Prevention:Most of the times it is difficult for parents to prevent depression in children, mostly because depression is a type of mental illness and is invisible as such. Hence most parents don't see it coming. Many have a great deal in accepting that their child might be depressed. But you can always choose an emotionally healthy lifestyle to reduce the chances of your child going under depression. Following are a few things to keep in mind:Establish routine in your child's life. Avoid unnecessary moving of houses and schools. Stick to a schedule.Encourage open and honest communication.Keep a check on your behaviour. Do not constantly nag your child or always telling them what not to do. Opt for constructive feedback and try and understand their perspective towards things.Keep arguments among family and arguments between husband and wife away from children.Support your child's self-esteem.

Here are Depression Symptoms, Causes, Risk factors, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention.

All about Depression

<ul><li>If the child gets sick again and again, the parent considers it as weak immunity but this is not true because every time a child falls sick, (s)he gets back to normal on their own so the immunity is fine. The immunity is weak when the child doesn’t heal and stays sick for long extended periods.</li><li>As a child grows, (s)he does not stay at one place or with just one person. This leads to a child getting exposed to outside environment and a lot of new people. Due to this, the chances of catching infections again and again are very high. And so the child falls sick frequently.</li><li>This does not mean that the immunity is less. In fact, the child should not be given medication again and again. The infection will be cured within a week as a child’s body learns to fight against outside germs. Fighting against germs will only make your child’s immunity stronger.</li><li>A child’s immunity completely develops by 5 to 7 years.</li></ul> To increase your child's immunity:<ul><li>Breastfeed your baby.</li><li>Encourage exercise:&nbsp;It enhances immune system through stress-reduction. Thus encouraging your kids to opt for age-appropriate exercise regularly, will&nbsp;make them physically fit and support their immunity. Regular moderate intensity exercise increases child’s immunity.</li><li>Give them nutritious diet: Deficiencies of Vitamins A, C, E, B6 and Folate, are also associated with reduced immunity. Micro-nutrients such as Zinc, Selenium, Iron and Copper are also important in developing a healthy immune system. Thus, a properly balanced diet with all required nutrients is extremely important, especially in the growing years when the immune system is still maturing.</li><li>Inculcate healthy sleep habits: Sleep is a restorative process that plays a critical role in the proper functioning of the immune system. It is important to develop and follow a healthy and optimum sleep pattern for your children.</li><li>Serve more fruits and vegetables.</li><li>Develop a good habit of washing hands: You should pay particular attention to their hygiene before and after each meal and after playing outside, handling pets, blowing their nose, using the bathroom, and arriving home from daycare. When you're out, carry disposable wipes with you for quick cleanups. To help kids get into the hand-washing habit at home, let them pick out their own brightly coloured hand towels and soap in fun shapes, colours, and scents.</li><li>Keep your babies away from second hand smoke: If you or your spouse smokes, quit. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 toxins, most of which can irritate or kill cells in the body.</li></ul>

Your child getting sick again and again does not mean that (s)he has a weaker immunity.

Increasing child’s immunity

This is how you can help your child if (s)he is afraid of injections: The fear of injections is seen in both children and adults. Infants don't have fear of injections. But a child who is 4 or 5 years old, is scared of injection because he/she understands that injections cause pain. Tell the truth: Be honest with your child. Do not lie to your child ever that injection is not going to hurt because it actually does and when they experience it they will lose trust on you. Try explaining to them the importance and benefits of injections and vaccinations. Explain it to them that it's for a safety purpose. Tell them it's going to hurt but just for a few seconds.&nbsp;Don’t give them too much time to ponder: A child might get anxious and terrified if you tell them a lot beforehand. Do not share more details about the visit. You can tell your child just before you are about to leave for the visitor if your child needs some preparation time, tell accordingly.&nbsp;Using distraction and anaesthetic cream: Numbing/anaesthetic cream can be used to ease their pain. While the doctor gives the injection, hold your child’s hand, make some funny faces, tell jokes, sing a song, etc. In short, distract them from pain.&nbsp;Leave them alone with the hospital staff if required: Sometimes when children are around their parents, they throw tantrums. The moment you leave the room, they behave properly. So leave your child with the hospital’s staff, if need be.&nbsp;Ensure immediate relief: Rub the injection site gently after injection. Use cold compressor apply an ice pack wrapped in a cloth. A small reward won’t harm: You can reward your child with a sticker, candy, his/her favourite ice-cream, bravery card or anything creative or innovative thing you can think of. Do not bribe them by saying, “You can have a treat if you get this vaccination”. Instead, you can say, “We can get a treat when your vaccination is done.” In rare cases, some children can get a syncope attack. In a syncope attack, there is a temporary loss of consciousness usually because of reduced blood flow to the brain. So the doctor always makes such a child sit or lay down on the bed before giving the injection. Make sure the child is fed properly before seeing the doctor.

Many children are afraid of injections, sometimes adults too.

Handling child who is afraid of injections

If your baby cries for excessively for too long and cries frequently despite your best attempts to soothe or console, your child might be having Infantile colic (I.C). Infantile colic starts at about 3 weeks of age and self-resolve by 6 months. Do not feel guilty about not being able to soothe your child because more children than you would assume have infantile colic. Colic and crying are different. All babies cry but not all are colicky. When babies cry it is to grab your attention to matters like hunger, wet diapers, tummy troubles, teething, or an underlying illness. And this is not colic. Ideally a colicky infant cries for more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, and for over 3 weeks. Babies with colic are healthy, gain weight normally, and do not have digestive complaints or other known ailments. Other symptoms of colic are flushed red face when the babies cry, fussiness with arching back, drawing knees to the stomach, or clenching fists. The exact reasons for colic are still a mystery. The digestive system of infants is immature and this can lead to colic. Your child’s doctor will diagnose colic based on the symptoms, intensity and duration of the crying episodes. Managing my colicky baby:<ul><li>Ensure that your baby is not hungry or cold. Make sure to change the diapers regularly.</li><li>Always hold your baby upright while feeding and burp your baby after feeding. This prevents swallowing of air.</li><li>Bathe your baby in warm water, while gently massaging your baby's stomach.</li><li>Identify the time your baby gets fussy determine if anything seems to trigger or relieve the crying baby. Talk about your diet with your doctor, the doctor may suggest to skip some gas-producing foods from your diet.</li><li>Try new positions with your baby, swaddle them tight or massage may help. Try to turn your baby on your lap, make them sleep on stomach, and gently massage on back.</li><li>You can also try some sounds, a car ride or take them out in a pram. Sometimes changing the surroundings and outdoors may do the magic.</li><li>Take turns with family members to handle a the baby when they fussy.</li><li>When the baby is crying cradle or rock your baby in your arms. The comfort of your arms might calm your baby!</li><li>Sometimes, your child’s doctor might prescribe colic drops for your baby’s relief. But mind well that colic drops should only be given to a child after a doctor’s prescription.</li></ul> Seek immediate medical help if your baby develops other complications like breathing problems, turns pale, refuses to feed and vomits green fluid, or has traces of blood while passing motion.

Crying and colic are not the same thing and so it is important to identify the difference and address it.

respiratory problems health concerns

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