PART 4: KEEPING YOUR CHILD HEALTHY

EMERGENCIES

As mentioned in the chapter on MANAGING A HOSPITAL STAY, do not waste precious time in an emergency. If you are in doubt about the seriousness of the situation, rush the child to the nearest doctor or a hospital. If required, give first aid to the child.

Following is the list of possible emergencies discussed in the book in the chapter on THE A-Z OF CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES:

• Abdominal pain
• Allergies
• Artificial respiration (see Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation and Mouth-To-Mouth Breathing)
• Asthma
• Bites and stings
• Bleeding
• Bone, joint and muscle injuries
• Breathlessness
• Bulging fontanelle (see under Meningitis)
• Burns
• Choking
• Common cold in an infant
• Convulsions
• Croup
• Crying
• Cuts
• Dog bite (see Rabies)
• Diarrhoea with dysentery (also see the chapter on Home Remedies)
• Drowning (see Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation and Mouth-To-Mouth Breathing)
• Electric shock
• Eye problems, including injury to the eye
• Fractures (see Bone, Joint and Muscle Injuries)
• Head injury
• Hernia (see Obstructed Inguinal Hernia discussed under Abdominal Pain)
• High fever (see the chapter on Home Remedies)
• Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
• Nose-related problems, including bleeding from the nose
• Poisoning
• Rabies
• Scorpion bite (see Bites And Stings)
• Snake bite (see Bites And Stings)
• Splinters
• Stridor
• Unconscious child (see Encephalitis, Head Injury, Malaria, Meningitis and Poisoning).

Danger Signals In A Newborn
A newborn who appears sick and stops suckling must be shown immediately to your doctor.

Some other danger signals in a newborn are:

• Yellow or green vomit
• Convulsions
• Excessive crying
• Listlessness
• Breathlessness
• Very hot or very cold skin.

11 February, 2013