Archive for the ‘Immunizations’ Category

Back to School Physicals

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

I’m sure back to school physicals are the last thing on most parents’ minds right now but now is the time. Those last few weeks of the summer are usually hectic getting ready to go back to school.  Oftentimes parents realize at the last minute that their child needs a physical or a shot before school starts. You can avoid this stressful situation by scheduling your child’s physical in the early part of the summer. Not only are you able to check that off your to-do list, but you beat the back-to-school rush in our office. We always have plenty of open appointments for physicals in May and June, however August fills up quickly. We cannot guarantee there will be an appointment available if you wait until the day before school starts. We recommend scheduling now and scheduling early!

A yearly physical exam is an important time to assess a child’s overall health, catch potential problems early, update immunizations, reinforce healthy behavior, and review normal development and safety measures. These topics are covered in depth during the physical, therefore it is not a good time to address a significant health concern (for example migraines, abdominal pain, etc.) If you do have an additional health concern, it is best to make a separate appointment in order to address the concern more thoroughly.

A physical is good for the entire year since most standard forms simply require a physical exam within the last year. Keep in mind, your child may need  a form signed for sports participation, camp, daycare and numerous other activities. It is very helpful to have that yearly physical exam completed when a form is needed. Scheduling now will ensure your child doesn’t have to miss out on his favorite activity. Don’t get caught off guard. Get that physical out of the way early!

A Quick Reminder of School Vaccine Requirements

Daycare: Requires children to be up-to-date on all recommended vaccines for age.

Kindergarten:Children need 3 booster shots: MMR, chicken pox, and polio-DTaP (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis).

6th Grade:Adolescents are required to receive Tdap, a tetanus booster that also includes protection against whooping cough.

-Jaime Fell, PA-C

 

Flu Shots Are Here!

Friday, September 30th, 2011

We will be holding our annual flu clinics on Saturdays October 15 and October 29 from 9am to noon. We are offering both the injection and the nasal mist. Please call 303-695-7667 for an appointment!

 

Influenza Season Approaching

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Influenza Season Approaching

The summer is just flying by for many of us! August is already here and the fall season is just around the corner. With the coming of fall , we prepare for the upcoming influenza season. Our office will be getting this year’s influenza vaccine in a few weeks. We will begin to administer influenza vaccine by the middle to end of August. Once again we will offer Flumist nasal vaccine for low risk patients over the age of 2 years and injectable flu vaccine for all those patients older than 6 months of age.

Influenza is a very contagious respiratory disease that can cause significant illness to infants, children, adolescents, and adults. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends immunization for all infants and children aged 6 months old through 18 years old.
Infants and children from 6 months through 8 years of age will need to receive 2 doses of vaccine separated by 4 weeks if this is the first influenza vaccine for them. If a child between 6 months and 8 years of age only received one influenza vaccine during the past influenza season, it is recommended that they receive 2 doses of vaccine the following fall.

We will be offering flu shot clinics on Saturdays during the upcoming fall season. Please watch for specific dates. They will be posted on our web site.
We often are able to offer flu vaccine to parents, depending on vaccine availability. Please remember to ask while your child is here receiving their vaccine if we have vaccine available for parents.

 

Immunizations: An Important Part of Your Child’s Health Care

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

Immunizations: An Important Part of Your Child’s Health Care

We encourage a regular series of well child exams for your infants and toddlers and annual physical exams for your preschoolers, school age and middle school age children, and adolescents. These exams are a good time to discuss feeding and nutrition or weight concerns, safety and anticipatory guidance to prevent accidents and injuries, importance of exercise, etc. Additionally, vaccinations and immunizations are an important part of your child’s health care.

Immunizations help to protect you and your children from several serious bacterial and viral illnesses that many times are life threatening. We have seen a decline in many diseases, like polio, chicken pox, bacterial meningitis, and smallpox, thanks to immunizations. It’s easy to get complacent and think not all the immunizations that are recommended are necessary. However, the risk of illness is real and is still out there. Pertussis rates have increased greatly over the past 5 years. Colorado has seen many deaths and morbidity from meningitis in the past few years. Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness that can lead to serious complications and death. During January 1-May 20, 2011, there have been a total of 118 cases of measles reported from 23 states; This is the highest reported number of cases for the same period since 1996.

