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This blog is now located at http://pediatricpostings.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

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Pertussis Case are Up

So far, this has been another good year for Pertussis: whopping cough cases in Washtenaw County and across the state are up.  Roughly 20 cases are reported in a typical year in Washtenaw County; last year there were 81, and this year 37 have already been confirmed.  In Michigan, the number of cases has risen to over 300; and tens of thousands of cases a year are reported, now, in the US.

Bordatella pertussis is a nasty bacterium.  Symptoms start out like common cold symptoms, with runny nose and congestion; but after a week or two, infected adults and children cough so hard that they run out of air—ending with a characteristic gasp, or "whoop."  It's most dangerous in babies: more than half of all infants with whooping cough end up in the hospital; and about 1 in 10 children with pertussis end up with pneumonia.   2% have convulsions.  The cough lasts for months, and it's highly contagious.

The best defense against whooping cough is the vaccine.  The CDC recommends, and we administer, 5 doses ofDTaP—the diptheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine—one dose at each of the following ages: 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months and 4-6 years.  We follow with a dose of Tdap—the tetanus, diptheria and pertussis booster—at age 11 or 12.  Adults immunized as children may need a pertussis booster.  That includes child care workers, and new parents.

 

http://www.annarbor.com/news/whooping-cough-cases-still-at-record-numbers-in-washtenaw-county/index.php

http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132--219678--,00.html

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis

Pertussis Cases are Up

So far, this has been another good year for Pertussis: whopping cough cases in Washtenaw County and across the state are up.  Roughly 20 cases are reported in a typical year in Washtenaw County; last year there were 81, and this year 37 have already been confirmed.  In Michigan, the number of cases has risen to over 300; and tens of thousands of cases a year are reported, now, in the US.

Bordatella pertussis is a nasty bacterium.  Symptoms start out like common cold symptoms, with runny nose and congestion; but after a week or two, infected adults and children cough so hard that they run out of air—ending with a characteristic gasp, or "whoop."  It's most dangerous in babies: more than half of all infants with whooping cough end up in the hospital; and about 1 in 10 children with pertussis end up with pneumonia.   2% have convulsions.  The cough lasts for months, and it's highly contagious.

The best defense against whooping cough is the vaccine.  The CDC recommends, and we administer, 5 doses of DTaP—the diptheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine—one dose at each of the following ages: 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months and 4-6 years.  We follow with a dose of Tdap—the tetanus, diptheria and pertussis booster—at age 11 or 12.  Adults immunized as children may need a pertussis booster.  That includes child care workers, and new parents.

 

http://www.annarbor.com/news/whooping-cough-cases-still-at-record-numbers-in-washtenaw-county/index.php

http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132--219678--,00.html

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis/

2 Things @ Milk

Two news items came to my attention last week about leche.

The first was a warning from the FDA about dairy products.  Don't drink raw cow's milk.  There were 12 confirmed cases of illness in Michigan last month, after unpasteurized milk was consumed; and between 1998 and 2008, there were a total of 1614 reported illness, 187 hospitalizations and 2 deaths from drinking unpasteurized dairy products.  Don't do it.

 

The second was from a new study in *Pediatrics* about breast milk.  The lives of an estimated 900 babies would be saved every year, if 90% of US women would breast feed for the first 6 months.  The risk of stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, SIDS and even childhood leukemia would dramatically decrease.  The reasons: breast milk contains antibodies that help fight infections, and can affect blood insulin levels--making babies less likely to develop diabetes or obesity.

Get Up & Go!

Last week, First Lady Michele Obama picked a new project: she's started a national initiative to fight childhood obesity. The goals are the usual two: 1) better diet, and 2) more exercise.  "Let's Move" will be backed up with up to $1B in federal funding, and a national task force to deal with the problem.  Among other things, it will pay for new sports clinics, new community playgrounds and bike paths, new public service announcements, and a new website (see the "letsmove" link, below).

 

If that sounds exorbitant, it may not be.  The medical costs related to obesity in this country are estimated at around $150B a year, roughly half of that covered by Medicare or Medicaid.  More than 1 in 10 children in the U.S. is now "obese," and the rates are going up (see the "Play Time" blog, below).  The First Lady's initiative is a preemptive strike.

 

It's one every parent should take.  Spring is just around the corner: it's time to start eating more local fruits and vegetables, and to get out and play--or work.  Tell your son or daughter to go fly a kite, ride a bike, mow the lawn or take out the trash.  They'll be so glad you did.

 

http://www.letsmove.gov/

 

http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/short/hlthaff.28.5.w822

Flu Shot Update

Turke & Thomashow's offices in Ann Arbor and Chelsea are ready for the flu: we have both the swine flu and seasonal flu vaccines available now.  The  H1N1, or "swine" flu, hit our area hard this fall; but the usual, "seasonal," flu has yet to come through.  It's important to know that the viruses that cause these influenzas are different.  Having had an H1N1 flu shot, or having had the H1N1 flu, will not offer protection against the seasonal flu.  Call our offices to make appointments.  Our nurses are ready and willing to get our patients immunized.
 
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/what-is-flu