Cerebral Palsy
What is cerebral palsy?The growth of a human brain is an incredible feat of nature. Even before a baby is born, many billions of neurons have to fit together as precisely as the pieces of a puzzle. With that kind of complexity, it’s no wonder that the…
Learn MoreWhooping Cough (Pertussis)
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a disease that should be rare by now. We’ve had an effective vaccine against whooping cough for decades, but the illness continues to thrive. An unusual whooping cough outbreak in California in 2010, for example, sickened…
Learn MoreChildhood Immunization Chart
What’s newEvery year the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Academy of Family Physicians revise their schedule of childhood immunizations.The scheduleFor a PDF version of the CDC’s 20…
Learn MoreEar Infection, Middle (Children)
What is a middle ear infection?A middle ear infection is simply an invasion of viruses or bacteria into the small space that lies just beyond the eardrum. The germs usually stage the assault while a child is recovering from a cold or flu, ailments tha…
Learn MoreMeasles Vaccine Rash
What’s the measles vaccine rash?It’s a rash that shows up in about 5 percent of people vaccinated for measles (rubeola). The rash looks a bit like the one caused by the disease itself: red dots on the chest and neck. These may occasionally become rais…
Learn MoreFifth Disease
What is fifth disease? It’s one of five common contagious childhood ailments that cause fever and a rash. After doctors figured out what to call measles, rubella, roseola, and scarlet fever, they apparently ran out of catchy names and called the fifth…
Learn MoreOppositional Defiant Disorder
Consider the standards used to diagnose oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and you may think they could describe any kid on a bad day — and almost any teenager almost every day: They argue with adults, deliberately annoy people, defy rules, and hav…
Learn MoreMumps FAQ
What are mumps?Caused by a virus that infects the salivary glands near the jawbone, mumps is a highly contagious illness that shows up mainly in swelling and soreness in the jaw area. The swelling is usually on both sides, so that the sufferer bears a…
Learn MoreAllergies and Hay Fever (Child)
What causes allergies?Every human body carries an arsenal of chemicals to fight off bacteria, viruses, and other intruders, but sometimes these weapons backfire. If your child has allergies, she responds to things in the environment that are not invad…
Learn MoreSinus Congestion in Children
What are the sinuses? The sinuses are four sets of air-filled cavities located behind and around the nose and eyes. Many people (adults as well as children) only become aware of these spaces when they begin hurting, so they may not appreciate their va…
Learn More
English
Spanish