HEALTH ask our experts,
Parents Queries published in HealthyLife Magazine in Feb 2013 issue.
Baby`s Health
Q 1. My child is 18 months old and he is been vaccinated with all the government vaccine but I haven’t given him any additional vaccination. As we listen from our friends and relatives that there are lot more vaccine to be given and I have completely no idea about it, so could you please suggest on it, and please advice how important are those vaccines?
Answer:
Good that you have given all the government vaccines but there are many more vaccines available which is as important as the vaccines you have already given , the only problem is lack of public awareness regarding these newer important vaccines. And the other thing is the cost factor as these vaccines are little costly and is not included in the national immunization programme of Nepal. Hence we give these vaccines after one to one discussion with the parents. These newer vaccines are very useful to prevent your child from harmful diseases like: Mumps, Rubella, Flu, Pneumonia, Chickenpox, Typhoid, Meningitis, Hepatitis A and B infection ,Yellow fever, Rabies, Diarrhea some of which are communicable disease and are more common in school going children . This is to inform all the parents that these vaccines are available as: MMR, Influenza (Vaxigrip), Inject able polio (IPV), DPT booster, Pneumococcal, Meningococcal, Chickenpox (Okavax), Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B, Yellow fever, Rabies, Rota virus, Japanese encephalitis, Td booster, Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. Thus by giving these newer vaccines, children are been protected against harmful infections before they come into contact with the infection in the community by using the body’s natural defense mechanism and by triggering an immune response to the disease without actually suffering from the disease. And stress should be given on booster doses as with period of time the effect of the vaccines goes on decreasing hence booster doses are required to boost up the immune response to a good level. And for other details on vaccination please check out my BLOG at
Q2. I have a 1 year old baby girl and she usually suffers from pneumonia, whenever I land up with doctors they always comments that I was late for her check up and so the pneumonia is worsen and she requires admission. So could you please highlight on some important symptoms or signs by which I can early recognize her problem and take her to the doctor on time?
Answer:
Pneumonia is a broad term that is been used for most of the lower respiratory tract infection. It is more common in children less than five years of age. This being the commonest cause for seeking health facility in developing countries like ours it is important to know about some common signs and symptoms for its early recognition and treatment in time. Child with pneumonia will usually present with fever, cough, noisy breathing, fast breathing, poor feeding and vomiting at times. This is the time you should meet your pediatrician and get her treated before the disease become severe. But in case if child presents with fast breathing, restlessness, chest in drawing, (kokha hanne), wheeze, grunting, bluish discoloration of lips and skin, inability to drink/feed, Inability to rest properly then it indicates severe pneumonia and this is life threatening and requires urgent hospital admission without delay. My advice as a doctor is, since your child is just 1 year old, vaccinate your kid with pneumococcal and influenza vaccine for its prevention.
Q 3. My son is 7 years old and he usually suffers from constipation, he have difficulty in passing stools because of which he has pain and cries at times while passing stool. He also complains of passing blood at times when he have hard stool, which worries me? So doctor is there anything to be worried about and how do I help him?
Answer:
I know this is the common problem that we come across in our day to day OPD.
Most of the time constipation is just a habitual and because of improper dietary habits, but sometime it could be because of some disease like Hypothyroidism, some local anal problem like fissures or piles. So the most important thing for your son would be: give him a diet rich in fibers, green leafy vegetables, fruits, milk, increase liquid diet.
Help him to pass his stool comfortably by applying some Vaseline or lubricants around the anal area and examine locally for some wound,crack or some mass coming out per anus, which may be the cause of painful defecation. Finally get a surgical consultation to rule out some local anal problems and incase if your child is on chubbier side, with poor school performance, increase laziness then get his thyroid hormone tested after consulting with an endocrinologist.
