Day: October 29, 2023

Pneumonia What is pneumonia? Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. The infection is usually caused by bacteria or a virus. The infection causes inflammation (swelling) in your lungs. The air sacs in your lungs can fill up with fluid, making it harder for you to breathe. There are many types of pneumonia. One of the most common is pneumococcal pneumonia. This is caused by the bacterium streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumonia can be a mild illness, or it can be much more serious. Pneumonia can be life-threatening, especially for: babies 12 months and under Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people people older

What are bacterial infections? A bacterium is a single, but complex, cell. It can survive on its own, inside or outside the body. Most bacteria aren’t harmful. In fact, we have many bacteria inside our body and on our skin. Bacteria in our intestines (gut) help us to digest our food. But some bacteria can cause infections. Bacterial infections can affect many parts of your body, including your: throat lungs skin bowel Many infections are mild, but some are severe. Some examples of bacterial infections are: Legionnaires’ disease meningococcal disease Q fever strep throat tuberculosis (TB) whooping cough (pertussis) Other causes

What is low back pain? Back pain is a very common problem, with 1 in 6 Australians reporting having back problems. About 4 out of 5 people have low back pain at some time in their lives. People experience low back pain in different ways — most feel pain, stiffness and soreness. Some people say it feels like a sharp pain; other people report dull aches or spasms. You may feel stiff or find it hard to turn or bend in certain directions. If you have sciatica, the pain can travel down one or both of your legs. Back pain can

Back injuries What is a back injury? Back injuries are very common. A back injury is caused when there is damage to your back’s: bones or joints muscles nerves connective tissue This can cause pain and discomfort. Injuries can affect any part of your back, but injuries most often happen in your lower back. Common injuries include: sprains and strains — when you overstretch a muscle or tear a ligament in your back herniated disc — when a spinal disc bulges out of shape and irritates a nerve fractured vertebrae — a break in any of the bones in your back spinal stenosis —

How your baby gains weight From birth your baby needs to be breastfed or formula fed regularly to have good weight gain. It’s a good idea to have your baby’s weight checked regularly. This helps make sure they are healthy, growing and feeding well. Babies are usually weighed: at birth during their first 2 weeks once a month up to 6 months every 2 months from 6 to 12 months every 3 months after their first birthday What affects your baby’s birth weight Your baby’s birth weight will depend on how close they were born to their due date. Babies born after

Nappy rash What is nappy rash? Nappy rash is a very common skin condition in children under 2. It’s caused by the skin coming into contact with urine (wee) and faeces (poo) in the nappy. Mild cases are usually painless but severe nappy rash can cause discomfort and distress to babies. What are the symptoms of nappy rash? The main symptom of nappy rash is red, raw skin in the nappy area. The rash might spread to the baby’s tummy or up their back. The skin might be raised or swollen. Sometimes the rash is spotty. It will be sore

Immunisation and vaccinations for your child How does immunisation work? Immunisation protects against infectious (contagious) disease. Your body’s immune system responds to each vaccine to protect you from a specific disease, and to reduce your chance of becoming sick from the disease in the future. Once your child is vaccinated for a specific disease, they are immune to that disease if they come into contact with someone who has it. Vaccines use either inactive or weakened viruses to make your body believe it has already been infected with the disease. Your body’s immune system makes specific antibodies (special proteins that can fight germs

Feeding your newborn baby How can I feed my baby? There are several ways to feed your baby, depending on what suits you both. Babies need milk that has certain qualities to help them grow and thrive. They can’t digest any other form of food until they’re around 6 months old. The World Health Organization recommends that you feed your baby only breastmilk for their first 6 months. This is called exclusive breastfeeding. After that, you can introduce solid foods while you continue breastfeeding. If you don’t plan to breastfeed, you can give your baby: expressed breast milk infant formula Depending on

Vitamin B deficiency What is vitamin B deficiency? Vitamin B deficiency happens when your body doesn’t have enough vitamin B. This happens if you don’t eat food with vitamin B or because of a health condition. Your body needs a certain amount of each type of vitamin B to function well. The different types of vitamin B are all water-soluble (dissolves in water), which means that they cannot be stored in the body and must be consumed regularly to avoid deficiency. Every day, the average adult needs: 1.1-1.2mg of thiamine (B1) 1.1-1.6mg of riboflavin (B2) 14-16mg of niacin (B3) 4-6mg