Many parents have concerns about immunizations and the safety for their children. One such concern involoves a possible link between the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and autism. Additionally, parents have voiced concerns regarding thimerosal (a preservative) and a possible link to autism. Thimerosal is a mercury-containing compound that has been used since the 1930s, as a vaccine preservative in multi-dose vials of vaccine. Many large studies have been conducted to investigate a possible link, and there has never been a link found between the MMR or thimerosal and autism. The causes of autism are not fully understood, but overwhelmingly, scientific evidence does not point toward vaccines as a possible cause; In 2009, after extensive proceedings that generated 5,000 pages of transcript and included 939 medical articles, the federal court that administers the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program found the scientific evidence “overwhelmingly contrary” to the theory that autism is linked to MMR vaccine, thimerosal, or a combination of the two. Now the only vaccine containing thimerosal is the multi-dose influenza vaccine and this vaccine is also available without the preservative thimerosal.

It seems like there is always something new regarding immunizations; either a new vaccine, or new or updated recommendations with current immunization guidelines. It is good to be informed about immunizations. During your child’s well child exam or physical, we will review the immunizations that are recommended and will answer all your questions related to the immunizations. We encourage parents to ask questions and be informed about immunizations. It is important to get information regarding immunizations from reliable sources like Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), or Immunization Action Coalition (IAC). Here are some websites that our practice recommends for immunization information: www.aap.org/immunization, www.cdc.gov/vaccines, www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety, www.immunize.org, www.vaccineinformation.org, www.immunizationinfo.org.

 

Avoid Urgent Care Centers, Strip Mall and Retail Clinics For Physicals and Trauma and Illness Care

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Spring and early summer are a great time to schedule your child’s well exams for school, summer camps and sports teams. High school sport teams and summer camps require a yearly physical exam with an updated record for immunizations. We, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that all children receive a yearly physical after they are 2 years of age.

There has been a trend recently for children to get a “quick” physical or illness care from urgent care centers, strip mall clinics or even inside retail stores like Wal-Mart or Target. David Roos, M.D. and Jason Kalan, M.D. recommend strongly that you don’t use these clinics. Most of these clinics have doctors or nurse practitioners with limited or no pediatric experience and the nurse practitioners in stores like Wal-Mart have no direct physician supervision. Immunizations given in these clinics or in pharmacies aren’t placed in the Colorado Immunization Registry and are not available for our records. It may appear your child is behind in immunizations. Many parents are skeptical about the idea of getting a child’s checkup or immunizations where they also get their groceries, clothes and auto supplies. These clinics don’t have access to your child’s health history or immunization record. Providers in these clinics may give a brief, cursory exam that may not include blood pressure, urinalysis, hemoglobin or a head to toe physical exam. In addition, providers in these clinics are generally unfamiliar with the pediatric hospitals and pediatric specialists in town and are uncomfortable recommending specialists they don’t know for any of your child’s chronic, acute or serious conditions.

In our office we will provide your children with a comprehensive physical exam. Our nurses will obtain your child’s weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure and vital signs and administer age appropriate immunizations. Our doctors, nurse practitioner and physician assistant will complete a full medical exam and take an extensive medical history. In addition we will discuss child development, behavior, school performance, safety, prevention of accidents and injuries, methods of discipline, nutrition, exercise, street drug avoidance and abstinence education for teens.

Schedule your child’s physical exams with Crown Point Pediatrics soon because our summertime appointments fill up quickly.

 

Flu Vaccine

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

For all children older than 6-months of age, we recommend an INFLUENZA vaccine between August and April of each year, preferably in the months of September, October, and November. The vaccine covers both seasonal INFLUENZA and Swine Flu. Children under ages 9-years will need 2 vaccinations their 1st year receiving the vaccine. For healthy kids over 2 years of age we have Flumist Nasal Vaccine which is sprayed in the nose and is an option instead of an injectable flu shot. Please schedule your child’s influenza vaccination as soon as possible each fall or winter.

 

Vaccines for Teens

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Girls over 9 years of age can now receive the Gardasil or Cervarix vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Boys can receive the GARDASIL vaccine as well to prevent genital warts and penile cancer. This is a 3 shot series, and is given at zero, 2 months and 6 months after the first dose. Ask one of our providers at Crown Point Pediatrics about the Gardasil or Cervarix vaccine for your kids.

 

Vaccinations

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Vaccinations and parents are both there to help keep children as healthy as possible. At Crown Point Pediatrics we have several new recommended vaccinations. Two doses of Hepatitis A are suggested for all children over age one. The Rotovirus vaccine is administered orally, which is more kid friendly, and prevents a common but severe illness that includes serious vomiting, diarrhea and high fever. We recommend the Rotovirus vaccine at 2 and 4 months of age. For bigger kids, over age 11, we have Menactra, which helps prevent a bacterial spinal meningitis and Tdap which prevents whooping cough and tetanus. A booster dose of Menactra should be given at age 16. Trust Crown Point Pediatrics to have the vaccines that work just as hard as you do to keep your children healthy. You may schedule your child’s next well visit whenever they need their yearly physical exam and vaccinations.

 

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