Category: Childrens Health

Recent outbreaks of measles in the Philippines, Madagascar and Japan have taken their toll. Lives are at stake! Diseases we, in America, consider practically to have been eradicated are popping up again in other countries and in our own! Immunizations can prevent childhood deaths.

The outbreaks of measles that occurred in Seattle, Manila, Madagascar, and Japan could have been averted had people–especially children–received the vaccine(s). February 7, 2019, Jason Gutierrez, of The New York Times, reported of the Philippines: “The Department of Health said that measles had killed 55 children age 4 or younger at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila since the start of the year.” (New York Times, 02/07/2019)

The Guardian reported: “as of December 2018, there were more than 20,000 reported measles cases in the Philippines, a 500% increase on the year before.” And, “in the Philippines, vaccinations are currently only at 55% according to UNICEF, down 15% on last year. This has been blamed mainly on fear-mongering over inoculations.” (The Guardian, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, 2/12/2019) At last count, there have been 203 deaths due to measles in the Philippines. (Outbreak News Today, 2/24/2019)

Newsweek published the following: “Last month, … the World Health Organization declared “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the major global health threats in 2019, with a noted 30 percent increase in global incidence of measles. It’s believed that the anti-vaccination sentiment was what led to measles outbreaks in Oregon, New York, Texas, Washington and elsewhere in the U.S.” (“Anti-Vax Religious Group Says Sorry for Helping Cause Massive Measles Outbreak”, Newsweek, Tom O’Connor, 2/21/2019)

In the U.S., it’s not only the reticence to get measles vaccinations that threatens children, at this writing, the flu is so serious in New Jersey, three children have died due to flu. “Schools have had to close as NJ’s flu scare has become ‘widespread,’ and the number of test cases have quadrupled over the past 2 months.” A dangerous strain that caused a 2009 pandemic has re-emerged in New Jersey, according to the state’s Department of Health. (New Jersey (Ridgewood-Glen Rock) Patch, Tom Davis, Patch National Staff, 2/26/19)

Physicians and scientists are also in a quandary over another health challenge called Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)–prevalent in children–which seems to mimic polio in some respects. In 2018, there were 215 confirmed cases of AFM which occurred in 40 states across the U.S., the number of which appeared to spike in August-September, according to the CDC. So, if a vaccine is developed to check more diseases, like AFM and others, will our children– and the population at large– continue to be at risk–if parents don’t allow children to be vaccinated?

Flu season is just around the corner, which means it’s time to get your annual flu vaccine. Get a flu vaccine for yourself and your family before the end of October, if possible.

Influenza, also known as flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Flu can be a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Every flu season is different, and flu viruses can affect people differently. It’s important to remember that even healthy people can get the flu, and spread it to others who are more vulnerable to serious flu or flu-related illness. Those with health problems, adults 65 years and older, and young children, for example, are at high risk of becoming seriously ill from flu.

Every year in the United States millions of people become sick, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from the flu. A typical flu season in the U.S. can begin as early as October and can last as late as May.

Flu vaccination is the first (and best) way to protect against flu each year. September 28, 2017, marks the annual kickoff of the flu awareness campaign led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), and many other partners working together to protect people from flu. The campaign emphasizes the importance of annual vaccination for everyone age 6 months and older, and raises awareness about the potential dangers of flu.

#FightFlu this season by getting yourself and your loved ones vaccinated today! You can help spread the word by sharing this flu vaccination message on your social media channels.

How to show your support:

1. Join the Thunderclap.

Select social media channel(s) to share the Thunderclap message.

Authorize Thunderclap to use your account. (This is necessary in order for Thunderclap to be able to count your followers, which helps increase the reach of our campaign, and send out a one-time message on September 28, 2017.)

Watch #FightFlu on September 28 as Thunderclap participants proclaim their unified support for annual flu vaccination.

2. Spread the Word.

Share how you plan to fight flu this season on social media with the hashtag #FightFlu, and encourage your followers to do the same. Original pictures or videos with #FightFlu may be shared from @CDCFlu’s Twitter profile!

3. #FightFlu

Get your flu vaccine and spread the word to encourage others to do the same.

For more information about flu and flu vaccination, please visit www.cdc.gov/flu and www.nfid.org/flu and be sure to follow us on Twitter: @CDCFlu and @NFIDvaccines.

Most seniors, those over age 55 in the U.S. population, remember measles, mumps and rubella. Today, many family physicians have never seen cases of measles numbering in the double digits in their practice areas, town and city school districts, as were observed in the 1950s and early 1960s before the MMR vaccine became fully available. Everyone living in the United States today is fortunate to be able to put measles as a major health threat behind them, so far. Children growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s lived with the knowledge that if their school friends had measles, they would most likely get the disease too! At that time, it meant at least one week in bed and out of school–with no visitors except your parent caregiver (usually your mother), and she couldn’t leave the house either, because the family would be quarantined.

But thanks to scientific research and the work of many great physicians, scientists, virologists, and epidemiologists, children living in the U.S. had first the measles vaccine in 1963. Before that time, however, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control in their history of measles, by the time they were 15 years old, nearly all children had experienced the measles. CDC estimates at that time, “3 to 4 million people in the United States were infected each year,.. an estimated 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 4,000 suffered encephalitis (swelling of the brain) from measles.” ¹ Early in the 20th century, the prognosis was far worse, an estimated 6,000 people died from measles each year in the U.S. ²

What is Measles? Simply, measles is a highly contagious virus, causing respiratory infection, runny nose, fever, red eyes, cough, and a generalized red rash. Coughing, sneezing airborne secretions of mucus and saliva and close personal contact will spread the measles. CDC also points out that every year people who either haven’t been vaccinated and who travel are often exposed to measles, and they can carry the disease from wherever they were exposed into the U.S. So it’s good for most travelers to have been vaccinated (with MMR vaccine) before traveling to places where measles still exists, so they do not contract the disease and spread it to others. Having experienced measles as an adult at 28 years of age, I corroborate that this is not a disease you want to get, and the older you are, the more uncomfortable and dangerous it can be.

