Child Specialist

There is lots of confusion in the minds of people regarding what vaccines are and how they work. The body has its own immune system i.e a system whereby the body produces an effective fighting force in the form of antibodies to fight infections. This is known as natural immunity. Vaccines produce another immunity based on the same principle. There are two types of vaccines. Inactivated and live attenuated. In the inactivated vaccine, the organism antigen is treated in such a way that it is not harmful to the body. It is inactivated. The body however recognizes it as an antigen. When injected in the body it produces an antibody response by the body. By antibody response means infection fighting ability of the body. The virus in this case is dead in the vaccine. Another vaccine is live attenuated vaccine. The virus/bacteria is treated in such a way that it loses its virulence i.e loses the strong harmful effect. However, the virus is live but does not cause disease.eg Polio vaccine. ...

 Candidiasis is a condition characterized by fungal infection. It generally occurs in the mouth(oral cavity) but can also occur in the genital region. Due to moisture the fungi flourish and grow. It occurs as a thick while coating on the tongue Initially, it appears as small white spots in the mouth. Tongue, cheeks, gums, under surface of lips, or anywhere in the oral cavity or genital region. The mother thinks it is milk stuck in the baby’s mouth. When she tries to remove it, the mucosa surface starts to bleed and it is difficult to remove. The baby finds it difficult to drink or eat. If a small baby she cries whenever milk is given. AS time passes and treatment is not started, the white coating becomes thick and starts to cover the whole of the oral cavity. According to Dr Mubina Agboatwalla - Child specialist in Karachi , treatment involves maintaining oral hygiene and apply glycerine and Nilstatin. It takes atleast 2 weeks to resolve. This should be accompanied by a good diet s...

 Wheezing is a condition characterized by a whistling sound coming from the chest. It occurs due to spasm of the bronchi and bronchioles. The windpipes get pressed and as the air passes through them a whistling sound is produced. This can be heard by the parents as they are standing close to the child. Wheezing occurs generally in an asthmatic child but can occur as an allergic bronchospasm as well as part of bronchopneumonia and chest infection. Wheezing is accompanied by chest in drawing, increased respiratory rate, rapid and deep breathing, intercostal recession. It can very well be a sign of pneumonia. Sometimes the mucus gets stuck and produce wheezing. A foreign body in the bronchiole can produce wheezing also. According to Dr Mubina Agboatwalla - Child Specialist in Karachi treatment of wheezing is use of bronchodilators. These bronchodilators are given chiefly by nebulizors and help in expanding the airways. This releases the air passages and reduces the breathlessness. Ora...