Category: Childrens Health

by Marianne Halterman

Do you know how much sodium is in your diet?  How about in your children’s diets?  The latest release of the USDA’s recommended Nutritional Guidelines, January 2016, suggests that we limit adult intake of sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.  That’s the amount of sodium in 1 teaspoon of regular table salt (Sodium Chloride, NaCl) , folks.  And for children, it’s less than that!  For optimal heart health, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends adults consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day… and that is about 3/4 of a teaspoon of table salt. One quarter of a teaspoon of salt contains approximately 575 mg sodium. Now, the AHA and the medical community are asking us to “Shake the Salt Habit!” ¹  This may be very important for kids’ sakes!  Some sodium in our diets is good and important for our bodies. Our body’s fluids require a balance of sodium and water. Too much or not enough of either is bad and can prevent our body from working properly; too much sodium in some individuals can cause higher blood pressure and fluid retention in body tissues.

The American Heart Association calls Americans’ “normal” intake of sodium in the form of salt, “excessive”. ²  AHA observes that much of that sodium comes in processed foods.  This is just one more reason it’s good to get in the habit of reading the labels on processed and packaged foods.  Snack foods are among the worst for loading us up with sodium.  A popular brand of cheese crackers’ label indicates one serving contains no cholesterol… but does contain 230 mg of sodium which is 10 percent of the daily “requirement” (or in sodium’s case, recommended daily limit), that is 27 crackers (less than an inch square in size) or about one handful.  Snacks aren’t the only culprit; following them in line are bread, rolls, pizza, soups, cold cuts, cured meats, poultry, condiments, sauces, frozen meals and sandwiches, many of which find their way into children’s meals and lunch boxes.

The American Heart Association notes that on average children, between the ages of 2 and 19, consume an average of 3,100 mg of salt per day, that boys from 2-19 consume more sodium than girls, anywhere up to 4,220 mg/day, to girls’ average of 2,950 mg/day. AHA says this is way too much. They also note, “Factors contributing to higher blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke begin in childhood. The rate of high blood pressure is increasing in American children. More than 1 in 8 children aged 12-19 are at high risk for having (or already have) high blood pressure.” ³ Eating salt-laden foods and snacks also contributes to childhood obesity.

So, what do we need to do, as parents, family members and caregivers to start kids on a path to healthier eating, so that they can expect long, healthful lives?  How can we shake the salt habit?  We can add herbs and spices to improve the taste of food, instead of adding salt during cooking. We can remove the salt shaker from our meal table. We can rinse canned vegetables prior to cooking.  We can choose healthy snacks in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables. We can add more fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish to our families’ diets, and cultivate the taste of foods without added salt that comes from processing. For more tips on living with less salt, go to the American Heart Association’s website, www.heart.org

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¹ American Heart Association, “Shaking the Salt Habit: Why is it bad to have too much sodium?”, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231, http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Shaking-the-Salt-Habit_UCM_303241_Article.jsp#.VrESTLIrIgB

² American Heart Association, “Answers By Heart”, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231, https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_300625.pdf

³ American Heart Association, “Sodium Science: The Facts About Kids – Sodium Break Up!”, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231,  http://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/sodium-science-fact-versus-myth/

Recently, several reliable news articles have highlighted the CDC’s conclusion that “the number of U.S. women dying due to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled in 25 years¹.” (“Why is the maternal mortality rate going up in the United States?”, Wallace, Kelly, CNN, 12/1/2015)  Twenty-five years ago, the rate was reported to have been 7.2 deaths of mothers per 100,000 live births in the U.S.  Currently, there are some theories why the numbers have jumped to 17.8 deaths per 100,000 births. (CNN, 12/1/2015)

One theory about this increase in numbers from 1987 to now is that many women in their child-bearing years presently have health problems associated with obesity (such as diabetes or hypertension) which can complicate pregnancies and deliveries, as well as the recovery process from those deliveries.  In addition, more C-sections are being performed and any time there is surgery, there is the possibility of infection or a negative outcome.