In 2011, 220 people in the United States were diagnosed with measles. Despite the success of eliminating measles by vaccinating people, outbreaks still occur. Some parents have questioned whether the MMR vaccine causes autism–and this concern still lingers and is being studied–despite the fact that there have been repeated studies which indicate otherwise. Yesterday, it was announced in the press ³ that a 7-month old infant in northern New Jersey has contracted measles and may have exposed others between January 17 and 23. The child was treated in hospital and is recovering at home. The hospital is contacting people who may have been exposed in the hope to head off any spread of the disease. It is important that parents and caregivers understand the benefits of vaccinating their children. We must think not only of our own families but of those around us, and be good stewards of community health and be aware of preventive measures that keep families and children healthy and safe.

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¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30329-4027 USA, www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html
²Ibid.
³Ridgewood Patch, “North Jersey Baby Diagnosed with Measles: State Health Officials”, Hubbard, Daniel, January 30, 2017. http://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewood/s/g0ltz/north-jersey-baby-diagnosed-with-measles-state-health-officials

The National Institutes of Health have just released a study on April 12, 2016. This is something for parents of young children to note…as underage drinking by sibling teens affects every member of the family–especially young children. The full article is at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_158269.html

March is Poison Prevention Month, and there are some recommendations that parents, family members and caregivers should know and follow to prevent childhood poisonings, especially related to medicines and household products! Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death in young children. Common unintentional injuries are suffocation, drowning, poisoning, fire/burns, falls, and sports-related injuries and, of course, injuries caused by motor vehicles. For the purpose of this blog posting, we will concentrate on how to prevent child poisonings, especially those related to household products and medicines.

(Source: CPSC.gov)

First, the U.S. Poison Control Center’s telephone number should be accessible near your landline phone and/or in your speed dials or list of emergency contacts on your cell or smart phone. The number should be easily visible to anyone including your child’s caregivers or babysitters! The number is: 1 (800) 222-1222. This phone line is open and staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! If you suspect a poisoning, call the Poison Control Center, stay on the phone and follow the instructions you are given.

ALL medicines and household products (including the items you would normally keep in a medicine cabinet or medicine chest and cleaning products, laundry detergents, household chemicals of all kinds, etc.) SHOULD BE STORED UP HIGH, OUT OF SIGHT, preferably in a LOCKED CABINET. Children–even young children–are climbers, they are curious, they pull things down on their heads they can barely reach.

If you take medicine, do not place your medicine on the table, counter or night table, where a child might see it and think it is candy, reach and possibly swallow it.

If you take or give medicine to a child at night, TURN ON THE LIGHT, so you can see that you are taking or giving your child the proper dosage.

If you must do something else while you are in the process of taking medicine–like answering the phone or going to the bathroom–take your young children with you and don’t allow yourself to be distracted when medications are present. Make sure to secure child safety caps every time you open and close your medicine bottle or container. And put the medicine away after use, up high, where your child CANNOT reach it.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends that you learn if any guests visiting your home and bring in medicines or drugs, legal or illegal, ask guests to store their medicines where children cannot get to them. Don’t take or give larger doses of medicine to your child than are prescribed by your family physician. Follow the directions on the label, and if you have questions, call your pharmacist, your child’s primary care provider, or your doctor’s office before administering the medicine!

The source for this information was a news release by ABC/7 with input from the Florida State Health Department¹, because it is one of the best summaries I have read of what people, especially parents, caregivers and family members, need to know for their children’s and the general public’s safety, with regard to Measles.

Spring is coming and so is the occasional measles outbreak. Measles was essentially conquered in its endemic form by rigorous vaccination programs since 1963, and seemed eradicated in the United States by 2000. The medical community has not seen it in widespread outbreaks in the past few years, as badly as in days prior to the the use of Measles vaccine (now known as MMR, Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine). But there have been outbreaks in California, Florida, New England, Washington, D.C., and Branson, MO, and the medical community expects there may be outbreaks this year which are not necessarily due to infected travelers or unvaccinated people who have become infected and entered the U.S. Again, this news release is one of the most clearly written about Measles that I have seen and it may help parents and caregivers to read it now before measles rears its ugly head again this spring! (Omitted are the statistics about Florida infections in 2015, merely to save space.) Please take a read:

“Measles is a serious respiratory disease caused by a virus of the same name (Measles). The disease is highly contagious and can spread to others who are unvaccinated.

“We applaud all who have gotten vaccinated or confirmed their immunity in light of the unfortunate cases of measles in Florida this year”, said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. “Vaccination remains the best way for Floridians and visitors to protect their children, themselves and their communities from what is ultimately a serious yet preventable illness.”

People who are particularly susceptible are pregnant women, infants under the age of 12 months and people who are immunocompromised.

Vaccinations are available year round through health departments [in Florida’s 67 counties] or your local doctor’s office. The department encourages all residents and visitors who have not been immunized to get vaccinated immediately, according to health officials.

The department says it continues to work with community health care and governmental partners in sharing the facts about measles and the benefit of being vaccinated.

The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is about 97 percent effective if both scheduled doses are received. This means about three out of every 100 fully vaccinated persons may still be affected, according to health officials.

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¹ News release by ABC/7 with input from the Florida Health Department, April 24, 2015, on Measles.