There is now even more good news about the seasonal flu vaccine and how it can prevent severe infections in pregnant women. As I’ve said before, pregnant women and infants are at most risk of complications from the flu (even more from H1N1), and both groups are strongly recommended to get the annual flu shot.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Children
Today Is World Pneumonia Day
Pneumonia is a disease of the lungs, usually a serious infection from a virus or bacteria. Healthy adults can usually recover well with outpatient antibiotics, but the elderly and youngest are most vulnerable to serious complications. For example, pneumonia is the #1 cause of death in the elderly from flu, and also is the worldwide #1 killer of children under 5 years.… Read the rest
Why Such An Epidemic of Vaccine Fear?
As a family and community medicine doctor using evidence-based medicine, I am a firm believer in vaccines. They have saved tens of millions of people, mostly children, from debility and death from once-common scourges such as polio, smallpox, rubella, measles and many others.… Read the rest
Why So Afraid of H1N1 Vaccine?
The H1N1 virus is full into its second wave all over the world. There has been a large increase over the last 2-3 weeks, including in China. There are some disturbing signs that this H1N1 virus is more dangerous to pregnant women and children than previously thought.… Read the rest
Vaccines: New Study Again Confirms MMR Safety
There has been a lot of controversy since 1999 regarding the MMR vaccine and an alleged link to autism. Fortunately, the best studies have shown no relation, and now again there is a new study to corroborate this. It’s a UK NHS study which found the same rate of autism among adults as in children.… Read the rest
Pain Relief in Children: Ibuprofen Wins Again
I discussed in an earlier post that parents may want to consider ibuprofen (Motrin) as the first line medicine over acetaminophen (Tylenol) for their child’s pains and fevers. Now, there’s a new study comparing ibuprofen to a Tylenol-codeine combo for pain, and ibuprofen was just as effective.… Read the rest