An unusual factor that may contriibute to the increase in numbers, Kelly Wallace of CNN points out, according to Dr. Andreea Creanga with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health, is an administrative factor in the manner standard U.S. death certificates in certain states now include a check-box.  Until now, the Standard U.S. Death Certificate was based on a form created in 1989². (“Has Maternal Mortality Really Doubled in the U.S.?”, Maron, Dina Fine; Scientific American, 6/8/2015) The current form’s check-box indicates more specifically than previously the manner of women’s deaths who were or may have been pregnant prior to their death (up to a year).  Not all states have adopted the use of this new death certificate, however, but this change in manner of recordation may have affected the numbers.

According to Wallace, some physicians are of the opinion that pre-natal care of women who are pregnant in some cases is lacking. In the African-American community. According to CDC’s Dr. Creanga, frequently “mothers are younger, more likely to be unmarried and will not have begun pre-natal care until their third trimester of pregnancy or not at all.” (CNN, 12/1/2015)  Creanga noted that poverty and lack of insurance also play a part in whether young women get pre-natal care or not.

Doctors across the country are focusing their attention on the contributing factors in this mortality rate increase. The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists’ Safe Mother Initiative is one result. Also the National Partnership of Maternal Safety is urging standardized care for pregnancy and childbirth complications so hospitals could follow standardized protocols for dealing with common issues that could cause the death of a mother or her offspring.

¹ “Why is the maternal mortality rate going up in the United States?” , Wallace, Kelly, CNN, December 1, 2015. http://www.us.cnn.com/2015/12/01/health/maternal-mortality-rate-u-s-increasing-why/index.html

²  “Has Maternal Mortality Really Doubled in the U.S.?”, Maron, Dina Fine; Scientific American, June 8, 2015. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/has-maternal-mortality-really-doubled-in-the-u-s/

June 10, 2015 –One of the reasons I began writing this blog was that I was moved to honor the memory of a young child named “E. J.” who died from an E. Coli infection. He was only about eight years old. He may have eaten a contaminated hamburger–maybe that could have caused the problem, no one seemed to know. They took him to the emergency room of the local hospital, but his diarrhea persisted and his parents really did not know what to do. Maybe they thought it would just go away given time? E.J. died in the bathroom shower one night. His feces had completely soaked the living room couch and he was apparently attempting to bathe himself. E.J.’s death–and the very little publicity it received– really stung my heart. I was soon to learn that he lived only a mile away– if only someone had asked, “Please care for my child while I take a break?” I didn’t know them, they certainly didn’t know there was anyone willing to do that.

Now, at least 8 years later there is another flare up of E. Coli: Eight E. Coli cases have been linked to a Daycare facility in South Carolina according to Food Safety News, today. One child, a two-year old, died on May 31, 2015–other individuals have been hospitalized. The daycare facility has been closed temporarily and has been cleaned twice. People are still trying to find the source of the E. Coli infection.

All of this said, there are ways to reduce the ability for E. Coli to kill children, the elderly and infirm, those with compromised immune systems, and the rest of us. And one important way, first and foremost, is to make sure people wash their hands. Especially people who interact with others in a personal way, i.e., caregivers, family members, baby-sitters, daycare employees and staff, wait staff and food preparers in restaurants, teachers, medical professionals, just about everyone, needs to wash their hands several times a day, especially and always after going to the bathroom. I cannot believe that we need to say this. But that’s it, somewhere along the way, this very basic fact of cleanliness protection has gone by the wayside… lost in translation? If you take the subway or go to the mall, wash your hands after you touch the doors, railings, etc. If you go to the grocery, most of the groceries give you a sanitary wipe to use on your hands before you touch a grocery cart… But washing with warm soapy water and drying with a clean disposable paper towel (or warm forced-air drying) is truly the best thing you can do!

Wash your hands–and your children’s hands– after you or they go to the bathroom and before you touch food… or children…or prepare someone’s food. Wash your hands after you touch raw meat, fish, poultry or eggs! Wash the vegetables you buy at the grocery store (fertilizer residue may still be on fresh produce!)– and THEN wash your hands! Wash your hands before you eat! Wash your hands before and after you touch a child’s or an adult’s diaper. Make sure that diapers are always disposed of properly. Some people (very few, I’m guessing) still use cloth diapers–and launder them in very hot water with some measure of chlorine or other bleach.

