Whooping cough is a common bacterial infection that affects the airways and lungs, usually in toddlers and children. It’s spread from one child to another by coughs and sneezes and is highly contagious. There are many different types of coughs in children, so it is important to be able to differentiate. Doctors call whooping cough pertussis. It causes a persistent cough that can last for several months. For this reason, it is also referred to as the 100-day cough. Hand hygiene, coughing and sneezing into tissues immediately disposed of, and staying away from others while they are infectious are paramount to reduce the spread. Pertussis vaccination forms one part of the usual childhood immunizations.

Tonsillitis occurs when a viral or bacterial infection causes the tonsils – immune-fighting glands at the back of the mouth – to become inflamed. You get a sore throat causing pain on swallowing and possibly earache, and you may be able to see or feel that one side of the throat is more swollen from the outside. Your tonsils will likely look red, possibly with some white dots (pus) on them. You might have a high fever, headache and generally feel pretty unwell. Children and young adults are more likely to suffer tonsillitis. Most infections are viral and therefore don't respond to antibiotics – they get better on their own after about a week. Viral tonsillitis can often present with general symptoms of a cold, such as a runny or blocked nose and a cough. Some things make a sore throat or tonsillitis more likely to be bacterial, which may require antibiotics to help your body recover. A bacterial infection is generally more likely if you have the following symptoms: no symptoms of a cold such as a cough if you have a fever higher than 100°F swollen lymph nodes in your neck white spots on a very large tonsil or symptoms have developed quickly, within 24 hours When your doctor is deciding whether the cause is viral or bacterial, they will sometimes use evidence-based scores that help to determine the likelihood of bacterial infections. If the cause is likely viral, antibiotics won't help - the infection will get better on its own. The majority of tonsillitis cases will improve on their own; however, it is important to stay hydrated and rest to help your body fight the infection. You can take over-the-counter pain relief to help with any pain, and your pharmacist can advise you on this. Your pharmacist can also advise you on lozenges and throat sprays to help with a sore throat.

A frenulum is a piece of tissue in the baby's mouth, attaching the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. They occur elsewhere in the mouth and body, but this one is called the lingual frenulum. It's usually loose enough to allow the tongue to move freely, but some babies are born with a tight attachment. This can restrict movement of the tongue, and is graded according to severity. This can impact a good latch and good feeding, and later on speech, if very tight and left uncorrected. A minor surgical operation is sometimes recommended to release the frenulum, and this corrects the tongue-tie.

Thrush is caused by a fungal infection called candida, which can enter and affect the breast and nipple area in breastfeeding women. This can happen when the nipples become cracked or sore because the latch or position is incorrect. Thrush can develop after a course of antibiotics, as antibiotics can reduce the number of good bacteria that help fight infections like fungus. Thrush on the breast can also cause breastfed babies to develop thrush in their mouths.

Parents are understandably anxious about the rise in Group A strep cases currently. Streptococcus A is a very common bacterial infection affecting those from 4 to 14 years old, and it usually causes a mild sore throat and fever. Although rare, some children contract an invasive form of Group A Streptococcus (iGAS), leading to severe illness requiring hospital treatment and possible threat to life. Advice from the public health bodies has emphasized presenting your child when they appear very unwell, but what does this mean? Let’s talk you through how to recognize the signs, when to seek help and when to worry.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is commonly referred to as crib death. It is the term for the sudden death of a healthy baby that occurs without explanation or expectation. Thankfully, SIDS is rare, with about 1,300 babies dying in the US every year, but every death is one death too many, so the aim is to reduce the risk as much as possible. 

Neonatal jaundice is when newborn babies develop yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. It is a harmless condition and fairly common, affecting around 6 out of 10 babies. Oxygen is carried by red blood cells in the body, and when these red blood cells break down, they create bilirubin. Bilirubin is then cleared from the body by the liver. However, neonatal jaundice occurs when there is excess bilirubin in the blood. A newborn baby’s liver is still developing and has not perfected the art of removing bilirubin from the blood by the time they are born. For this reason, it occurs more commonly in babies born prematurely. You may notice jaundice on their skin, although, in darker-skinned babies, this might be harder to pick up. Yellowing can also be seen in the whites of the eyes, on the palms and soles, and in the mouth. The poop may be very pale, and the pee may be very dark. Your baby may also be sleepy and not feed very well. The symptoms tend to develop 2 to 3 days after birth and get better after a few weeks on their own once the liver is more developed. Some cases may require treatment if the bilirubin level is very high.

