Dr Jeanne Wong

28/02/2026

Why is chickenpox worse in older kids? 🤔

Chickenpox is usually mild and self-limiting in young children, but older children and adolescents can get it much more severely.
As we grow, the immune response is stronger, which can mean higher fever, more rash, and more inflammation.

Recently, I treated an older adolescent with severe chickenpox who needed acyclovir and hospitalisation for dehydration, while the younger sibling had a much milder illness.

While most children recover well , chickenpox can sometimes lead to complications like skin infections, pneumonia, brain inflammation (encephalitis), and dehydration — especially in babies, teenagers and children with weak immunity (immunocompromised)

💉 The chickenpox vaccine, given after 1 year of age, greatly prevents and reduces the risk of severe disease and complications. Talk to your doctor if its a suitable option for your child. 💙

21/02/2026

Panduan Berpuasa bagi Penghidap Diabetes Jenis 1 (T1D)

Kanak-kanak dan remaja yang menghidap diabetes Jenis 1 sebenarnya tidak diwajibkan berpuasa pada bulan Ramadhan. Ini kerana berpuasa boleh membahayakan kesihatan mereka, seperti risiko kencing manis berasid (DKA) atau tahap gula dalam darah yang terlalu rendah (hipoglisemia) jika tidak dipantau dengan betul.

Namun, semakin ramai anak muda di Malaysia yang bersemangat untuk turut serta berpuasa. Jika anda salah seorang daripadanya, sila ikuti langkah keselamatan ini:

• Dapatkan Kaunseling: Berjumpa dengan doktor sebelum Ramadhan untuk bimbingan khas.
• Pendidikan Diabetes: Pastikan anda faham cara menguruskan gula dalam darah semasa berpuasa.
• Pantau Gula Darah: Sentiasa periksa tahap gula (BG) anda dengan kerap sepanjang hari.
• Laraskan Insulin: Tukar dos insulin anda mengikut keperluan dan nasihat pakar.

Pesanan Penting: Dapatkan nasihat daripada doktor anda terlebih dahulu supaya anda boleh berpuasa dengan selamat pada musim ini!

Young people with Type 1 diabetes mellitus are not under compulsion to fast during the holy month of Ramadhan as fasting can pose imminent danger of DKA, and severe hypoglycemia if not monitored safely.

However, we are seeing more and more young children and adolescent in Malaysia who wishes to fast in Ramadhan. These young people with T1D should receive pre-fasting counselling and diabetes education to ensure they can fast safely during Ramadhan.

If you are someone with T1D and wishes to fast, please monitor your BG and adjust insulin as necessary. Get advice from your doctors so you can fast safely during this season!

20/02/2026

Why RSV "vaccines" for babies costs more than RSV vaccines for adults

Beyfortus and RSV vaccines for adults are not the same, which is why the price is different.

Beyfortus is actually not a vaccine. It is a monoclonal antibody given to babies to protect them from severe RSV lung infection (bronchiolitis). It works right away by giving babies ready-made protection.

At the moment, there is no RSV vaccine approved for infants. Babies can only be protected using monoclonal antibodies like Beyfortus or if mothers received RSV vaccination during pregnancy.

RSV vaccines for adults work differently. They help the body make its own protection, which is simpler to produce and costs less.

Beyfortus is made specially for newborns and babies below 2 years who are at risk, which is why it costs more. Admnistration is similar to most vaccines via intramuscular injection at the thigh

18/02/2026

Selamat Menyambut Bulan Ramadan 🌙✨ Wishing our Muslim friends fasting month filled with peace, reflections and blessings. 🩵

16/02/2026

🧧🐎🔥 Happy Chinese New Year – Year of the Fire Horse!

Wishing everyone and all families good health, happy hearts, and growing smiles in the year ahead. May our little ones thrive, laugh often, and shine bright. Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate, and happy holidays to all!

Dr Jeanne ✨🧧💕

13/02/2026

Dear parents Dr Jeanne will be on leave 14-19th February for CNY 🧧

12/02/2026

As a paediatric endocrinologist, one of the most common concerns I see in the clinic today isn’t diabetes itself, it’s insulin resistance.

This condition is less known, but plays a central role in the development of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders in teenagers.

With the rise of childhood obesity worldwide, understanding what insulin resistance is and what can be done about it is essential. And the good news is that the teenage years represent a unique window of opportunity for intervention.

Happy to share more in my Hormones and Kids column this month in The Star. Click below for the full online article, open access only for the week.

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/health/hormones-and-kids/2026/02/10/when-a-teen039s-body-starts-resisting-insulin

11/02/2026

As paediatric endocrinologists, one of the most common concerns we see in the clinic today isn’t diabetes itself, it’s insulin resistance.

This condition is less known, but plays a central role in the development of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders in teenagers.

Happy to share my latest article about insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in teens.

Insulin resistance – the starting point of diabetes – is increasingly being detected in adolescents.

28/01/2026

Children can get diabetes too. Remember the 3 Ts

🚽 Toilet
Frequent urination, waking at night to p*e, bedwetting again
(Usually when glucose >11 mmol/L, as the glucose leaks out to the urine , it pulls water with it)

💧 Thirsty
Drinking excessively due to fluid loss → risk of dehydration

⚖️ Thinner
Weight loss despite normal or increased appetite

In just 1 month, I saw 3 children diagnosed with diabetes with ketosis age between 4 to 12 years

⚠️ Remember Type 1 diabetes can progress rapidly — within days to weeks — to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening emergency. Type 2 diabetes may develop more slowly over weeks to months.

✅ If your child has these symptoms, request a simple blood glucose test from your doctor. Early diagnosis allows prompt treatment and referral to specialist or a paediatric endocrinologist. Prompt insulin treatment is needed for all children with diabetes who are metabolically unstable with high ketones to prevent deterioration to diabetes ketoacidosis a serious lifethreatening condition.

25/01/2026

Cellulitis in children: a skin infection that can start from a small cut or break in skin barrier causing redness, swelling, pain, and fever — mild cases can be treated with oral antibiotics but severe cases with extensive redness needs intravenous antibiotics. 2nd photo shows quick improvement after a few days of appropriate IV antibootics

It is caused commonly by bacteria known as Staphylococcus aerues or Streptococcus. Infections around the joint need careful monitoring for septic arthritis (pus within the joint) which needs urgent orthopaedic intervention.

23/01/2026

When the days & nights are long and tiring, and the hospital feels like a second home, small encouragement and a wonderful team truly makes my day and reminds me why I do what I do. Blessed indeed to have such a dedicated and caring team. Together, we work to provide the best care for the little ones entrusted to us. Thank you. ❤️

18/01/2026

How to differentiate oral thrush from milk tongue in babies

White curdish patches in a baby’s mouth are often due to oral thrush, a yeast infection in babies. They appear as White, curd-like plaques that are adherent on the tongue, inner lips, and buccal mucosa unlike mild tongue where normal milk residue is confined mainly to the tongue and appears as a thin uniform white coating.

While they might seem worrying, oral thrush is usually easily treated in babies who are otherwise well.