E. Coli can be spread in other ways… through contamination of food by raw sewage, contamination of food, liquid or water by fecal matter. It has been found on food including ground meat, cantaloupes and on imported green onions in the past. But the real bad-actor is on dirty hands that may have touched feces. For E.J.’s sake, I am hoping ‘nuff said on this subject. But I feel sure more is still to come until we launch a real campaign. Until that day, please, please remember to wash your hands!

Children and food allergies are a daunting mix!  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports “Food allergies are estimated to affect 4 to 6 percent of children and 4 percent of adults.”¹  Food allergies can be not only challenging to combat, but dangerous if parents, caregivers and teachers are not aware of the foods to which children in their care are allergic.  Did you know that food allergies are most common in babies or children? But adults can develop an allergy to foods they have consumed for years… at any time!

The American College of Allergy, Immunology and Asthma gives the definition of allergy on their website: “An allergy occurs when your body’s natural defenses overreact to exposure to a particular substance, treating it as an invader and sending out chemicals to defend against it.”²

Hence the allergic “reaction” to a substance–whether it is food, beverage, smoke or chemicals in the air or even medicine!

Numbering among the known food allergy offenders, FoodSafety.gov tells us, are:  Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy beans. Seeds, malt (from malted barley), food coloring and even chocolate can cause an allergic reaction!  Allergic reactions in children who have consumed these foods may vary from an itching hard palate (roof of the mouth), swollen lips and/or tongue, inflamed mucosa, watery eyes, runny nose, skin rash, hives, swollen airway, to anaphylactic shock! Vomiting and stomach cramps can occur; so can shortness of breath, wheezing, repeated coughing, difficulty swallowing, a tight or hoarse throat, weak pulse, dizziness, blue-color in the face, inability to move one’s neck and anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction and can often happen within minutes to hours of consuming the substance to which a person is allergic. Often, an itchy mouth after consuming a raw fruit or vegetable can signify that a person could be allergic to pollen–not necessarily to the fruit or vegetable itself.³

Sometimes children who are allergic to certain foods are also allergic to other related foods:  i.e., shrimp and lobster or other seafood. An allergy to walnuts might also indicate an allergy to other tree nuts.  Parents and caregivers need to listen well, when a child removes food from his or her mouth and says something like,  “Mommy, my mouth [or throat or tongue] feels scratchy…” That is a pretty good sign that this is not simply a picky eater rejecting his meal. Parents and caregivers need to be present, pay attention and listen well when their young child eats or drinks something for the first time.

Food allergies are serious conditions that can be life-threatening.  Most food allergies appear in childhood.  If you suspect your child has a food allergy, see your Pediatrician or Primary Care Physician promptly and have them recommend an allergist.  An allergist is a physician who will take your child’s family and medical history and determine which allergy tests to perform to determine if a food allergy exists.  FoodSafety.gov says, “Approximately 30,000 Americans go to the emergency room each year to get treated for allergic reactions to food.”⁴  If you think your child is experiencing an allergic reaction, call 911 immediately!

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¹ U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), 1600 Clifton Road, Altanta, Georgia 30329-4027 www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm
² The American College of Allergy, Immunology and Asthma, 85 West Algonquin Road, Suite 550, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005, acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies
³ Ibid.
⁴ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C 20201, www.FoodSafety.gov, “Learn About Food Allergens, You Could Save A Life”, May 10, 2012.

I didn’t know much about e-cigarettes until I began researching an article for this blog. The more I read, the more I realize many people out there are using e-cigarettes who don’t know much about them either! And the research isn’t what one would call available in abundance. “Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) –also known as vaporizers, digital, electronic or e-cigarettes–do not produce a combustible ‘smoke’ like traditionally burned cigarettes, nor do they contain tar, a by-product of burning tobacco” according to a National Conference of State Legislatures January 11, Press release, entitled “Alternative Nicotine Products: Electronic Cigarettes”.

All e-cigarettes work basically the same way, says Web MD’s fact sheet. The fact sheet described their construction as containing a battery, a heating element and a cartridge that holds nicotine and other liquids, including flavorings which are mostly chemicals. So, what is the person who uses an e-cigarette to gain from this product? Vapors from nicotine and chemical flavorings…although less nicotine than is in an average cigarette, along with the effects of chemicals/flavorings. Perhaps therein lies the rub?