What Are Lungworms? Lungworms are tiny parasites (worms) that usually live in the lungs of animals like rats, dogs, and cats. Sometimes, these worms can accidentally infect humans too. The most common type that affects humans is called "rat lungworm" or Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Although these infections don't happen often in humans, they can cause serious health problems if not treated. Lungworms have a life cycle that normally involves animals. The worms first live in rats, then move to snails or slugs, and then back to rats. Humans get infected accidentally when they eat something that has lungworm larvae (baby worms) on it. How Do People Get Lungworms? People can get lungworm infections in several ways: Eating unwashed produce: If you eat fruits or vegetables that haven't been washed properly and have tiny snails, slugs, or their slime on them Eating undercooked food: Eating raw or undercooked snails, slugs, or other carriers Drinking contaminated water: Water that has lungworm larvae in it Traveling to certain areas: Infections are more common in Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands

Arthritis is a term used to describe pain and inflammation affecting a joint. Any joint in the body can be affected by arthritis, but the most commonly affected joints include joints of the hand and fingers, hip, knee, shoulder, lower back and neck. There are two main types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis. The majority of cases of arthritis affect older adults. A very small proportion of people with arthritis are young children or teenagers. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of inflammatory arthritis affecting young people and refers to persisting joint inflammation that first occurs under the age of 16 and which lasts for at least 6 weeks. There are a number of different types of JIA, but all are uncommon, affecting around 1 to 2 children in every 10,000. In juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the body’s immune system attacks the joints, causing pain, swelling and, in some cases, joint damage. The problem is very variable and can affect only one joint, a few, or several joints around the body. There may also be other symptoms not affecting the joints (known as extra-articular symptoms), such as eye inflammation, inflammation of the lining of the heart, lungs or abdomen, a high temperature, or feeling tired all the time. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a rare condition and is usually only diagnosed by specialists. It is important for a diagnosis of JIA to be made since, without treatment, it can lead to growth problems, bone weakness and delay of puberty.

If you've ever run a hand over your baby's head and found sunken bits that feel soft against parts of the skull, you are not alone. These are called fontanelles, and there are several, but the two most defined are at the front of the top of the head (the anterior fontanelle) and at the back of the top of the head (posterior fontanelle). In newborns, the skull is composed of fairly soft bone plates that can squish together and overlap to get the head through the birth canal during labor. They are flexible for the skull to expand for the developing brain. Given time, these skull plates will fuse, eventually forming the hard protective shell that we know as the skull in adults. Before then, fontanelles are little gaps between the skull plates. They are soft because they are made up of membranes rather than bone. They are entirely normal, and can be helpful on occasion in our medical assessment.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition which occurs as a consequence of women drinking alcohol during their pregnancy. It covers a wide range of symptoms and affects each baby differently. Examples include facial changes and learning disabilities, trouble with coordination or attention and hyperactivity. It can also affect the kidneys, bones, and the heart, and cause growth problems. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is often used interchangeably, but more specifically describes certain collections of symptoms related to damage by alcohol during pregnancy, of which FAS is the most severe end of the spectrum. Symptoms may be subtle and there may be no physical signs, but it’s thought to be underdiagnosed, and numbers have risen in recent years along with alcohol abuse.

An ear infection can affect the middle ear, just beyond the eardrum, causing inflammation and pain, and this is called acute otitis media. Bacteria or viruses can cause the infection, but either way, it usually gets better by itself after about 3 days. The middle ear can fill with pus, and the pressure can cause pain. Children can get ear infections due to a cold, flu, letting too much water in the ear after bathing or swimming, or constant allergies