My children keep getting recurring infections of threadworms.

How can I prevent this from happening?

Threadworms are the most common type of worm infection in the UK, and they are particularly common in young children, infecting up to half of all children under the age of 10.

Threadworms are white and look like a small piece of thread. You may notice them around your child's bottom or in your or your child's stools.

They don't always cause symptoms.

You can treat threadworms yourself with medication available at pharmacies. However, treatment does not kill the eggs hatched by threadworms. Good hygiene is the only way to prevent the eggs from spreading and causing further infection.

Threadworms are spread from person-to-person as a result of poor hygiene. If one member of a household is infected, there is a high risk that other members will also be infected.

It is therefore necessary to treat the entire household and to practise particularly thorough hygiene for six weeks (this is how long the worms live) to prevent re-infection.

Children should wash their hands regularly, particularly after going to the toilet and before mealtimes. Kitchen and bathroom surfaces should be kept clean.

Encouraging your children not to scratch the affected area will help prevent re-infection and help to avoid a skin infection.

I gave birth to my first child four months ago but still haven't had a period. When can I expect them to return to normal?

If you bottle feed your baby, or combine bottle feeding with breastfeeding, your first period could start as soon as five to six weeks after you give birth.

If you fully breastfeed (and do not combine bottle feeding with breastfeeding), it is possible that your periods may not start again until you stop breastfeeding. This is your body's way of preventing additional pregnancies while you have a small baby.

When you start to breastfeed less, your periods will usually start to return. As your baby starts feeding less often, around three feeds a day, you may start 'spotting'.

Spotting is a light and irregular period that usually appears as spots of blood.

Many women experience blood clots in their periods after giving birth. This is not usually a cause for alarm, and may occur as a result of your body healing inside. However, if you have had blood clots in your period for a week, you should speak to your midwife, health visitor, or GP.

If your period does return while you are breastfeeding, it may be irregular. It is not unusual for a woman's menstrual cycle to go quicker, or slower, than normal while she is breastfeeding. Sometimes, a woman who is breastfeeding will skip periods altogether, or have months in between periods.

After pregnancy, it is important to remember that you can still be fertile even though your periods have not yet returned. This is because a woman ovulates about two weeks before she has her period. Ask your midwife or GP if you have any questions about contraception after having a baby.

After having a baby, your periods may be either heavier, or lighter, than before. If your periods become irregular or if you are not fully breastfeeding, and your periods have not returned after a few months, you should speak to your GP, or health visitor, for advice.

What is Uveitis?

Uveitis is inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, which is known as the uvea or uveal tract.

The uvea is made up of the iris (coloured part of the eye), the ciliary body (ring of muscle behind the iris) and the choroid (layer of tissue that supports the retina).

The symptoms of uveitis include:

€¢ pain in one or both eyes

€¢ redness of the eye

€¢ blurred vision

There are a wide range of potential causes for uveitis (over a 100), including injury, infection or an underlying condition. However, in around one in three cases, no obvious cause can be found.