Health view - What to do when your child is unwell

After a long period of lockdown and isolation, many parents have not seen their children with infections, fever or sickness and do not know what to do – or when to worry.

Childhood illness is normal and a vital part of developing a mature immune system.

Illnesses such as sickness, fever and coughs are common and most will pass without intervention.

There are some situations where it is vital to seek help from a GP or call 111, such as when a child has difficulty breathing, has a persistent high temperature, can’t keep any fluids down or is dehydrated.

This is not a complete list, and for different illnesses there are key symptoms to watch out for to know when to seek help.

I encourage all parents to visit nhs.uk, which has detailed information on common illnesses and when to seek help.

Dr Muhammad Naqvi gives advice to worried parents (Image: www.nelcsu.nhs.uk)

As parents, we often know when something isn’t right and in these cases it’s important to seek help.

You can get support by visiting your local pharmacist who is trained to advise on many common illnesses.

You can call 111 whose advisors can talk you through different symptoms and arrange an appointment with a GP or hospital if needed or you can call your GP practice.

The spread of many unwanted infections can be prevented through these simple actions - washing hands frequently, washing toys and shared surfaces regularly and keeping infected children at home until symptoms have improved.

They can also be stopped by keeping newborn babies (who are particularly vulnerable) away from people with colds or flu and avoiding smoking around your child and not letting others smoke around them (if you or your family need any information on giving up smoking, visit nhs.uk/smoking).

Remember: in an emergency, such as if your child stops breathing or is unresponsive, call 999 or go to A&E.

The NHS is there for you. Help us to help you by knowing who to call and when.