The MMR vaccine is recommended by the NHS to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella. The NHS and medical authorities believe that it offers your child the safest and most effective protection. However, some doctors are concerned that the vaccine may cause problems in a small minority of children.

Scabies is a common skin condition causing intense itching. It’s caused by tiny mites burrowing into and under the skin

Threadworms are a parasite that infects the intestines of humans. Threadworms are the most common type of worm parasite in the UK.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural disorder which affects up to one in 20 children. It is much more common in boys than girls.

Meningitis is an infection of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. Septicemia is a blood poisoning by the same germ. Both can develop very rapidly into life-threatening conditions.

Most children will catch chicken pox before they are 10 years old. It is a common and usually mild illness caused by a virus called Varicella zoster.

Young children and infants can’t control their body temperature as well as adults, so they quite often have a raised temperature (anything higher than 38 degrees Celcius).