Dr YT Visser-Paediatrician

30/06/2020

Concerns over possible link between ibuprofen and worsening COVID-19 are unfounded: WHO and EMA issue statements supporting use of ibuprofen for management of pain and fever Recently, mainly through social media channels, concern has been expressed in relation to use of steroids & non-steroidal anti...

30/06/2020

Coronavirus and asthmatic children Many South African children have asthma. As coronavirus infections increase, there is concern about what the pandemic means for them specifically. This anxiety is heightened as schools begin to re-open. Knowledge about the virus and COVID-19, the disease it causes,...

31/10/2018

22/05/2018

It is winter time and kids do get sick more often, especially those going to creche/school. Most of the time your child will have a viral infection and it will get better with time. Symptomatic relief of symptoms will be very important but here are some guidelines as to when to see your Dr.....

1. Fever (above 38 deg) for more than 48 hours.
2. Fever (above 38) you cannot break by using appropriate methods.
3. Fever in a baby under 3 months of age.
3. Persistant vomiting or refusal to drink fluids.
4. Shortness of breath.
5. Persistant/chronic cough(lasting more than 14 days) or a cough with associated symptoms eg. night sweats, weight loss or bruising).
6. Fever and a skin rash.

Keep your little ones healthy by having a healthy diet, enough sleep and keeping them out of school/creche when they are ill.

27/03/2018

Adenovirus:

Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that can infect the tissue linings of the respiratory tract, eyes, intestines, urinary tract, and nervous system.
Outbreaks in school occurs commonly.
Symptoms-
Respiratory:flu like symptoms, pneumonia,bronchiolits, croup, tonsillitis and middle ear infection
Gastro intestinal tract:gastritis, enteritis
Bladder: haemorrhagic(bloody) urinary tract infections(uncommon)
Eyes: conjunctivitis(pink eye and highly contagious)
Central nervous system: meningitis and encephalitis

This virus can cause prolonged episoded of very high fevers and needs to be managed with regular anti pyretics.

Reasons to visit your doctor:
1. Fever not settling after 48-72 hours on regular anti pyretics
2. Persistant vomiting(risk of dehydration)
3. Pink eye
4. Shortness of breath of poor feeding

Treatment:
Symptomatic
Pink eye generally needs anti-biotic drops to prevent secondary infection
Secondary bacterial infection suspected- anti-biotics

20/01/2017

Normal but weird things in your newborn..
1. va**nal discharge- day 3-4 after birth your baby might have a light red/mucous discharge from her va**na. This is due to low oestrogen levels outside of the womb. It is usually painless and short lived(maximum 14 days) but it can be quite upsetting for the parents if you are unaware of this.
2.Breasts- you might have seen or felt that your newborn has "breasts". This is also due to the decrease in oestrogen levels just before birth that triggers the release of prolactin(hormone that produces breastmilk). Remember it happens in boys and girls and do not squeeze it, it could lead to irritation and inflammation. This resolves in a couple of weeks.
3.Bleeding umbilical stump- After the umbilical cord has dried out and the stump is left it can still bleed a bit. This is normal for a couple of days as long as it does not bleed excessively and stops in a few days. continue ot clean the stump untill it is completely dry. Contact your doctor if it bleeds persistantly, if you see a discharge or if it is red around the stump.

19/08/2016

Nut allergies are one of the most common types of food allergies in children and adults. It involves the immune system responding abnormally to proteins in nuts (peanut or tree-nuts). Unfortunately nut allergies tend to persist with fewer than 20% of children outgrowing their allergy.

Signs and symptoms can vary from mild to severe and include:

-itching, tingling sensation of lips, tongue & throat
-swelling of lips, tongue, eyes and face
-urticaria (itchy rash)
-diarrhoea
-vomiting
-wheezing
-hoarseness
-lightheadedness & dizziness
-swelling & tightening of throat & airway
-stridor (rasping noise on breathing in)
-collapse due to drop in blood pressure
-anaphylaxis

*this information has been provided by Paediatric Dietitian Lindsay Archibald-Durham*

(Nutripaeds)

23/04/2016

Constipation is something many babies battle. Nutripaeds Paediatric Dietitian Natasha MacDonald shares her experience and tips in this post.
http://www.nutripaeds.co.za/constipation-in-babies/

Being a dietician and working in the field of paediatrics, I have had my fair share of conversations about baby p**p; the colour, the consistency, the smell – you name it, I have spoken about it. Being a new mom however to a terribly constipated 7 month old has taken my conversations of baby p**p t…

02/03/2016

http://dontforgetthebubbles.com/neonatal-dermatology-the-benign-conditions/

Neonatal dermatology – the benign conditions Trisha Parmar General paediatrics 69 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 68 Google+ 0 LinkedIn 1 Email -- Filament.io 69 Flares × Neonates have rashes of all shapes and sizes. It’s important for us to be able to reassure parents where appropriate. This two part ser…

22/02/2016

16/02/2016

Herpes stomatitis

This is a common problem in the young child. Blisters form on the lips and inside the mouth with the first exposure to the oral Herpes Simplex virus.
This is not the same as aphtous ulcers.
Other symptoms:
-fever(1-2 days before sores appear)
-drooling
-refusing to eat or drink which leads to dehydration
-irritability
-smelly breath
-red swollen gums

Treatment
-mild cases can be treated at home with topical analgesic gel, analgesia(oral or supossitories) and soft food
-severe cases have to be admitted to hospital for intravenous fluids and treatment with anti-viral medicine(aciclovir) and loads of analgesia

It usually takes anything from 5-10 days to resolve.