More than 25 years ago, a spokesperson for Philip Morris tobacco company asserted the teenager of today would be tomorrow’s potential regular customer. While the industry then-spokespersons agreed the industry didn’t approve of teenagers smoking, tobacco industry marketing efforts belied the industry wanted to grow regular smoking customers of the adult variety. So it goes with e-cigarettes.

E-cigarette “vaping” is on the rise among teenagers, companies who sell E-cigarettes are advertising and making the product attractive to kids… and legislators are trying to do what they can to ban e-cigarettes being sold to minors.

There can be deleterious effects from e-cigarettes, and the proof is in the number of calls to poison control centers. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids’ data compiled from the Association of Poison Control Centers points to the number of calls to poison control centers involving exposure to e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine increased from 1,543 in 2013, to 3,957 in 2014. (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Anthony Green, Director, Public Policy in a letter to SafeKids Coalition Leaders.) In addition, a recent New York Times article, “No Smoke, But Haze Around the E-Joint” notes that people are also using the e-cigarette system to consume marijuana (also called a “JuJu Joint”) which many feel is a gateway drug for teens. (“No Smoke, But Haze Around the E-Joint”, Peikoff, Kira, January 12, 2015, The New York Times, New York.)

I am pleased that last April 2014, Virginia joined a host of other states which have banned the sale of alternative nicotine products to minors. Virginia retailers had until July 1 to begin following the law that unanimously passed the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. As of January 11, 2015, 41 states have jumped on the bandwagon banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. I support The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids’ efforts … and until we hear something good about e-cigarettes, hope you will do the same!

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February 3, 2015–It’s good to see companies doing healthier things for consumers, especially where children are concerned. After all, kids are our future! The national fast-food chain, Wendy’s, announced in January 2015, it would remove soda from its “kids’ menus” in response to requests from organizations such as Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and MomsRising.org. This means that menus which include children’s food choices will not even mention the word “soda.” However, those who wish can still order soda for their children, according to Food Safety News, January 16, 2013. Wendy’s is not alone in their effort to help reduce children’s consumption of sugary drinks and prevent childhood obesity. Companies, such as Arby’s, Chipotle, Subway, and Panera, are also on the bandwagon.

Food Safety News also notes that the American Heart Association (AHA) discourages the consumption by children of more than three to four teaspoons of sugar a day and points out that a 12-ounce can of soda contains more than 10 teaspoons of sugar… while a 2-liter bottle of soda can contain as much as 27 teaspoons of sugar! Definitely food for thought!

CVS’ Larry Merlo announced in February 2014 that the CVS Caremark would no longer sell cigarettes from its stores. This, in an effort to reduce the number of smoking-related diseases in the U.S. population. Smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year and contributes to lung cancer, heart disease and many other ailments. Not selling cigarettes may represent an estimated $2 billion loss in cigarette-related sales to the corporation–but Merlo says CVS is evolving into more of a healthcare company, and selling cigarettes simply represented a philosophical contradiction. (For more on this, please visit: www.cbsnews.com/news/cvs-ceo-larry-merlo-on-plan-to-stop-selling-tobacco-products/ )

BeChildSafe.org wishes other companies would take a courageous look at their missions and goals in the interest of better fitting their products to their consumers’ health and safety, especially where children are concerned. Bravo, Wendy’s! Bravo, CVS!

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The current measles outbreak which appears to have originated in California and has most likely been traced (according to CNN and other media reports) to an Arizona family who visited a Disney theme park, whose children apparently were not vaccinated with the MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine. Family members contracted measles and subsequently may have exposed an estimated 195 other people including children (Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN-TV, January 30, 2015).

The re-occurrence of the measles virus in this stunning way has reignited the controversy over whether or not to vaccinate children against measles. According to CNN news this evening, California statistics presently show that measles cases are on the rise, with cases occurring 44% more frequently than in the previous year. Fifty-two of the current cases are linked to the Disneyland outbreak. The number of cases presently is 91 actively occurring in 14 states. A school district in California has informed parents of 66 children that their children who were not vaccinated with the MMR vaccine must remain at home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent statement quoted in The Washington Post (1/22/15) calls measles “so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.” (Morning Mix, The Washington Post, Fred Barbash, January 22, 2015, Washington, D.C.)

