Full body

A bone marrow aspirate is a test to see if blood cells in your child's bone marrow are healthy. The test will also show whether cancer cells have spread to the bone marrow from another part of the body.

Your child's healthcare team will order regular blood tests to check for a low blood count and to know when it is safe to give the next dose of chemotherapy.

Your child will need to have some tests if your doctor thinks they may have cancer.

If your child has had a recent cancer diagnosis, you'll probably want answers to some general questions - about how cancer develops, treatment and what terms like 'remission' and 'relapse' mean.

Child cancer care is coordinated across New Zealand so that all tamariki (children) get the best available treatment wherever they live.

Many whānau (families) in Aotearoa are affected by family violence. Help is available. If you or your tamariki are affected by family violence, call the Are You OK helpline on 0800 456 450, or Shine's national helpline on 0508 74 46 33.

The flu (influenza) is not the same as having a bad cold. The flu can be a serious infection. Flu vaccination every year gives the best protection.

Every year, too many New Zealand babies die suddenly during sleep. Find out about the best ways to reduce the risk. Make every sleep a safe sleep for your baby.

Cerebral palsy (CP) affects tamariki (children) in different ways. If you have found out your child has CP, your journey might be different from what you had planned. There are services to help your child with CP to reach their potential. The journey of every child and their whānau (family) is different.

The heel prick test is a blood test - it involves collecting a sample of blood from your baby's heel 48 hours after their birth. 

If your child is having difficulty with their voice, try to reduce situations where your child is yelling or talking over the top of noise. Encourage periods of quiet activities to give the voice a rest.

Stuttering is when people seem to get stuck on, or repeat, sounds when talking. Show your child that you are interested in what they say, not how they say it.

Communication is much more than words. Communication is the way we connect and interact with people. It is part of our identity and culture. It helps us to learn, interact with others and make friends.

Autism-takiwātanga is a difference in development that affects communication, social skills and behaviour. If your child does have autism-takiwātanga, there are services available to support your child, you and your whānau. 

Flu vaccination is available from 1 April each year. It is important for everyone over 6 months old to have a flu vaccination every year. It is especially important for tamariki (children) with certain long-term health conditions, and for women in pregnancy.

Vaccination on time is the most effective way to protect hapū māmā (pregnant mothers), pēpi (babies) and tamariki (children) from preventable disease.