New data shows that the chicken pox vaccine (Varivax®) prevents illness even better than we knew. Death from chicken pox declined 88%, from 4.1 in ten million people to just 0.5 per ten million. The study by the CDC was published in the August 2011 issue of the AAP journal Pediatrics, comparing death rates in [...]
A new study shows that parents can protect their infants from getting sick, by getting flu shots themselves. Over a thousand mothers and their infants on an Indian reservation were studied. Infants whose mothers received flu vaccines were 40% less likely to catch influenza themselves, and 40% less likely to be hospitalized for it. The [...]
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released professional TV and radio “spots”, encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated on time. The ads recall a time when many children were crippled or killed by contagious diseases. Grandparents hold their own young grandchildren, while talking about members of their own families who died or were crippled [...]
Most of the families in my practice accept the usual recommendations for routine immunization. They do so because they understand the benefits, and they can ignore the unfounded fears that some people promote. Routine vaccination prevents illness. Another recent study has confirmed the value of these shots. In the June 2009 issue of Pediatrics, doctors [...]
Rotarix vaccine has been found to contain an extraneous virus. Fortunately, the “extra” contaminant is unlikely to cause a problem. Rotarix vaccine protects babies from infection with Rotavirus, an intestinal virus causing vomiting and diarrhea which can be severe. Since the introduction of Rotarix (and a similal vaccine, RotaTeq, from another manufacturer), rates of infection [...]
A few parents are still asking about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. Please be reassured! You and your children are much better off with the vaccine than without it. This is certainly not a “new” vaccine; the H1N1 vaccines are just like the regular seasonal vaccine, made by the same manufacturers, who use the [...]
We have received our next shipment of H1N1 vaccine. This batch is for infants and toddlers, younger than their 3rd birthday; it’s a shot, “without preservative.” I’ll offer it to infants and kids scheduled for their regular checkups, but you may call for an appointment just for the flu shot. We’ve only received 100 doses [...]
We received about 100 doses of the Swine Flu vaccine from the state last week, and they’re all spoken for. It’s a start, but it’s not enough! We are following the CDC’s instructions to give the vaccine to our high-risk patients first (those with cerebral palsy, persistent asthma, diabetes etc.). We have maintained a list [...]
Delaware’s schools are starting to sign up their students to receive Swine Flu vaccines. The schools don’t actually have vaccines in stock yet. (I’m sure the newspaper headlines will inform us when school vaccines are delivered!) But the schools are getting a jump on the paper work, making lists and getting parent’s permission to administer [...]
Currently, as of 10-20-09, we have “regular” seasonal flu vaccines in stock for ALL our patients. Our supply of flu shots for kids under age 2 (for commercial, non-Medicaid) insurance) had run out, but we’ve now received our back-order. If we were not able to give your child (under 2) seasonal flu vaccine because we [...]
