Undescended testes

Screening for undescended testes is recommended for boys at school entry (~4-5 years of age). Around 2-4% of boys have an undescended testes at birth. But sometimes the testes (also known as testicle) is in the scrotum at birth but is pulled up into the groin or abdomen at around 4-10 years of age. This happens because the cord that attaches the testicle to the abdomen doesn’t grow at the same rate as the child.

Undescended testes don’t fully sit within the scrotum. The condition isn’t painful but can increase the risk of several other health issues such as decreased fertility and testicular cancer. For those boys who develop an undescended testicle later in childhood, the 'ascending' testicle often needs surgery between 5 years and 10 years.

Please read through the information about undescended testicles provided by Raising Children Network and encourage your child to check themselves as described there.

If you have any concerns, please contact your General Practitioner or Community Health Nurse, (Kerry Martin) on (0424 574 272).

Colour Blindness

Children who are colour blind can see as clearly as other people but can’t tell the difference between some colours or see colours differently from other people. Very few people who are colour blind are ‘blind’ to all colours – most often they see red and green as very similar.

It’s good to know if a child is colour blind because they may have difficulty at school with activities that use colours, such as drawing and sorting blocks, and with computers. Please read through information on colour blindness provided by Raising Children Network.

If you have any concerns, colour vision testing can be performed by some General Practitioners (GP), eye specialists or optometrist. You can also contact your local Community Health Nurse, (Kerry Martin)   on (0424 574 272).

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. It can be detected by a simple examination of the back.

The normal spine has three curves – one in the neck, on in the upper back and one in the lower back. These curves can be seen from the side, but when you look from behind the spine should appear straight. If the spine has a sideways curve, this is scoliosis.

Please read through the scoliosis information provided by Raising Children Network and check your child for scoliosis as described.

If you have any concerns, please contact your General Practitioner or Community Health Nurse, (Kerry Martin) on (0424 574 272).