She has a full-blown bladder infection - get her to a doctor, now!

It does sound like an infection. Could be bacterial, parasitic and there are some other possibilities. To be sure what it is some tests would have to be run.

Feminine hygiene

The anal canal, as any child will tell you, is the place where the faeces makes its exit. It follows therefore that the anal canal (and the area surrounding it) is one of the dirtiest parts of the body. It is teeming with bacteria, and in particular, the E. coli species.

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Feminine hygiene

The anal canal, as any child will tell you, is the place where the faeces makes its exit. It follows therefore that the anal canal (and the area surrounding it) is one of the dirtiest parts of the body. It is teeming with bacteria, and in particular, the E. coli species.

One of the greatest curses to feminine hygiene is the modern day ‘sit-down' toilet. The faeces acts like a descending missile into that bowl of water teeming with bacteria. A splash towards your private parts is the rule.

If it is fairly innocuous and only just stains her panties, there may be a simpler reason for the discharge.

Firstly, after opening her bowels, she is not wiping the toilet paper in the right direction i.e. back to front. Teach her to do it the other way.

Secondly, if the child goes swimming regularly, the chlorinated water in the pool may be an irritant.

It must be appreciated that the vaginal lining in a child is fairly thin and relatively susceptible to irritation.

The child is just not washing away the chlorinated water adequately after her swim.

Teach her to squat down and douche her private parts generously with a spray of water.

Turning now to another related issue. One of the greatest curses to feminine hygiene is the modern day "sit-down" toilet. It must have been invented by a male.

The faeces acts like a descending missile into that bowl of water teeming with bacteria. A splash is the rule.

Little does the child realise that one of the recipients of the "backsplash" is the vagina. A vaginal infection is inevitable.

Perhaps this may explain why "innocent" girls get strange infections of the vagina when they visit public toilets. The solution?

Throw in a bit of toilet paper into the bowl before she goes because it prevents the splash. Perhaps mum should do the same too.

Turning on to a different issue. The pubic region referred to as the mons pubis is endowed with hair. It is also a potential source of problems.

Where there is hair there are sweat and sebaceous glands. And where there are sebaceous glands, there is a potential for infection, and a common one is what is referred to in medical parlance as folliculitis or infection of the hair follicle.

It is like a pimple on the face. A pimple on the face is accepted as a norm. But when the same is present in the pubic region, alarm bells ring.

The solution? Keep the region clean. Some routinely shave the area in an attempt to keep it clean but it is not a full-proof method of dealing with the problem. The follicles are still there.

The next time your child complains of a distressing itch in her private parts and especially at night, pay attention to it.

Certainly, if it is pus-like and copious, you must seek medical help