Reaching every child: the polio programme leaves its legacy

Four-year-old Pooja lives with her family in a jhuggi – a makeshift shanty made of corrugated iron – on a construction site on the outskirts of Kolkata, where her father has been working for the past few months.

The settlement is crowded with temporary workers and their families living in sheds and slum dwellings in and around the buildings that are under construction. They don’t have access to toilets or safe drinking water.

Pooja’s father’s work is precarious. Once the construction at this site is completed, he and his family will pack up their few possessions and move on, setting up home wherever he can find work.

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Constitutional Delay in Growth and Puberty

What is normal puberty?

Puberty occurs when your body undergoes physical changes from being a child to an adult.
Puberty occurs over a number of years:

• Between the age of 8 and 13 years (average of 11 years) in girls.
• Between 9-14 years (average of 11.5 years) in boys.

Girls start puberty with breasts development. Other changes include pubic hair growth, growth spurt, and finally periodic bleed (menstruation). Menstruation should occur before the age of 16.

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HFMD a primary concern

ALTHOUGH children in childcare centres and kindergartens are vulnerable to outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), primary school pupils are victims too.

Recent data from the Ministry of Health reveals that the number of sufferers in the seven- to 12-year-old age range is on the rise.

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Encourage your child to read

 

THE CULTURE of reading is alive and well, despite the onslaught of video games and cable TV. The huge success of Harry Potter and Twilight prove that children (and adults too) love to read and are craving for good books.

This is the perfect time to encourage your child to read as it will have a lasting and nourishing effect on his intellect.

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