Millions of children in England risk contracting potentially fatal diseases as vaccination rates continue to fall for the second year running. According to Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive of the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, about 3m children and adolescents may have missed their mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The 57th Boyer Lecture Series: Over four lectures and four weeks, the World Medical Association president, professor Sir Michael Marmot, explores the challenges communities face in solving issues of health inequality.

Increasing numbers of mothers are now pregnant with twins, mainly due to the use of assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF. These pregnancies can either be monochorionic, where the twins share the same placenta, or dichorionic, where each twin has its own and which is more common.

Doctors and parents sometimes disagree about a child’s medical treatment. As the recent case of six-year-old boy Oshin Kiszko highlights, some disagreements between doctors and parents can’t be resolved by further information and discussion.

Stories of meningococcal outbreaks tell us it’s that season again. But what is meningococcal meningitis, why does it occur in seasons, and why does it strike fear into the hearts of so many?

Mothers across all cultures may worry about being judged for their child’s appearance. But for African-American mothers, a child’s hairstyle can be especially anxiety-inducing.

Have you ever been sat on a flight with a crying baby in your vicinity, wondering more and more with each successive wail how much longer you can stand the sound? Or maybe you’ve been a parent, barely able to resist for a second before running to soothe your precious infant’s ear-piercing distress? Most of us have been there at some point in our lives.

Due to significant advances in diagnosis and treatment, many Australians with cancer can expect to survive and lead a normal life. For those of reproductive age this includes the chance to have their own family in the future.

The announcement that women may be routinely warned of the risks of “normal” vaginal birth, along with those of caesarean section, has sparked some fascinating debates, specifically about what “informed choice” means.

Two-thirds of children have already received antibiotics by the time they are one year old. Antibiotic use is increasing in Australia, which directly affects the development of antibiotic resistance.

Parents have the ultimate responsibility for their children. It’s even written into law in the Children Act 1989. Mothers and fathers have a duty to seek, and make decisions about, their child’s medical treatment.

Colic is a term used to describe a baby who is well, but who cries an excessive amount of the time.

A yellow fever outbreak in parts of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to more than 400 deaths since December 2015.

As a medical student, I remember reading books about the early days of the HIV epidemic and wondering what it was like for doctors to take care of patients who had a new, unknown disease.

New research has found a commonly used method of preventing early or preterm birth (delivery of a baby before 37 weeks) may in fact be causing more to occur, and leading to further problems.

This week, an Australian woman delivered a baby at the age of 62 after having in vitro fertilisation (IVF) abroad. Few women can naturally conceive a baby later in life without the help of IVF – and these are rarely first pregnancies.

Breastfeeding can be a minefield. From women being asked to cover up or leave when feeding in public places, to others feeling that they are being looked down on by some if they don’t breastfeed, it seems that this natural process is constantly in the press.

Approximately four million women give birth each year in the United States. Most women have some level of fear about labor and birth; it is considered part of the normal experience of childbirth.