Category Archives: infections

Flu vaccinations are working

Having encouraged all of you to be vaccinated against the flu, we think this is a good time to give you a local update.

Here are some very interesting statistics:

So far this season, Georgetown Pediatrics has administered 4200 doses of flu vaccine, including both shots and nasal mist.
We have had 76 positive flu tests in our office. Of those 76, one was influenza type B, one was both influenza A and B, and 74 were influenza type A (H1N1).
Only 22 patients who received flu vaccine in our office also tested positive in our office for the flu. Of course, some patients may have been diagnosed with the flu elsewhere or had the flu and weren’t diagnosed at all, or some may have received the vaccine elsewhere. Even so, we are happy to note that only 1 in 190 patients who received our vaccines tested positive for flu here.

The bottom line is that flu vaccine works.

Something else you should know: it isn’t too late to get the vaccine. Even if you’ve already had the flu, it was likely type A, and you can still contract type B. Both types are covered by the vaccines. Once kids are back in school after these snow days the virus is bound to be spread more.
We often see cases of influenza B all the way until spring break, so don’t hesitate to come in. Just remember that if you receive the nasal mist you will test positive for the flu for about two weeks, because it’s a live vaccine and the test is a nasal swab.

As winter drags on, you may not be able to stop the snow and ice, but you can certainly lower the risk of your family getting the flu.

Medical websites you can trust

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As we enter 2014, many families will decide to be healthier this year. One way to be on top of your health is to be knowledgeable. The problem is that there is so much information out there, it can be overwhelming. Even worse, a lot of the advice is misleading, incomplete, trying to sell a product, or just plain wrong.

What to do, then, if you’re looking answers to your pediatric health questions? We have a few sites we trust that you may find helpful.

Your first stop should be here, on our own website. There you’ll find 21 links that we trust to provide good information, on everything from general health and pediatrics to a few common illnesses and conditions, such as allergies, asthma, and disabilities. Here are a few of the best:

American Academy of Pediatrics. If you read our blog, you know that we refer to the AAP regularly. They are the go-to organization for reliable information on the health of children and teens, including physical, social, psychological, and intellectual health. Some of their pages are full of statistics and medical jargon, but check out healthychildren.org. It’s very readable, practical, and up-to-date. You can search your topic or question by typing it into the search box.
The National Institutes of Health has a huge amount of information. Some of it is written for health professionals, but much of it—particularly the medline plus section—is also written for the general population. It’s a great source of health information for all ages, birth to old age. You can even sign up here to receive e-mail updates on children’s health topics.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives you an alphabetized list of topics and diseases for your research.

If you have a particular issue you’re interested in researching, check with your pediatrician, who can suggest additional specific resources.

Happy internet hunting, and Happy New Year!

Artwork by Audrey

Keeping Healthy

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Cold and flu season is here. It arrives with colder weather as people spend more time indoors, in close quarters, where germs are more easily passed from one person to another.

Here are just a few reminders of how to help keep your family healthy.

Wash hands. Good old soap and water are still the best protection against contagious diseases that get passed through touching surfaces, shaking hands, etc. Get your family in the practice of washing their hands often. When soap and water are not handy, use hand sanitizer.
Get plenty of sleep. Being well-rested keeps your immune system stronger.
Don’t share. Okay, you teach your kids to share, but some things ought to be for just one person. Water and soda bottles, lip balm, musical instruments all fall into this category. If you have a youngster in child care, make sure the provider sanitizes toys and tables daily.
Cover. Cough or sneeze into a tissue. If there’s no tissue, use the crook of your elbow instead of your hand. Germs on the hand are more easily transferred to other people or surfaces.

Already have a cold? Continue to do all the above, and make sure you stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of fluids keeps mucous thin and your throat moist. Avoid caffeinated beverages.

It’s going to be a long winter, and your family will likely get colds at some point. Use the common sense advice above, and you may have fewer of them.

artwork by Kennedy

Whooping cough–don’t take it lightly

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Whooping cough. It sounds like one of those old-fashioned diseases that shouldn’t be around anymore. In reality, it’s as modern as today’s news, and more common than you might think.

The good news is that it’s mostly preventable and treatable; the bad news is that it’s still a dangerous disease, especially for the very young.

A few confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in the Scott County Schools have spurred us to remind you of the dangers of this disease.

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection whose most striking symptom is described in its name—a loud, persistent cough that doesn’t easily go away. In an older child, there is a “whooping” sound made as the child tries to catch her breath between coughs. Infants may not “whoop,” but you should call the pediatrician if your infant has a persistent cough that seems to exhaust him, and his appetite has decreased.

This disease affects the lining of the bronchial tubes , and is very contagious because the vigorous coughing disperses the bacteria into the air. Anyone of any age can get it, but it’s most dangerous among the very young.

Infants and young children, in particular, can develop life-threatening illnesses from whooping cough, including pneumonia. Hospitalization is often required. This means that they, and the people around them, should be immunized.

We cannot stress enough the importance of getting the appropriate immunizations at the right ages. The pertussis vaccine doesn’t last forever, and must be taken at intervals to be effective.

Children should have a total of 5 pertussis (whooping cough) vaccines before they start school.
The youngest children are at highest risk and the most vulnerable to this disease, and should have vaccines at 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months of age.
Booster shots are given at 12-18 months, and
again at 4-5 years of age.
The College of Gynecology and Obstetrics recommends that pregnant women receive a pertussis vaccine with each pregnancy to reduce the chances of whooping cough in their newborn.
Caregivers and other adults who live or work with infants should also be re-immunized, because they’ve lost immunity from their childhood vaccines. They may not even realize they have whooping cough, because symptoms are not as severe. It may simply feel like a lingering cough from a cold, but they can transmit it to the children in their care.

When should you bring your child to the pediatrician for whooping cough? If he has cold symptoms, and you notice that the cough is worsening at about the time when it should be getting better, call our office for an immediate appointment.

There is a test we can do in the office, but it has to be sent to a lab, which takes several days. In the meantime, if the pediatrician suspects pertussis, your child will be started on a five-day course of antibiotics. The child is considered contagious and should not return to school or daycare until the five-day course has been completed.

To read more, check out this article from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also, see our Facebook November 8 reposting of an article from two years ago by our own Dr. Hambrick. The experience of one of his own children having been made dangerously sick by this disease makes him particularly diligent in trying to keep your child healthy. artwork by Macy

: artwork by Macy

To use or not to use antibiotics

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So your child has been coughing and sneezing for a week, has a bit of fever, a little green mucous coming from the nose, and has missed school or childcare, which causes you to miss work. You see the pediatrician to get a prescription for an antibiotic, but you walk out disappointed. Why didn’t they prescribe what you wanted?

Since penicillin was first manufactured in the 1940s, antibiotics have been quite successful in treating bacterial infections, reducing the spread of disease, and saving many lives. In the last few years, though, it’s been determined that overuse of antibiotics has led to the growth and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Check out this article at USA Today.

Even so, your child’s pediatrician will not shy from using antibiotics when they are warranted. Here’s the thing: antibiotics are completely ineffective against colds or other viruses. Your child may sometimes feel better after taking antibiotics, simply because the virus began to subside on its own as the body fights back.

Research continues to create new antiviral drugs that will work against viruses (with much success in the area of influenza). In the meantime, don’t forget that antibiotics work only in the fight against bacterial infections, and also with some funguses and parasites. And if you do take an antibiotic, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE ALL THAT ARE PRESCRIBED. Stopping the course just because you feel better can lead to drug-resistant infections later on.

Corinne, age 5