A sore throat is a pain, scratchiness, or irritation of the throat that often worsens when your child swallows. It may come out of the blue if they’re fighting a viral or bacterial infection, and they may also experience cold symptoms like a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a fever, coughing, and headache. You might be able to feel that the glands in their neck are enlarged, and they may be quite tender to the touch. If you look in the back of their throat, you might see one or both tonsils are enlarged and red, causing the gap between them to reduce, and you may notice some white spots on the tonsils.

Walking into a pharmacy can be quite overwhelming when it comes to trying to choose the right product to ease your child’s cough. The first thing to know is that the science behind cough medicines is not conclusive, but anecdotally people find them effective in helping to reduce their cough’s severity. The second is that your child’s cough is most likely caused by a virus – occasionally a bacterial infection– and the cough medicines are designed to ease symptoms but they can’t cure it or make it go away any quicker. The third thing to bear in mind is that coughs are worse at night – gravity when lying flat causes the secretions from their nose, throat and chest to pool and irritate -just when you want them to get a good night’s sleep. So, cough medicines may be a good idea at night and to have by the bedside in case they awaken with a coughing fit. Your child’s age is a good place to start when choosing a cough medicine. Many cough medicines are not suitable for children under the age of 6 years unless directed by a physician. For kids younger than 6 months, Tylenol infant suspension and Motrin infant suspension can be used to provide some relief if your child has a persistent cough causing discomfort associated with a temperature. Different types of ingredients found within cough syrups have different properties to soothe irritation, hopefully aiding comfort and soothing them to sleep.

Monkeypox is a relatively rare disease that entered common public knowledge in 2022 as an outbreak spread within the US. Cases are usually restricted to Africa, and it usually causes only a mild illness. Monkeypox is a virus from the same family as smallpox, a devastating condition that has been defeated worldwide. It's very different from the COVID-19 or chickenpox viruses. It is called monkeypox because it was first discovered in monkeys in 1958. It took 10 years for the first cases to be recorded in humans, and the most likely transmission is still from animals to humans rather than human to human. There are two strains, one from western Africa and one from central Africa. The cases in the US are the western African strain, which causes a milder illness. Although monkeypox was declared a public health emergency in the US in August 2022, most people are not severely unwell. Still, scientists are investigating why it seems to be spreading more quickly from human to human than previously. One working theory is that now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, people are traveling more but have lost some natural immunity to fight viruses during the prolonged period of lockdowns and mask-wearing.

Lyme disease is a condition caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread by an insect called a tick. It is called Lyme disease after the American town where it was first described. The ticks bite an infected animal and then bite us. An infected tick often leaves a classic mark of Lyme disease: a distinctive circular rash, described as a bullseye on a dartboard. This rash may take up to a month to develop, and some don't get it at all. Anyone affected might feel unwell with a fever, muscle aches, headaches and lethargy. If left untreated, Lyme disease can progress to cause multiple symptoms in many different parts of the body that last weeks or months after the initial infection. There are three stages of Lyme disease: Early local skin reaction – this happens 3 to 36 days after being bitten by an infected tick and causes the classical bullseye rash and – in about 1 in 3 cases – a flu-like illness for a few days. Early disseminated disease, which can happen weeks or months afterwards. This includes joint problems such as pain and swelling (often in the knee), nerve inflammation, palpitations, dizziness and breathlessness. Late disease. This can happen years later with many possible symptoms, including persistent joint problems, confusion, mood changes and memory problems, weakness and tiredness.