On its website, CDC advises measles “is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus” which can spread easily–through microdroplets from an unchecked sneeze or coughing. Contracting measles at any age can have serious effects on the body, and disastrous effects if the victim already has a challenged immune system, is ill, is an infant or is elderly. Symptoms are: fever, runny nose, cough, reddened eyes, sore throat, followed by a rash which spreads all over the body. Lymph glands may also swell. Measles can cause deafness, brain damage, blindness and death. Please see http://www.cdc.gov/measles/ for details. The United States experienced a record number of cases in 2014: 644 cases in 27 states. (The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, http://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html).

In years past, measles was the single biggest cause of blindness in children in low-income, developing countries, causing blindness in an estimated 15,000 to 60,000 children annually (PubMed.gov, Surv Ophthalmol. 2004 Mar-Apr;49(2):243-55.).
Those who oppose vaccinating their children are concerned that vaccines may be toxic, have deleterious effects, or that vaccines do not appear to be working as well as they did. The CDC maintains that it’s not that the vaccine isn’t working, it’s that it isn’t being used! Some parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children–because they are questioning the efficacy and the effects of vaccines in general. However, the unchecked spread of measles is very distressing to the medical community and makes the rest of the population more vulnerable to the effects of measles.

I personally can attest to the fact that getting measles at any age is no picnic. I contracted measles at age 28 from a neighbor’s child I babysat–and due to my age, it was a protracted and uncomfortable recovery. Measles at any age is serious.

Parents, family members and caregivers of young children, please talk with your primary care provider or pediatrician and make sure to get all your questions about Measles, Mumps and Rubella and the MMR vaccine answered as soon as possible.

If you think your child may have the virus, please call your Primary Care Provider as soon as possible and ask for instructions immediately!

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December 7 – 13, 2014 is National Influenza Vaccination Week. This message is from Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). For more information about influenza, please visit www.flu.gov/.

As we near the end of autumn, many of us begin preparing for the holiday season, but there’s something else we need to prepare for as well: flu season. This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week, a time to highlight the importance of getting our flu vaccine.

From missed work and school, to doctor’s visits or worse, the flu can take a big toll on your family. This season has already brought reports of serious illnesses, hospitalizations and even deaths. Thankfully, there are easy ways to fight the flu.

Take the time to get a flu vaccine and make sure you take everyday precautions against the spread of germs. Although some of the flu viruses this season are different than what’s in the vaccine, vaccination can still offer some protection and is the most important step to preventing infection from the most common flu viruses. CDC also recommends antiviral medications, as a second line of defense against the flu. Treatment with antiviral drugs is especially important for people at high risk of serious flu complications or people who are very sick with flu and work best when started within two days of the beginning of flu symptoms.

No one wants the aches, soreness and fatigue that can come with the flu, especially during the holiday season! So, get your flu vaccine and find out more about how to protect yourself and your family at CDC.gov and Flu.gov. However, if you do get sick with flu-like symptoms, stay home from work or school, so you don’t make the people near you sick, too. Everyday preventative actions like covering your cough, staying away from sick people and washing your hands often are particularly important this time of year as well.

Be well,
Secretary Burwell

When I wrote a piece last winter on Measles, I did not think I’d be writing again so soon about what physicians used to call another common childhood ailment, the Mumps.  Measles aren’t funny… and neither are Mumps.  Both measles and mumps have become relatively less common than in the 1950s and 1960s, because, today, young children are vaccinated with the MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccines and physicians encourage parents and caregivers to have children in their care vaccinated for these diseases in order to retard their spread to the larger community.  But occasionally these diseases reappear!

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) says that mumps cases appear each year with the reports of a few hundred incidences compared with what used to be about 186,000 cases in the U.S. annually.¹ The CDC also reflects that in some years, mumps outbreaks are worse than others.² The viral disease typically shows up in the winter or spring months of the year.  Crowded venues where there could be close proximity with carriers, in places such as sports, school and church gatherings, can foster the spread of the infection.

