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Very few of my patients are vaccinated
according to the recommended schedules. I support parents' making
this decision and have long thought that schedule is not as safe as
it could be. The ultimate choice is obviously made by parents, but
I share complete responsibility for the decisions they
make.
In our office, we have seen quite a
few children and adults with long hard coughs as we always do this
time of year. Very few of these children and adults actually have
pertussis. The media and the California Department of Public Health
are exaggerating the threat. This is a miserable long disease, and
rarely it can be dangerous to very young infants. But implying that
there is a whooping epidemic is inaccurate.
The pertussis epidemic of 2010 is
probably very similar to the pseudo-epidemic documented in the New
York Times news story linked right here:
http://bit.ly/agMaAM
Diagnosing pertussis is very
difficult and the vast majority of doctors err on the side of
making the diagnosis rather than testing for the bacterium. Much of
the illness around right now and being reported as whooping cough
may be caused by a related bacterium called B. Parapertussis. The
vaccine does not protect against this illness; it is rarely
dangerous and culture growth confirmatiom for both pertussis and
parapertussis bacteria is difficult. RSV and dozens of other
respiratory viruses are much, much more common causes of fall and
winter coughs. Again, very few coughing children and adults really
have pertussis.
The accuracy of the diagnosis of the
reported pertussis fatalities is very difficult to confirm. Media
emphasis should focus on these deaths being almost exclusively
among medically underserved children and families. The reports from
public officials are not helpful in a meaningful discussion of the
risks of winter illnesses and the condition of our health care
system.
Breastfeed babies and toddlers, feed
your family well, stay well hydrated, avoid crowds when practical
and worry far less. Boring advice but more effective than the panic
created by sensationalized media stories.
___________________________________________________
The AAP recently recommended iron
supplementation for breastfed babies at age four months. This
report came from the Committee on Nutrition and completely
contradicted the statements of real experts on the American Academy
of Pediatrics' Breastfeeding Committee. The Breastfeeding Committee
is issuing its own report and may demand a retraction of the iron
recommendations citing possible harm from supplementing
breastfeeding babies. They will soon be publishing a detailed
report containing the following paragraph:
"The Clinical Report does not
address potential harms nor does it discuss the difference in
bioavailability of iron contained in human milk vs. iron-fortified
fluids and foods. Given research that has shown potential harm in
infant growth and morbidity when iron supplementation is provided
to iron-sufficient infants one wonders if universal iron
supplementation will be deleterious to the population of developing
infants who are breastfeeding exclusively. Furthermore, in a
relatively recent US study the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia
is low (3%) among unsupplemented breastfed infants in the first 6
months."
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Lastly,
I'd like to mention this Tuesday's election. There are initiatives
on local and statewide ballots that will greatly affect our
children.
California Proposition 23 would
reverse clean air laws and make air dirtier for our children.
Please vote NO on 23.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures.htm
Propositions Y and YY increase
funding to support our school systems and both must pass. Please
vote yes.
http://www.smmusd.org/news/YandYY.html
I have supported Senator Barbara
Boxer for a long, long time. She helped me with the Healthy School
Lunch program, and I also appreciate the support she gave to the
effort by a group of parents in my practice to get housing for
homeless Haitians.
Speaking of great efforts,
one of the moms in our practice is
involved with orphanages in Nicaragua and has asked for toy
donations. She'll give you more information about what they need.
She can be contacted at kg@wholechild.com.
I'm proud that one of the dads in
our practice is running for Santa Monica City Council. I've known
Ted Winterer for many years, and he'll be a strong advocate for our
local kids.
http://www.tedforcouncil.com/
For those of you who might vote in
Oregon, Simone Gordon is the Republican/Libertarian candidate for
District 8 of the Oregon House of Representatives. She comes from a
good family . . . :-)
http://simonegordon.netboots.net/
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Best Wishes for the Fall and Winter
Season!
Jay
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