All genders

Rheumatic fever is a serious illness. It often starts with a sore throat. Without treatment, some sore throats can cause rheumatic fever which can lead to heart damage. 

Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep may be a sign that your child is having difficulty breathing. The medical name for this is obstructive sleep apnoea.

If your child has a long-term disability, a needs assessment is a step towards getting support or services for your child and whānau (family).

If your child has speech or language difficulties or has trouble following instructions, they may have a hearing problem. Other signs include if they are easily distracted or have difficulty paying attention in class.

Screening for some vision problems for your child should happen around 11 or 12 years of age. Your child will not have their hearing checked at school so if you are concerned about your child's hearing, it's important that you visit a health professional.

Your child's hearing and vision will be discussed with you at various Well Child checks before your child turns 4 years of age. If your child does have a hearing or vision problem, finding it early is good for their learning and development.

Measles can be a serious illness. Make sure your tamariki (children) are vaccinated against measles. Immunisation is the best protection.

Mild jaundice is common in pēpi (babies), but baby jaundice is not always normal. If your baby has yellow skin or eyes and pale poo or dark (yellow or brown) wee, your baby needs a special blood test. See a health professional or midwife as soon as possible.

Protect tamariki (children) against measles. It can be very dangerous and spreads faster than almost any other illness. Vaccination is the best protection against measles.

Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) is a kidney disease that mostly affects tamariki (children). The main symptoms are blood in the wee and sometimes puffy eyes.

From 2 to 5 years after cancer treatment has finished, your child or young person will transfer into long-term follow-up care. This focuses on long-term problems that may be the result of the disease or treatment. Remember, many rangatahi (young people) do not develop any long-term problems.

Febrile seizures are a common childhood problem. They happen in tamariki (children) between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.

Depression is a serious illness that can make it hard to do everyday activities. It is important to get help if you are concerned about your child's depression. Depression can be treated effectively.

Anxiety is a common and natural feeling that everybody experiences. If anxiety is significantly impacting your child's everyday life, then it is important to get help for them. 

If your child has cancer, please talk to your child's healthcare team before using any complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) for your child. Some CAM treatments, even vitamins, can interfere with standard medical treatment or can be unsafe for your child with cancer. 

When your child is getting ready to go home from hospital, feelings of excitement can be mixed with feelings of anxiety for everyone in the whānau (family).