The tetanus vaccine protects against a potentially life-threatening bacteria called Clostridium tetani that releases the tetanus toxin. This bacteria is found in the environment in soil or manure worldwide and enters the body via any scratches, puncture wounds, burns or other skin breaks. It’s a significant cause of neonatal death in some African countries, but part of the vaccination programme is offered to all babies in the UK. Symptoms of tetanus toxin infection include muscle spasms and stiffness or rigidity. This stiffness affects the jaw (causing lockjaw) and neck first, before affecting the rest of the body, and usually requiring life support.

Symptoms of COVD-19 were around 3 classical ones: continuous cough, fever and loss of sense of smell or taste. However, the symptoms in children quickly adapted to include sore throat, diarrhoea, headache, tiredness, muscle joint aches, conjunctivitis, nausea or vomiting and runny nose. It’s much rarer for serious illness from COVID to afflict those under 18, but not impossible. If they experience shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing, this is reason to seek urgent medical attention, as you would in other illnesses. Post-COVID syndrome, or long COVID as most people know it, can occur in children, where certain symptoms such as cough, difficulty breathing or exercising, concentration difficulty or immense fatigue, can persist for three months or more after the initial infection.

Curanail 5% is an over-the-counter product containing amorolfine, and is a topical treatment used for fungal nail infections. The nail solution is painted onto the infected nail using the brush provided with your purchase of Curanail 5%. It works by soaking in through the nail to kill the fungus responsible for the infection. A fungal nail infection most commonly affects the toenails but can also affect the fingernails. It is most commonly caused by the same fungi that cause athletes foot. The fungi often cause the infected nail to become discoloured, brittle, thickened or distorted. If left untreated the nail may be destroyed and the surrounding skin can also become infected. This medicine is available for purchase over-the-counter in most pharmacies. How does Curanail work? Curanail contains amorolfine which kills fungi and prevents the infection from spreading further. Amorolfine is able to penetrate the nail’s surface and creates small holes within the fungi’s outer membranes. This causes the fungal cells to leak which is why the fungi dies. In order to get the best result using Curanail, it’s vital to make sure you file down the infected nails using the nail files provided before each weekly application. This allows Curanail to absorb deeper within the nail to have the best chance of fully killing off the fungus infection.

Fusidic acid is an antibiotic and is used to treat bacterial skin infections. It can be used by adults and children to treat infections caused by staphylococcal bacteria such as impetigo, and infected cuts and grazes. Fusidic acid ointment is a similar medication, the only difference is that it’s a bit greasier therefore it’s normally only used on smaller areas of skin. The medication is only available on prescription. Fucidin H cream is a similar medication, it contains fusidic acid but has hydrocortisone (a corticosteroid) in addition. Fucidin H is used to treat inflammatory conditions that could also have a bacterial infection. It can be used for infected eczema and dermatitis. All these medications are only available on prescription.

Penicillins are a class of antibiotic medications usually used to treat bacterial infections caused by gram-positive bacteria (like staphylococcus and streptococcus that can cause skin and throat infections, amongst many others). Commonly used penicillin antibiotics include amoxicillin, flucloxacillin, and phenoxymethylpenicillin (penicillin V). Many more are used to treat severe life-threatening infections like meningitis. Only 0.05% or less of the population may experience an anaphylactic reaction. An allergy to one type of penicillin means you are likely to be allergic to other penicillins as they are related. Always let your prescriber know if you have any allergies to any medications and what reaction you experience. Penicillins being antibiotics are only available on prescription to ensure antimicrobial stewardship.

Pholcodine is a cough medication used to relieve dry and tickly coughs. You used to be able to buy it from your pharmacy either on its own or in combination with other medications for colds and flu. Unfortunately, it is no longer available over the counter due to safety concerns. It is a prescription-only medication now. Occasionally a cough can be a symptom of a more serious problem. You should speak to your doctor if you have had a cough for more than three weeks, have severe symptoms such as fever, coughing up blood, have lost weight unexpectedly, or have chest pain or shortness of breath.

These are antifungal tablets, taken by mouth to treat fungal infections. These can be prescribed by a doctor when topical (creams) and washes) antifungals are not helping to clear up the infection. In certain cases, if the infection is severe or widespread or internal, then oral antifungals may be prescribed first by your doctor. There are a number of groups of antifungal tablets ranging from ones available over the counter to those requiring specialist prescribing. These are known as the Triazole, Imidazole, Polyene, Echinocandin and other antifungals.

Antifungal medicines are invaluable in combating various fungal infections that commonly affect the skin, hair, nails, and mouth. Available in different forms such as tablets, lacquers (such as Curanail, creams, powders, oral gels, and shampoos, these medications effectively target the source of infection. Understanding their uses, mechanisms of action, and preventive measures can empower you to manage fungal conditions with confidence.

Fungal nail infections will not get better without treatment. Treating a fungal nail infection can take a long time, and it is important to say that treatment is only necessary if the person is bothered by the look or feel of the nail. Here Healthwords's pharmacists walk you through the options available.

Antifungals are a category of medication that targets the breakdown of unwanted fungi from the body. Simple treatments can involve topical treatments with over the counter medication but more complex treatments can involve treating fungal infections with tablets, creams or other methods. Although antifungals are all one topic, they can be subcategorized into different types of antifungals – we’ll go through this in more detail below.

When treating fungal infections, the right antifungal cream can make all the difference. Whether it’s athlete’s foot, ringworm, or a pesky yeast infection, antifungal creams are a go-to solution for clearing up these uncomfortable conditions. But with so many options available, knowing which one is best for you can be tricky. In this article, we’ll break down the different types of antifungal creams, how they work, and help you decide which one suits your needs. By the end, you’ll better understand which cream can get you back to feeling like yourself again.

Amoxicillin is a type of antibiotic from the penicillin family. It is used in adults, children and infants to treat a range of different bacterial infections such as chest infections, sinusitis, tonsillitis, dental abscesses, ear infections and Lyme disease. Amoxicillin can come in capsules, oral suspension, oral powder sachet and injection formulations. Amoxicillin is only available on prescription. Amoxil is a branded version of amoxicillin.