Childhood Illnesses
Treating Minor illnesses in children...an overviewWe are all only to familiar with the problems of Minor Illnesses, like colds and the occasional tummy problem. Simple treatment and time are often the best way to deal with these common ailments.
By following the straight forward advice on this page you may well overcome your Minor Illness problems quickly and easily.
If you are unsure about any of these minor conditions or need further advice, ring NHS Direct in the first instance. They can tell you if you need to contact your GP surgery.
There is also the NHS Direct Self-help guide which is free, and available from pharmacies and Safeway Supermarkets.
Sore throats, Colds and Runny or Stuffy noseSore Throats
Most sore throats are caused by a virus infection which antibiotics cannot cure. With simple treatment the patient normally gets better in four or five days. Tonsillitis usually starts with a sore throat, which causes pain on swallowing. There may be a fever, it might be possible to see white spots on the tonsils and glands in the neck may be swollen and painful. A hoarse voice, dry cough and sore throat indicates a viral laryngitis.
TREATMENT Adults: Soluble aspirin -2 x 300mg, gargle and swallow four times a day. Drink plenty and take steam inhalations. Children: Paracetamol liquid (Calpol or Disprol) plenty of drinks.
Make an appointment to see the doctor if the sore throat is getting worse after two days, or if the patient complains of earache.
Colds and a Stuffy or Running Nose
The common cold usually starts with a hot feeling in the back of the throat. The patient feels unwell and aches, and the nose starts running with a clear liquid which becomes a thick yellow discharge after three to four days. ANTIBIOTICS DO NOT HELP.
Treatment is as for sore throat. Add menthol or Friar's Balsam to the steam inhalations. Inhale for ten minutes three times a day. Babies and young children often have repeated colds. This helps them build up their resistance to infection. They cough because of the discharge running from the nose down the back of the throat. Do not give cough linctuses. Try 0.5% Ephedrine nose drops, two drops in each nostril before bed.
Coughs
If dust or food enters the air passages, coughing acts as a protector. It also prevents mucus from causing infection on the chest. To suppress this action with cough mixtures can cause more harm than good.
The best treatment is steam inhalations. For dry coughs a linctus can be bought from the chemist.
Make an appointment to see the doctor if coughing continues for more than a week or two after a common cold has cleared up, if coughing produces a yellow or green sputum - it may mean the lower air passages are infected, if breathing is accompanied by a pain in the chest or shortness of breath, or if coughing produces blood.
A Feverish child
Children often develop feverish illnesses which settle spontaneously in 24-48 hours.
Give paracetamol (Calpol, Disprol) liquid. Remove the child's clothing and offer regular sips of cool water. Sponging with tepid water may also help to reduce the temperature.
Do not give aspirin to children under 12.
Make an appointment to see the doctor if the temperature does not fall after paracetamol (although it may rise again later) or if the child becomes drowsy or obviously unwell.
Vomitting and Diarrhoea
Vomiting may be caused by a virus infection of the stomach, food poisoning and by eating or drinking too much. It normally stops within 24 hours and may be followed by diarrhoea. Some children will vomit when they have a temperature.
Treatment of Vomiting
Rest and eat nothing for 24 hours. Drink small sips of water regularly. As the stomach settles try bread or clear soup before gradually returning to a normal diet.
Try Dioralyte sachets made up with boiled water to replace body fluids.
Make an appointment to see the doctor if vomiting is accompanied by continuous stomach pain, if vomiting lasts for longer than 24 hours, or if a vomiting child has a temperature of more than 38°C (100°F), or if the child has a rash.
Treatment of Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is unpleasant but rarely dangerous. It may be due to change of diet, food poisoning or travel abroad. It is often accompanied by colicky (cramp-like) pains and usually begins to get better in 48 hours. Rest and eat nothing for 24 hours. Drink small sips of water regularly. As things settle down try bread or clear soup before gradually returning to a normal diet.
Try Dioralyte sachets made up with boiled water to replace body fluids.
Make an appointment to see the doctor if it does not start to settle after 48 hours, if an attack comes shortly after a visit abroad, or if there is continuous pain.
Childhood Illnesses and symptomsListed below are six of the Major Childhood Illnesses and Symptoms.
