Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a viral infection caused by the Coxsackie virus. It is a mild infection that most commonly affects children under the age of 10, especially those who are in day care centres, preschool or other areas where children are in close contact with one another. Your child may contract the virus by coming into contact with someone who is infected with the virus, through coughing or sneezing, or touching a surface contaminated with feces. The virus is very contagious and is spread easily from person to person. Like most viral infections, hand-foot-and-mouth lasts about 5 days. Fever is[Read more...]
Ever noticed a white coating in your child’s mouth? What is that white stuff anyways? It’s called oral candidiasis, better known as thrush. Thrush is an infection that is caused by a fungus called candida albicans. Tiny amounts of candida are normal in the mouth, but when it continues to multiply it causes thrush. Thrush can occur at any age, but it is most common in babies, those with weak immune systems or from certain medications. Babies are at increased risk for thrush because their immune systems are still developing so they are less likely to resist infections. What does[Read more...]
Chest pain is something that not only adults experience, but children too! The good news is most often, the source of chest pain in children is not related to any type of heart problems. An article in the Pediatrics Journal reported that in 3,700 children and young adults ages 7 to 22 who presented to the ER with chest pain at Children’s Hospital Boston from 2000 to 2009, only 37 cases, or 1%, showed a cardiac cause of chest pain. Any structure in the chest can cause pain in this area including the lungs, ribs, muscles, diaphragm, and even joints.[Read more...]
Private Percy McClare, age 17. Willie Dailey, age 14. Eric Parlee, age 15. Bill Barrett, age 15. David Waldron, age 16. All of these boys distinguished themselves as Canadian soldiers 100 years ago in WWI. Some of them, and many other boys serving Canada in the first World War, survived. And some of them gave their lives. All of them gave honourable service to Canada. And all of them were so young that they would still be in high school today. Practicing close to one of Canada’s busiest air force bases, 8 Wing Trenton, we at Quinte Pediatrics and Adolescent[Read more...]
What is Speech and Language? Speech is the use of language to communicate, or express ourselves. Language is used to express ideas and needs in an organized way. It can be spoken, written, sung or expressed using gestures (such as sign language). The important foundations of language develop in the first three to five years of life. Language development involves both cognitive learning, and motor skill. We use a lot of muscles in our face and mouth to produce speech. The CanChild Centre for Child Disability Research outlines the ways in which language development can be delayed: • Semantics[Read more...]
