vaccination

In the last 10 years a re-emergence of pertussis has been reported.
The majority of cases have shifted from children attending school to
older children, adults and infants.

In New South Wales, the practice of cocooning the pertussis vaccination
has decreased the infection rate among infants less than four months of
age by half. Cocooning is the process of immunizing adults and
caregivers to provide a protective shield against infection.

Recently, suggested changes to maternal immunization guidelines suggest
all women be vaccinated with Tdap in every pregnancy, but Tdap is not
the only immunization currently being investigated.

Researchers from the Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical
School recently published a study showing positive adjuvant response in
newborns treated with a TLR8 agonist. The study was published in PLoS One.

Tdap is the abreviated name for the
tetanus-diptheria-acellular-pertussis vaccination. Guidelines for the
vaccination of pregnant women have changed on the heels of the 2012 Tdap
outbreak that included nearly 100% of the US states and Washington, DC.

Pregnant women who will be pregnant or give birth during flu season
are encouraged to have the flu vaccination. Pregnancy reduces natural
immunity, which makes pregnant women more susceptible to contracting the
flu.

When one child in a social group gets the chicken pox, all of his
friends’ parents come over to spread the infection intentionally. While
this seems like a strange form of torture at first, it actually makes
sense because a child will get it at some point or another.

HPV (human papilloma virus) is passed during intercourse or other sexual contact, including oral sex. Girls can choose to be vaccinated against some strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer, but girls are not the only ones at risk.

Infants are fickle creatures that know what they want and often get
what they want with little fight. Breastfeeding is the natural feeding
method preferred by infants, but that does not mean mother and infant
will instantly find peace in the art of breastfeeding.

Before taking your baby outside of the country, you should first
understand the risks and problems associated with foreign travel for
infants.

The PCV, or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, protects children against
the streptococcus pneumonia bacteria. Pneumococcal infections are known
to cause meningitis, blood infections and pneumonia, mostly in children.

MMR, or measles, mumps and rubella, is a vaccination against three
diseases once common in children. Despite the vaccination programs in
place, all three diseases still exist in the United States, though in
reduced numbers.

MCV4 is a new vaccine against meningococcal disease. The disease is
caused by bacteria that can cause meningitis and death. More than 1,000
people contract meningococcal disease every year.

Prior to the invention of the Polio vaccine, IPV, thousands of people
died from the polio virus each year and tens of thousands more were left
paralyzed. Today, the number of people diagnosed with polio each year
hovers near zero in the United States.

Hib is a bacteria disease most prominent in children under the age of
five, though an infection can occur in older, unvaccinated people. The
disease is passed from someone infected with Hib to other people.

Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver caused by HAV – the Hepatitis A
virus. The HAV is found in stool, but the disease can be passed via
consumption of infected foods and drinks. The disease tends to spread
easily in households.

While everyone is susceptible to flu infection, young children, the
aging population and people with compromised immune systems have the
highest risk of infection and death.

DTap stands for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Tetanus is an
infection associated with injuries that break the skin, typically cuts
and open wounds. Pertussis and diphtheria are contagious bacterial
infections passed between people.

Chicken pox was once considered a rite of passage for children, but
the varicella vaccine has reduced the number of children suffering from
the disease.

If mom and dad have agreed to have baby immunized, the vaccination process will be started in the hospital, but with only one vaccine. The only vaccine currently given at birth is Hepatitis B.

HPV is one of the causes of cervical cancer. Gardasil offers preventative protection against HPV infection, but not all high-risk young women understand the benefits of the vaccination.

In addition to the examinations your doctor will give your baby, you might need some medical attention as well. Most notably, you might need immunizations.

When you become pregnant, you’ll face a lot of new restrictions. You won’t be able to have your five cups of coffee every day, you won’t be able to attend happy hour with friends and you’ll have to keep your favorite shirts in the closet for half a year.

Rotavirus is a common childhood infection that nearly all children suffer from before the age of 5.

You've gotten through your pregnancy, dealt with pregnancy infections, given birth, and now your child has an infection. Below is a guide to the symptoms, treatment and commons questions relating to infections that may occur during childhood:

Scarlet fever is caused by the same strep infection that causes strep throat. Streptococcus releases a toxin into the body. Skin infections caused by strep bacteria, like impetigo, may also cause scarlet fever.

Ringworm is a fungal infection. The fungi live on dead tissues found on the skin, nails and hair. Ringworm can infect the feet and genital area, causing athlete's foot and jock itch. The condition is extremely easy to treat.

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This means the bacteria that causes MRSA is resistant to common antibiotics.

RSV infects the breathing passages and lungs in small children and infants.
Adults can also be affected by RSV. Adults have the immunity to fight
off RSV, but young children and infants have not yet built up enough
immunity so the condition may worsen and lead to other illnesses.

Reye's Syndrome is not an infection; rather, it is an illness that affects some children after a viral infection. Clinical studies have linked Reye's Syndrome with aspirin.