Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems, and occurs in a wide range of age groups. There have been many recent opinions about iron, particularly in the infant's diet. There are no accurate Australian figures for the prevalence of iron deficiency in infancy, but a declining trend has been shown in the...

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is the most common community-acquired invasive bacterial infection of Australian children. Infection usually presents as meningitis or epiglottitis but other manifestations include pneumonia, septic arthritis/osteomyelitis, cellulitis or sepsis without an identifiable focus. Hib are part of the normal nose and throat flora and spread is thought to occur via respiratory...

All infants cry - it is one of the few ways available for the young infant to communicate with the environment. It is not abnormal for infants to cry. Some parents perceive the intensity, duration or amount of crying as abnormal, and seek professional help.

Deafness is often described as a 'hidden handicap'. Even children who are profoundly deaf may not be diagnosed until the second year of life, or later. By this stage, children have already "missed out" on the early sound input so necessary for their normal speech and language development and their future cognitive functioning. The major...

In this first Community Paediatrics newsletter, produced in 1992 by the Department of Ambulatory Paediatrics, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, infant colic and breastmilk jaundice is discussed. Infant colic is a common and stressful problem for parents, and a major management challenge for health professionals. Although said to be self-limited in time, the ramifications of a...