Breaking News!       HIB (Hemophilus) VACCINE UPDATE
As you may have read there has been a recall of 1 million doses of HIB vaccine, due to a problem with the processing of the vaccine.  All of our HIB vaccine is from a different company than the one recalled.  All the potentially contaminated vaccine has been recalled, and there have been no infections or other problems related to the recalled vaccine.  The immunity for those babies vaccinated is not in question.  If your child had any infection from the vaccine, it would have been a mild redness or infection at the injection site - - - not serious infection.  And this would have occurred within a few days of the vaccination.

This does affect us, however only in that our supply of HIB vaccine will be limited during the next year, because there are only 2 manufacturers in the U.S.  As per AAP and CDC guidelines, we will be suspending the 12-18 month HIB dose for all children until the national supply is back up.  Your children should still have adequate coverage and immunity to HIB.

THE SAFEST SEAT: APPROPRIATE CHILD SAFETY SEAT PLACEMENT
Child safety seats installed in the rear seat of a motor vehicle protect children in motor vehicle crashes. Recent advances in child-restraint system (CRS) design and changing patterns of child safety seat use have prompted the need to reevaluate the evidence in support of these recommendations. In the study, "Seating Patterns and Corresponding Risk of Injury Among 0- to 3-Year-Old Children in Child Safety Seats," the most common seating position for children using a CRS is the rear passenger side. Use of this position increases as children get older. However, child occupants aged 0-3 years seated in the center rear had a 43 percent lower injury risk compared with children in either of the rear outboard positions. Study authors offer updated evidence for the current recommendations that the center rear is the safest seat position for children restrained in a CRS, but they do not indicate that a child seated in an outboard position is a poor choice. Rather, they suggest that installing a CRS in the center rear position further reduces the risk of injury and enhances the protection already offered by child safety seats installed in the outboard position.
[Monday, May 5, at 12:01 a.m. ET. For more information contact Dana Mortensen from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at 267-426-6092 or mortensen@email.chop.edu ]

SPORTS PARTICIPATION AND MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Children and adolescents with medical conditions need to be evaluated before participating in athletic activities. As a result, pediatricians play an important role in determining whether a child with a medical condition should participate in a particular sport. In the revised American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report, "Medical Conditions Affecting Sports Participation," current evidence supports and encourages children with medical conditions to participate in most athletic activities. The report, which replaces a 2001 policy statement, includes a detailed list of medical conditions and describes how health care professionals should assess a child’s health status, suggest appropriate equipment or modifications to decrease the risk of injury, and educate the athlete, parent(s) and coach on potential dangers of participation and associated training activities.
[Monday, April 7 at 12:01 am ET. Excerpt from the journal, Pediatrics.  For more information contact Stephen Rice, MD, FAAP, at 732-776-2384 or srice@meridianhealth.com 


Sports Injury Prevention Tips
Sports help children and adolescents keep their bodies fit and feel good about themselves. The American Academy of Pediatrics has some important injury prevention tips that can help parents promote a safe, optimal sports experience for their child. The tips can be found in both English and Spanish at http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/aprsportsinjurytips.cfm