According to the CDC, from January 1 to April 18, 2014, 332 cases of mumps have been documented and many of these have occurred at Ohio State University’s college campus (162 cases) and at Fordham University’s college campus.³

Mumps is commonly spread by communicating drops of saliva to others when sneezing, coughing, touching hands to mouth–and then touching others, kissing, talking, and by using glassware, cups or drink cans that others with mumps have used! According to physicians, most mumps transmissions occur before glands begin to swell and within five days after swelling begins, thus CDC advises that patients who have the mumps be isolated for at least five days following the beginning of glands’ swelling.

Mumps can cause fever, body aches, headaches and swelling of the salivary glands.⁴ Some people who contract mumps do not develop symptoms–and others could have additional complications, such as viral meningitis, testicular inflammation (males), and deafness in one or both ears.  So it is not a disease for parents and caregivers to ignore or take lightly.  The effects of mumps can be long-lasting or disappear in as little as two weeks.  Children who receive at least two doses of the MMR vaccine (at the appropriate ages, usually a year after birth and when they enter school) are less likely to develop mumps than those who do not.  Encouraging children to cover their mouth and nose when they sneeze and to wash their hands at every opportunity is also a deterrent to the spread of mumps.
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¹U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
²Op. Cit., U.S. CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/mumps/outbreaks.html
³Ibid.
⁴Fordham University, Mumps FAQs, February 2014, http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/imm/fordham-mumps-2014-faqs-02-21-2014.pdf

In 1963, a vaccine against Measles (Rubeola), Mumps and Rubella (German Measles), the MMR vaccine, was developed and finally made available through physicians to the general public.  This was a great day in medical science for all, especially children, parents and prospective parents. For hundreds of years, Rubeola, the “regular” measles had been a devastating, infectious scourge to populations, especially children. The MMR vaccine is responsible for practically eradicating the disease in the U.S.

Unfortunately, the Measles virus (Rubeola) still is a serious contagious virus that can occur and be fatal–but now, perhaps only 2 in 1,000 individuals who contract measles may die (according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Prior to 1963, the disease could kill up to 500 children in a year. The measles virus also can cause early labor, miscarriage in women who are pregnant, and low birth weight in infants whose mothers contracted measles.

The measles virus thrives in the mucosal lining of the nose, mouth, throat and lungs, and can be spread by transmitting droplets of body fluids in the air through coughing, expectorating (saliva), sneezing, and tears.  Measles can be present in an infected individual–without symptoms showing for several (3 to 5) days. And a person can be considered contagious even 5 days following the disappearance of symptoms.

It is important for parents to note that no medicine currently exists that can kill the measles virus once a person has developed measles. But measles can be prevented by being inoculated with the MMR vaccine.  Common symptoms of measles that parents and family members need to know are:

• Fever – Can be mild to high and often occurs prior to appearance of skin rash and may subside following the presence of rash;
• Blotchy reddish-brown skin rash that usually becomes visible within 4 to 5 days following infection; can show up on the face, hairline, neck, chest, torso, arms, legs and feet; may be accompanied by swollen glands (lymph nodes);
• Dry-sounding cough;
• Muscle aches, pains and fatigue;
• Runny nose and nasal congestion;
• Mouth sores – Can appear as white patches with bluish centers on the lining of the mouth and throat;
• Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye, conjunctivitis (“Pink Eye”), red, swollen and itchy, watery eyes that may emit mucus; and
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia) – Rest in a darkened room may help alleviate the pain due to light sensitivity.

As of February 14, 2014, 20 new cases of the highly contagious measles virus occurring in the United States have been reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  While measles seems to have been all but eliminated in the U.S., there continue to be outbreaks in other countries, and travelers can and have brought the disease into the U.S. Measles can occur in populations where children and others have not been vaccinated or exposed to this highly contagious virus.  People are still at risk for getting measles unless they were born before 1957 when the disease was widespread in the U.S., or they have previously had measles, or they have received at least 2 doses of the MMR vaccine.

If you think your child may have been exposed to or already have the measles virus, please contact your children’s primary care provider or pediatrician as soon as possible to learn what you need to do in order to care for your child and at the same time prevent the spread of measles in your family and community.