If you are unsure about any of these illnesses seek professional advice from the Contact Information Page on the website,
or
Call NHS Direct 0845 4647
Visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.ukMeningitis
Meningitis is a serious illness, and listed here first, because in general the earlier it is diagnosed and treated, the better the recovery.
Early symptoms may resemble colds and flu with fever, irritability and vomiting or refusing feeds. The condition can worsen in hours.
In babies look for:
- Difficulty rousing the child.
- High pitched, moaning cry.
- Pale or blotchy skin.
- A red or purple rash that does not fade under pressure.
In older children:
- Pain and stiffness in the neck.
- Severe headache.
- Upset by bright light.
- A red or purple rash that does not fade under pressure.
Chicken Pox
Incubation Period
- The time between catching an illness and becoming ill is 14-16 days.
Infectious Period
- When your child can give the illness to someone else.
Symptoms
- Begins with feeling unwell, a rash and maybe a temperature. Spots are red and become fluid-filled blisters within a day or so. Come first on the chest and back, then spread. The spots eventually dry into scabs, which drop off. Unless spots are badly infected, they don't usually leave a scar.
Treatment
- No need to see the doctor unless you are unsure whether it's chicken pox or your child is very unwell and/or distressed. Give plenty to drink. Paracetamol will help bring down a temperature. Baths, loose comfortable clothes and calamine lotion can all ease the itchiness.
Measles
Preventable by immunisation.Incubation Period
- The time between catching an illness and becoming ill is 7-12 days.
Infectious Period
- When your child can give the illness to someone else. From a few days before the rash appears until five days after it goes.
Symptoms
- Rash appears after third or fourth day of a feverish illness. Spots-are red and slightly raised; may be blotchy. Rash is not itchy. Child becomes very unwell, with cough and high temperature. Illness usually lasts about a week.
Treatment
- Contact your doctor. Give rest, and plenty to drink. Warm drinks will ease the cough. Paracetamol will ease discomfort and lower the temperature. Vaseline around the lips protects the skin. Wash crustiness from eyelids with warm water.
Mumps
Preventable by immunisation.Incubation Period
- The time between catching an illness and becoming ill is 14-21 days.
Infectious Period
- When your child can give the illness to someone else.
Symptoms
- Child may complain of pain around the ear or feel uncomfortable when chewing. Swelling then starts, under the jaw up by the ear. Swelling often starts on one side, followed (though not always) by the other. (It is rare for mumps to affect boys testes. This happens rather more often in adult men with mumps. However, the risk of permanent damage is very low).
Treatment
- Child may not feel especially ill and may not want to be in bed. Paracetamol will ease pain in the swollen glands. Give plenty to drink but not fruit juices. They make the saliva flow, which can hurt. No need to see the doctor unless your child has stomach-ache and is being sick.
Rubella (German Measles)
Preventable by immunisation.Incubation Period
- The time between catching an illness and becoming ill is 14-21 days.
Infectious Period
- When your child can give the illness to someone else.
Symptoms
- Can be difficult to diagnose with certainty. Starts like a mild cold. Rash appears in a day or two, first on the face, then spreading. Spots are flat. On a light skin, they are pale pink. Glands in the back of the neck may be swollen.
- Child doesn't usually feel unwell. Give plenty to drink.
Treatment
- Keep your child away from anyone you know who is pregnant (or trying to become so). If your child was with anyone pregnant before you knew about the illness, let them know. This disease is rare and highly unlikely to affect your child.
Whooping Cough
Preventable by immunisation.Incubation Period
- The time between catching an illness and becoming ill is 7-14 days.
Infectious Period
- When your child can give the illness to someone else.
- From the first signs of illness until about six weeks after coughing first started, unless an antibiotic is given.
Symptoms
- It is a gradually worsening cough. After about two weeks, coughing bouts start. These are exhausting and make it difficult to breathe.
- Sometimes, but not always, there's a whooping noise as the child draws in breath after coughing. It takes some weeks before the coughing fits start to die down.
Treatment
- If your child has a cough that gets worse rather than better and starts to have longer fits of coughing more and more often, contact your doctor. It's important for the sake of other children to know whether or not it's whooping cough.
