Your questions on children's health as they return to school have been answered by Livi's expert, Dr Rhianna McClymont

[JustineBMumsnet]

Please note, questions have been answered and the expert is no longer available to answer new questions.

With the much-anticipated return to school now a reality, many parents have concerns about their children’s health. Whether your concerns are typical of any year or related to the effect of coronavirus, Dr Rhianna McClymont - Livi’s Lead GP - is here to help answer your questions.

Here’s some more info about Dr Rhianna McClymont: “Dr McClymont achieved a First Class Honours in Medicine. She then hit the ground running, carrying out medical, surgical and paediatric training at a number of prestigious London teaching hospitals, before specialising in General Practice. She has worked in a GP surgery in North London, and taken roles in urgent care settings, health-assessment clinics, and a digital healthcare company. Today, she works for Livi as a Lead GP as well as giving her time to the NHS.”

Here’s what Livi has to say: “If you’re a busy parent, being able to get medical advice quickly when one of your family is ill can be a real lifeline. Livi lets you see a registered GP quickly by video, at a time and place that suits you. Appointments are available seven days a week – usually within minutes, or you can book up to a week in advance. Our friendly, professional GPs can give you medical advice and prescriptions for a wide range of symptoms. You can use Livi for your children aged between 2 and 16 years old. Just register your child through the app and get instant access to medical advice when they’re feeling unwell – all without leaving home.”

So whether you’re worried about your little one’s skin rash, allergies or possible exposure to COVID-19 back at school, ask Dr McClymont your questions about children’s health.

Dr McClymont will be back between 16th and 21st September to answer your questions.

All who share a question on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where three lucky Mumsnet users will each win a £100 Amazon voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

*Please note this thread does not constitute personal medical advice, and please do not disclose personal health information on this forum. You should always speak to a GP/healthcare professional in person for advice specific to your situation.

What advice can you give in terms of supporting the mental health of teenagers during the pandemic?

My daughter is 5 and suffers with outbreaks of eczema, it is better at some times of the year but in the winter it gets worse and I cannot seem to find a decent cream that will keep her skin nice and soft rather than dry as this is when the ezcema starts. The Child's Farm range are good, can you recommend any other cream? Thanks

My 16 year old daughter keeps getting issues with her tonsils every Winter requiring antibiotics each year.

I've heard they need something like 8 recorded attacks before considering removing them, is this true and/or do you have any advice?

HI WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE WEARING OF A MASK IN SCHOOL

How do we decide whether a cough or temperature is bad enough to need a test? It feels like a fine line at the moment between being responsible and getting a test or being responsible and leaving them for those who really need them when the demand is so high.

How would you know if you or your child has either Covid-19 or the common flu/cold? As winter is approaching, I am worried that I will have difficulties in knowing the differences between coronavirus , the cold and flu.

My worry is that the bubbles at school will be asked to self isolate when one of them has covid symptoms- you can't get a test easily and will probably just be a cold anyway! My question is, how do you know if a cough is the usual croup cough (my daughter gets a bark at least once a year) or a dry covid type cough? Or does it not matter? Thanks

Ii

Do nit treatments really get rid of them in one treatment as they claim on the bottle?
I've always found that we have needed two treatments even though the bottle claims one.

We all seem to get a cough when the heating goes on, is there anything we can do to help prevent this as we don't want it to get confused with Covid-19 symptoms.

My daughters eczema settled down over lock down to the point of it disappearing. It has now flared up in large patches on her thighs. I feel it could be linked to having a cold, returning to school, returning to football or recent use of a wax melt indoors...How can I pinpoint what has caused this?

My child has atrial septal defect which the pediatric cardiologist diagnosed and I am quite worried whether sending him back to school and getting back to normal would be a good idea for him or not.I am quite anxious about it .Could you please help ?

Will the NHS be giving free flu jabs to everyone this year?

Hello, advise please, my DS now 9 had a very bad bout of chicken pox when he was around 15 months old, and when he is run down, gets molluscum contagiosum (diagnosed by the GP) on his elbows and knuckles, my question would be - does this decrease with age, and would being 'run down' make him more susceptible to more advanced covid symptoms ? Thanks

What's the best way to boost a child's immune system?

What kind of health and safety precautions can I as a parent take to safeguard my children and ensure that they are as vigilant as possible when interacting with other students/their friends whilst away from home? Are there any particular products that I can use which are more effective in preventing infection?

This term is always the hardest with 2 of my DC having asthma, with this on top and it affecting the lungs I'm concerned about them being back at school.

What can I do to help them fight off colds and chest infections, which will make them more vulnerable to covid19

It is so hard to get a 5 yr old to do a covid swab. Am I better off keeping him home so he doesn't bring coughs home and stop my GCSE age kids going to school?
Or is there a better way of managing this?

This has already happened to us, and there’s nothing i can do. My older kids are really upset at missing 2 weeks of school.

Hello everyone, my name’s Dr Rhianna and I’m a Lead GP at Livi. I’m here to answer your questions about your children’s health as they start a new school year after a turbulent few months.

