IWK Health

12/27/2025

Children should not use boiling water or steam bowls to help relieve nasal congestions: the risk of burns and scalds is too high.
Post available in English, Hindi, Punjabi, and Arabic.

12/26/2025

IWK Health are experts in youth mental health care. Earlier help and supports leads to better outcomes. If you or someone you care for is impacted, please reach out for help.

By calling our Central Referral line, you can connect with an access navigator who is ready to support you.

Contact our Central Referral Line at 1-855-922-1122. No doctor referral is required.

Open 7 days/week, including holidays:
Monday - Friday: 8:30am - 8:30pm
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays: 8:30am - 4:30pm

You can also book an appointment at prebooking.nshealth.ca – to speak with mental health and addictions navigator at convenient time for you.

In the event of an emergency, individuals should go to their nearest Emergency Department or call 911.

Those experiencing a mental health crisis can also contact the Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line at 1-888-429-8167, available 24/7.

If you are in need of support, you can also contact Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or by texting "CONNECT" to 686868.

12/24/2025

Flu is now presenting itself in the Maritimes and the IWK is seeing a large increase in the number of children coming to the Emergency Department with flu-like symptoms. This includes high fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhea and body aches.

Most children can manage at home with the flu, but children under five and those with underlying illness are at higher risk for serious illness. Even healthy kids can become quite ill, and flu spreads quickly in schools and child-care settings. We urge everyone to get their flu vaccine to support the health of our community.

Families can also take precautions by maintaining proper hand hygiene, staying home when sick, and wearing a mask in crowds and indoor spaces.

Most cases of the flu can be managed at home however we recommend a trip to the emergency in the following cases:

-Your child is having trouble breathing (for example, they are breathing faster than normal; they are pale; their lips turn white or blue; they are coughing non-stop, or breathing irregularly).

-Your infant (under three months old) has a fever over 38°C or 100.4°F.

-Your child has a fever over 38°C or 100.4°F for more than 5-7 days in a row.

-Your child is feverish and drowsy, and you are having trouble waking them up

-Your child has vomiting and/or diarrhea and is not producing tears, has a very dry mouth or has not urinated more than 2-3 times in the last 24 hours.

12/24/2025

From all of us at IWK Health, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season.

12/23/2025

A cough is the body’s natural way of clearing mucus and irritating substances that are in your lungs, airways, or throat. A cough can be wet, dry, or barking. Some coughs last a long time (more than 3 weeks). Most coughs are caused by common viruses and will go away on their own without treatment.

—
🚨Return to the emergency department or call 911 if your child:
Is breathing very fast.
Is working hard to breathe and worsening over time.
Is a baby and is unable to feed due to a cough.
Has breathing difficulties that do not settle after spending time in humid air.
Is choking on food or some other object.
Has blue lips or skin.

12/23/2025

12/21/2025

Fevers are the body’s natural response to infection. It can be scary when your child has a fever, but fevers will not hurt your child. This video provides information about how to take your child’s temperature, how to manage their symptoms, and when to seek health care.

Fevers are the body’s natural response to infection. It can be scary when your child has a fever, but fevers will not hurt your child. This video provides in...

12/19/2025

Why are button batteries so dangerous?
Because when one is swallowed, it starts burning through internal tissues within a couple of hours, which can have tragic consequences.

12/15/2025

If you are a parent of a child with complex medical needs, you are invited to join us on

Thursday January 22nd, 2026 7:00 -8:30 pm
(date on graphic wrong)
Thursday March 5th, 2026 7:00 -8:30 pm

Our Parent Group is an informal meeting where parents can share tips and tricks of caring for their child with complex special needs!

Interested in attending?
Please email Jackie Pidduck at jacklynn.pidduck@iwk.nshealth.ca

Please note to receive the Zoom link, we will ask you to review the virtual group guidelines that will be emailed to you, to provide the address of where you will be during the meeting and a contact number in case of emergency.

12/14/2025

The Atlantic Canada Poison Centre is just one call away, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Experts are available to answer your questions about poison exposures and to give you the best advice on what to do if you or anyone in your family has been affected by a poison.

Add the number to your cell phone for a quick connect wherever you are.

All calls are free and confidential.

1(844) 764-7669.