Pediatric Prevention

Pediatricians recommend taking a preventive approach to your child’s health, to give them the best start in life. Preventive pediatrics involves attending regular checkups and scheduled screening to monitor your child’s wellbeing and development and to stop certain illnesses from occurring. In some cases, early intervention can stop some health conditions before they become too serious. 

Childhood screening is an important part of preventive pediatrics. Doctors check for a range of developmental and physical milestones which can have a big impact on general health and wellbeing. Screening services offered at Mubadala Health Dubai include:

• Neonatal screening: Also called newborn screening, this involves a simple blood test at 1 to 2 days old which can check for rare but serious health conditions, most of which are treatable at birth.
• Metabolic screening: Also known as the PKU (phenylketonuria) test, this test looks for certain serious medical conditions which require treatment from birth.
• Developmental screening: A simple procedure in which pediatricians examine a child in early childhood for signs of cognitive, motor, social or communication delays.
• Screening of vision and hearing: Screenings should take place in early childhood to identify any problem with sight or hearing to avoid developmental delays.
• Blood pressure screening: Children should be routinely screened for hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Screening for anemia: Pediatricians recommend screening for anemia at around 12 months to check for iron deficiency. Iron is crucial for healthy growth and development.
• Screening for bacteriuria: A urine test which can screen for the bacteria that causes common urinary tract infections.
• Dental screening: Regular dental screening can identify any issues early and helps to educate your child on the importance of good dental hygiene.
• Nutritional screening: for both undernutrition and obesity . Good nutrition lies at the heart of good health, and nutritional screening aims to assess how good a child’s diet is and allows doctors to offer support to parents on ways to improve it.
• Asthma screen
• Early identification of genetic diseases
• Screening for Autism and ADHD
• Screening for sleep disorders in children
• Screening for learning disabilities

Childhood Immunizations

In the UAE, parents are advised to adhere to the following vaccination schedule:

• 6-in-1 vaccine: Given to babies at 2, 4 and 6 months, this offers protection against diphtheria, Hepatitis B, Hib (Hemophilus influenza type b), polio, tetanus and whooping cough.
• Pneumococcal: Given to babies at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months, this vaccine protects against pneumococcal infection.
• Rotavirus: Given at 2 and 4 months, this vaccine protects against rotavirus infection (which causes diarrhea and sickness in childhood).
• MMR: Given at 1 year and 5/6 years, this triple vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
• Pre-school booster: Offered at 18 months, this boosts protection against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.
• HPV vaccine: Offered to girls aged 12/13 years, two injections, 6 months apart protect against the virus which can cause cervical cancer.
• Hepatitis B: Given at 2, 4 and 6 months to protect against hepatitis B.
• MenACWY: Protects against four types of meningitis.

In addition to routine vaccines, we also offer:

• BCG: Offered at birth, the BCG vaccination protects against infection with tuberculosis.
• Travel vaccines: If you plan to travel to some countries, protection against certain illnesses is recommended. These include the hepatitis A and typhoid vaccine, and a diphtheria, polio and tetanus booster.

Flu vaccination

Pediatricians strongly recommend vaccinating your child against the flu every year. Flu is a common virus, but it can lead to serious illness in children. Click here to learn more about the importance of flu vaccination. 

Do all you can to protect your child and make sure their screenings and immunizations are up to date. Book an appointment with our experienced pediatricians in Dubai to arrange a checkup for your child.

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