If you, or your child aged between 2 and 15, becomes unwell, remember you can use the Livi app to see a GP by video the same day, any day of the week. Download it today so you’re all set for when you might need it.

@NauticalDisaster

Perhaps a boring one but... my son has had a wart for over a year. It is on his thumb and didn’t want it treated at first. We have now treated it three times with an OTC freezing kit but it hasn’t worked at all. I called the GP but they don’t treat warts anymore and the pharmacist said that OTC likely won’t work. What do we do now? Will a dermatologist look at it? He really wants it gone now.

A dermatologist could certainly look at, and provide treatments such as cryotherapy, for a wart. However, it is worth noting that unless the wart is causing significant pain, distress or is in a problematic area such as obstructing movement or vision, then this would normally need to be arranged privately as the NHS does not fund treatment for simple skin lesions which are not dangerous to health. Although irritating, most warts will disappear spontaneously within 2 years. If you haven’t already, it is certainly worth trying over the counter treatments such as salicylic acid from a pharmacy. It sounds old-fashioned, but duct tape can also work wonders! Apply a piece of duct tape to the wart so that it completely covers the area and leave it in place for a week. Remove, and file down gently with an emery board and then replace the duct tape for a further week. You’ll need to continue this for approximately 4-6 weeks. It works even better when combined with salicylic acid treatment in addition.

@Duckyneedsaclean

Is it worth getting the chicken pox vaccination? I'm seriously considering, especially to prevent further time off nursery/school over this winter with likely covid self isolation.

In most children, chicken pox is an unpleasant illness, but one that they normally recover from quickly and easily. Symptoms include an itchy, blistered rash, and is often accompanied by high temperature. It is not uncommon to get other symptoms such as a cough or runny nose at the same time. Apart from medications such as paracetamol for high temperatures no other treatment is usually required, and the child recovers with supportive care such as plenty of fluids, rest and soothing creams for the itchy lesion. However, in the current covid19 pandemic, any child that develops a temperature or new cough will be required to self-isolate with their household until they have a negative covid19 test result. As a temperature is very likely in a child with chickenpox, this ‘quarantine period’, and it’s effect on your child and rest of your family, is something you should consider when weighing up whether to purchase the vaccine. The chicken pox vaccine generates immunity in 9 out of 10 children that have a single dose given to them. It is recommended that two doses of the vaccine is given 4-8 weeks apart, and this would confer even higher immunity still. As such, having the vaccine would significantly reduce your child’s chances of contracting chickenpox and having to self-isolate. It is worth noting that having the chicken pox vaccination does not 100% guarantee that your child will not catch chickenpox – although if this does occur the illness itself is usually significantly milder (i.e. far fewer spots, or reduced chance of a temperature) and of a shorter duration than would normally be expected in an unvaccinated child. It is likely that, particularly over the winter period, many families will have to quarantine as their children contract normal childhood coughs, colds and temperatures. If you are particularly concerned about the impact of this on time away from school then having the chickenpox vaccine to significantly reduce the risk of this particular illness is something you should consider in more detail. Lastly, it should also be noted that the chicken pox vaccine is not available on the NHS as part of the normal childhood vaccination schedule and must be purchased privately in most cases.

@TheEndisCummings

Should children have the fu jab this year?

This year, the flu vaccine will be available on the NHS for all children aged 2 or 3 on 31 August 2020, all primary school children, all year 7 children, and all children aged 2-17yrs with long term health condition. Yes, I would advise that any child eligible on the above criteria receive the flu vaccine.

@LastDaysOfSummer

I am concerned about the mental health of my child given the constant bad news and impact to everyday life. Do you have any general advice?

It is certainly a scary time for children filled with lots of change, uncertainty and worry. Make sure you’re talking to your children regularly about any worries they have about the news, school, relatives or the general situation. Also ensure that they know who to talk to at school if they have a problem or concern. It is very difficult to hide what’s going on with so much on the news, so I think the best thing is to openly chat about their fears and give them space and time to tell you what they are worried about.

@Asuwere

Obviously DC have already missed quite a bit of school due to lockdown, is there anything extra I should be doing to help them avoid colds/bugs so they don't need any more time off?

Just making sure that their general health is at it’s best - make sure they get a varied diet filled with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to boost their vitamin levels, plenty of water and a good night’s sleep every night. Time spent playing/exercising outdoors is great for mental health, exercise benefits and vitamin D levels from the sunshine (just don’t forget to use sunscreen if it’s a very sunny day!)

@lillypopdaisyduke

I thought I had Covid back in June - had all of the symptoms lack of taste, dry cough and aches - it did go within 10 days thankfully - My DS had no symptoms (I did isolate) If he had it asymptomatically - can I get a test for this ?

There is a blood test available privately if you are interested in knowing this. It is called an antibody test, and measures whether a person has antibodies in their blood to covid19 which would mean they have already contracted and fought off the virus. However, these tests do not work for everyone, as some people who have tested positive for covid19 do not generate antibodies. It is also worth noting that even if antibodies are present then this does not necessarily infer immunity to covid19 in the future. Research is ongoing in this area as to how long antibodies last, the level of immunity they confer and the accuracy of these antibody tests.