Illness & Symptoms

Key words and phrases for recognising when a child is sick and communicating symptoms to parents and doctors.

Useful phrases

Fever: FEE-ver; spanish: Fiebre; tagalog: Lagnat; hindi: बुखार; arabic: حمى; french: Fièvre; The child has a fever of 39°C — please call the parents.
Thermometer: ther-MOM-eh-ter; spanish: Termómetro; tagalog: Termometro; hindi: थर्मामीटर; arabic: ميزان الحرارة; french: Thermomètre; Use a thermometer to check the child's temperature.
Loss of appetite: loss of AP-eh-tite; spanish: Pérdida de apetito; tagalog: Kawalan ng gana sa pagkain; hindi: भूख न लगना; arabic: فقدان الشهية; french: Perte d'appétit; She has a loss of appetite and will not eat her dinner.
Vomiting: VOM-it-ing; spanish: Vómito; tagalog: Pagsusuka; hindi: उल्टी; arabic: تقيؤ; french: Vomissement; The child has been vomiting since this morning.
Diarrhea: dy-ah-REE-ah; spanish: Diarrea; tagalog: Pagtatae; hindi: दस्त; arabic: إسهال; french: Diarrhée; He has diarrhea — make sure he drinks plenty of water.
Dehydration: dee-HY-dray-shun; spanish: Deshidratación; tagalog: Dehydrasyon; hindi: निर्जलीकरण; arabic: جفاف; french: Déshydratation; Watch for dehydration signs: dry mouth, no tears, dark urine.
Rash: rash; spanish: Sarpullido; tagalog: Pantal; hindi: चकत्ते; arabic: طفح جلدي; french: Éruption cutanée; A rash appeared on her arm — I will tell the parents right away.
Difficulty breathing: dif-ih-KUL-tee BREE-thing; spanish: Dificultad para respirar; tagalog: Hirap sa paghinga; hindi: सांस लेने में तकलीफ; arabic: صعوبة في التنفس; french: Difficulté à respirer; He is having difficulty breathing — call the doctor now.
Seizure: SEE-zhur; spanish: Convulsión; tagalog: Atake; hindi: दौरा; arabic: نوبة صرع; french: Convulsion; A seizure is a medical emergency — call 911 immediately.
He/She is not feeling well: hee/shee iz not FEEL-ing wel; spanish: No se siente bien; tagalog: Hindi siya magaling; hindi: उसे अच्छा नहीं लग रहा; arabic: إنه لا يشعر بتحسن; french: Il/Elle ne se sent pas bien; He is not feeling well today — he has been sleeping all morning.
Dizzy: DIZ-ee; spanish: Mareado/a; tagalog: Nahihilo; hindi: चक्कर आना; arabic: دوخة; french: Étourdi(e); She feels dizzy when she stands up too quickly.
He's feeling dizzy: heez FEEL-ing DIZ-ee; spanish: Él se siente mareado; tagalog: Nahihilo siya; hindi: उसे चक्कर आ रहा है; arabic: يشعر بالدوار; french: Il se sent étourdi; He's feeling dizzy after spinning around.
He fainted: hee FAYN-tid; spanish: Él se desmayó; tagalog: Nahimatay siya; hindi: वह बेहोश हो गया; arabic: أُغمي عليه; french: Il s'est évanoui; He fainted in the heat and needed water.
He/she's unwell: hee/shee iz un-WEL; spanish: Él/ella no se siente bien; tagalog: Hindi siya maayos ang pakiramdam; hindi: वह अस्वस्थ है; arabic: هو/هي مريض/ة; french: Il/elle ne se sent pas bien; He/she's unwell today and needs rest.
He/she needs to go to the dentist: hee/shee needz tuh GOH tuh thuh DEN-tist; spanish: Él/ella necesita ir al dentista; tagalog: Kailangan niyang pumunta sa dentista; hindi: उसे दंत चिकित्सक के पास जाना है; arabic: هو/هي بحاجة إلى زيارة طبيب الأسنان; french: Il/elle doit aller chez le dentiste; He/she needs to go to the dentist about a sore tooth.
Pediatrician: pee-dee-uh-TRISH-un; spanish: Pediatra; tagalog: Doktor ng bata; hindi: बाल रोग विशेषज्ञ; arabic: طبيب أطفال; french: Pédiatre; The pediatrician checked the baby's weight and development.
Dentist: DEN-tist; spanish: Dentista; tagalog: Dentista; hindi: दंत चिकित्सक; arabic: طبيب أسنان; french: Dentiste; The dentist will look at her teeth today.
Nurse: nurs; spanish: Enfermero/a; tagalog: Nars; hindi: नर्स; arabic: ممرض/ة; french: Infirmier/ère; The nurse checked his temperature and blood pressure.
Unconscious / conscious: un-KON-shus / KON-shus; spanish: Inconsciente / consciente; tagalog: Walang malay / may malay; hindi: बेहोश / होश में; arabic: فاقد الوعي / واعٍ; french: Inconscient(e) / conscient(e); The child is conscious now, but was unconscious for a short time.