Vaccines are important to prevent contagious disease like polio, chicken pox and tetanus. In fact the vaccination process has saved millions of lives in the world, much more than that by pills and operations.

If your child is having Asthma….

It’s extremely important to avoid factors that trigger episodes of wheezing.

Asthma is very common among children, but that doesn’t mean it persist in to adulthood. But even with medical treatment, it is difficult to cure asthma if the precipitating aspects are not controlled.
Try to identify the factors in your household environment that induce the child’s wheezing episodes. Some of the common causes are house dust, wool toys, fur of household pets, cockroach excreta etc.

Vomiting and diarrhea (frequent, watery bowel movements) can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, foods that are hard to digest (such as too many sweets) and other things. Vomiting and diarrhea can be harmful to children because they can cause dehydration. Dehydration occurs when too much fluid is lost from the body. Signs of dehydration are listed below. Young babies can become dehydrated quickly. But dehydration can occur in a child of any age.

Signs of dehydration

* Irritability
* Not eating as well as usual
* Weight loss
* Not urinating as often as usual
* Urine that is darker than usual
* Fast heartbeat
* Dry mouth
* Thirst (babies may show thirst by crying and being irritable and eager to drink when something is offered)
* Sunken eyes
* No tears when crying
* Sunken soft spot in babies younger than 18 months
* Skin that isn't as springy as usual

If the child has had several bouts of vomiting or diarrhea, he or she will need to drink fluids to replace those lost with vomiting and diarrhea. Older children can be encouraged to drink water and other clear fluids. Baby or toddler can be given an oral rehydration solution (ORS), which contains the right mix of salt, sugar, potassium and other elements to help replace lost body fluids.

If the child is vomiting, try giving him or her small amounts of ORS often, such as 1 teaspoonful every minute. When the child is able to keep the drink down, slowly increase the amount. If the child keeps vomiting, wait 30 to 60 minutes after the last time he or she vomited, and then give him or her a few sips of ORS. Small amounts every few minutes may stay down better than a large amount all at once. When the child stops vomiting, the amount of ORS can be increased.