• Q: Common Warts What is a Common Wart?

  Warts are very common skin growths caused by a virus that occur in a variety of shapes and sizes on hands, feet and other parts of the body. A wart may appear as a bump with a rough surface, or it may be flat and smooth. Tiny blood vessels grow into the center of the wart to supply it with blood. These capillaries may appear as dark dots (seeds) in the wart's center. They are caused by a viral infection, specifically by human papillomavirus 2 and 7. There are as many as 10 varieties of warts, the most common considered to be mostly harmless. It is possible to get warts from others; they are contagious and usually enter the body in an area of broken skin. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can recur..

Treatment

The treatment depends on the type of wart. The common treatments are abrasion, cautery with acids and cryo-treatment.

• Skin abrasion: is the first step in treating a common wart. Warts tend to have a thick callus on the outer skin. Skin abrasion uses a small abrasive device that easily and painlessly removes the thick layers of skin to prep the wart for treatment.
• Trichloracetic acid (TCA): For common warts TCA is an effective treatment because it destroys the proteins in the viral cells. A petroleum jelly will be applied around the healthy skin area of the wart to protect the intact skin. TCA is then applied and is a clear, watery liquid that is painted on the warts with an applicator. The warts will turn a whitish color and shrink.

• Q: Croup What is Croup?

  Croup targets the windpipe and voice box. It is most often caused by viruses, and lasts for a week or less.

Signs and Symptoms

• Usually starts with a sudden onset of barky cough and stridor, which gets worse at night
• Runny nose
• Fever
• Other cold-like symptoms

Treatment

• Over the counter fever reducing medication
• Use a cool mist humidifier or run a hot shower, and sit with your child in the steamed-up bathroom for 10 minutes.
• Also if it is a cool, moist night take your child outside with a coat and hat and let her breathe in the night air.

• Q: Dyslexia What is Dyslexia?

  A common learning disability found in children with normal vision and intelligence that is characterized by difficulty reading. This condition is considered to be life long, but can be overcome with the assistance of tutoring and special education programs. Emotional support is essential to a child’s success in overcoming dyslexia and learning how to thrive with it. Dyslexia has no cure, and is caused by traits that are inherited that affects how the brain works.

Causes & Symptoms

Genetic inheritance, as dyslexia seems to run in families. Evidence shows dyslexia being linked to genes that control how the brain develops, specifically the part of the brain that deals with language.

Before school

• Difficulty rhyming
• Late talking
• Learning new words slowly

School age

• Difficulty spelling
• Problems remembering the sequence of things
• Reading at a level well below the expected age level
• Trouble learning a foreign language
• Problems with processing and understanding what your child hears
• Difficulty seeing and occasionally hearing the similarities and differences in words and letters
• An inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word
• Seeing letters or words in reverse, which is common in young children but will be more pronounced in children who have dyslexia

• Q: Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease What is HFM Disease?

  This contagious viral illness usually isn’t serious. Children under age 5 are most likely to catch it, through saliva, fluid from blisters and possibly viral shedding through stool.

  Causes & Symptoms

  • Fever
  • Sore throat
  • Poor appetite

  A few days later…

  • Painful sores may develop in the back of the throat
  • Skin rash – typically on the palms and soles, but can also occur on the trunk and diaper region/li>

    Treatment

  • It usually clears up in 7 to 10 days without treatment.

• Q: Impetigo What is Impetigo?

  This skin infection is most common in younger children. It starts when staph or strep bacteria gets in a cut, scratch, or bite.

Signs and Symptoms

• Tiny blisters that burst. Fluid from the sores creates a crust that looks like a coat of honey.
• Touching or scratching the sores, which can be itchy, spreads impetigo to other parts of the body and to other people.

Treatment

• An antibiotic ointment, and sometimes an oral antibiotic, can treat it.

• Q: Parvovirus (Fifth Disease) What is Parvovirus?

  It is a common childhood ailment that is highly infectious. Parvovirus is also known as fifth disease, because it was historically one of five common childhood diseases characterized by a rash. It is also known as the ‘slapped-cheek’ disease, because of the distinctive rash that is developed on the cheeks of the child.

Signs and Symptoms

• Itching
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Slight Fever
• Upset Stomach

Treatment

Parvovirus treatment consists of home care for those individuals who are not immunocompromised, pregnant, or at risk for anemia. Self-care includes getting plenty of fluids and rest, and taking fever/pain reducing medications

• Q: Respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) What is Respiratory syncytial virus?

  Respiratory syncytial virus is an infection of the airways. It usually isn’t serious, but if your child is under 2, or has a heart or lung disease or a weak immune system, it can inflame the lungs and cause pneumonia.

  Average age of infants contracting Roseola is 6 -18 months. Immunocompromised individuals may have a harder time fighting off Roseola and can develop the serious condition of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

Signs and Symptoms

• Cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion and cough
• Irritability and breathing problems in infants

Treatment

• Over the counter fever reducing medication
• Plenty of rest
• Plenty of fluids

• Q: Roseola What is Roseola?

  Roseola is considered to be a very common mild infection that affects most children by the age of two. There are two strains of the human herpes virus that can cause Roseola, Human Herpesvirus 6 and less commonly, Human Herpesvirus 7. Roseola is not typically considered to be a serious infection , however individuals who have compromised immune systems may experience possible serious complications from Roseola.

  Average age of infants contracting Roseola is 6 -18 months. Immunocompromised individuals may have a harder time fighting off Roseola and can develop the serious condition of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

Signs and Symptoms

• Rash
• Sudden onset of high fever ranging from 3-5 days
• Mild diarrhea
• Swollen eyelids
• Irritability
• Mild diarrhea
• A bulging soft spot on the head
• Swollen glands on the front and back of the neck

Treatment

• Over the counter fever reducing medication
• Plenty of rest
• Plenty of fluids
• Sponge baths

• Q: Whooping Cough (Pertussis) What is Whooping Cough ?

  Anyone can catch this bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes, but infants are the most likely to get seriously ill from it.

  Signs and Symptoms

  • Cold-like symptoms

  A few days later…

  • The cough gets worse, and a “whooping” sound may be heard as child gasps for air.

  Treatment

  Antibiotics can sometimes help by easing the symptoms, if treated early. Babies are often hospitalized so staff can monitor their breathing.

  It is very easy to catch. Your baby should start getting vaccines at 2 months old. Parents and older children need to get vaccinated to protect the baby. A woman should also get a pertussis shot while she is pregnant. Pertussis lasts five years and would still be effective during other pregnancies during that time.