News From the Health Office

Spring 2011

MPj04387420000[1] News from the Health Office Know What to Do About the Flu

Cleaning for a Reason

If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please
pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides
FREEhousecleaning - once per month for 4 months while she is in
treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a
note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a
participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the
service. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has
547 partners to help these women. It's our job to pass the word and
let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a
blessing to someone and pass this information along.

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

Regarding the above:

We have been made aware of one ICS family with a child undergoing chemotherapy. This will place the child at greater risk of infection which may be transported home via the sibling’s exposure. Please be vigilant regarding your child health as it will impact others. Remember to reinforce good hand washing and covering their coughs.

Some guidelines:

Fever: 100.0 or higher> Must be fever free for 24 hours without medication before returning

Diarrhea or vomiting: Keep your child home for 24 hours after the last episode.

Sore throat: Minor with nasal congestion is usually not a problem but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even w/o a fever. Other symptoms may include headache and stomach upset. Please consult your health care provider. Your child may be able to return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.

Bad cough/cold symptoms: a mild cough w/o fever is generally not a problem however children with bad coughs need to stay home and possibly see a doctor. It could be bronchitis, flu or pneumonia.

Pink eye/ conjunctivitis pink eye with discharge. Keep the child home until a doctor has given the OK to return. This is highly contagious and most cases are caused by a virus which will not respond to antibiotics. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require antibiotics; your doctor will be able to determine if this is the case.

Rash: Children with a rash should see a doctor as this could be one of several infectious diseases. One possibility is impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that is very contagious and requires antibiotic treatment. Also, fifth disease is a contagious viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes; it is no longer contagious by the time the rash appears.

If you have any question please consult your health care provider before sending your child to school.

NEW: Everyday Preventive Actions That Can Help Fight Germs, Like Flu Flyer summarizing everyday preventive actions that can help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory illness, like flu.

ALLERGY ALERTS:

I wanted to share with you that Gatorade has come out with a new line of products, marketed with athletes in mind, and one of these products "Gatorade Recover" contains whey protein. ( a milk protein) Here is information on the new series of products: http://www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#gseries?s=gseries

RECALLS

Unilever Announces Recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread Due to Possible Health Risk Limited Recall of 6 Best-If-Used-By Dates
Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:53:00 -0600

Unilever Announces Recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread Due to Possible Health Risk Limited Recall of 6 Best-If-Used-By Dates

Tainted Alcohol Pads Recalled

All lots of isopropyl alcohol prep pads, swabs, and swabsticks made by Triad Group have been recalled because of possible contamination by Bacillus cereus bacteria. The products were all manufactured by Triad Group but have been marketed in the U.S.... full story http://www.medpagetoday.com/ProductAlert/DevicesandVaccines/tb/24230

The Ritedose Corporation Announces the Voluntary Nationwide Recall of 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3 mL Due to Mislabeled Unit Dose Vials

Please follow the link below for details and lot #s

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm238624.htm

******************************************************************************

Health Screenings to begin in January Please download form below to opt out of any or all of these screenings.

*****************************************************************************

IMMUNIZATION REMINDERS:

ALL children 6 months to 59 months old enrolled in preschool must have a seasonal influenza vaccination annually between September 1^st and December 31.( The vaccine for this season will include the H1N1.) Documentation must be in the health office by December 31^st,2010 or the child will be excluded until it is received.

ALL children enrolled in 6^th grade must have 1 dose of meningococcal vaccine. required for all children 11 and above

ALL children enrolled in 6^th grade must have 1 dose of Tdap(tetanus,diphtheria,pertussis) vaccine after their 10^th birthday and 5 years after the last documented dose of DTP,DTap,of Td.

. Please check with your physician to make sure your children were vaccinated at their 11-12 year old check up. *****************************************************************************

Other Health News/ links:

Acetaminophen After Vaccination Reduces Antibody ResponseProphylactic doses of acetaminophen given after vaccination reduce fever but blunt antibody response to multiple antigens.

Fever is common after vaccination, leading some to recommend prophylactic antipyretics. But do such agents affect vaccine immune response? In an industry-supported study, investigators randomized healthy infants in the Czech Republic to receive vaccines alone or followed by three doses of acetaminophen (suppositories) over 24 hours. They assessed febrile response and antibody response to vaccine antigens after primary and booster doses.

The infants received 10-valent pneumococcal nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae conjugate vaccine coadministered with diphtheria–tetanus–acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, H. influenzae type B, oral rotavirus, and inactivated poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 vaccines. Primary vaccine doses were administered at ages 3–5 months; booster doses at ages 12–15 months. Infants remained in the same group for primary and booster doses; however, based on initial results, the study was amended before completion, and not all acetaminophen-group infants received acetaminophen after booster immunization.

Fever >39.5°C was uncommon after primary vaccination in both groups (3/233 [1%] with no acetaminophen; 1/226 [<1%] with prophylactic acetaminophen). However, fever 38°C was significantly more common in the no-acetaminophen group than in the acetaminophen group (66% vs. 42%). Acetaminophen recipients showed significantly reduced antibody response to 10 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotypes and multiple other antigens. Children with and without fever in the acetaminophen group showed similar diminution of antibody response.

Comment: The authors conclude that acetaminophen should not be given prophylactically as a routine practice with vaccination. Whether the same effect would occur with other commonly used agents, such as ibuprofen, is unknown but should be studied. The authors postulate that acetaminophen may interfere with interactions among dendritic, B, and T cells by reducing the local inflammatory response. Editorialists note the need to also assess whether antipyretics increase the proportion of vaccine nonresponders and reduce population protection.

— Mary E. Wilson, MD

Published in Journal Watch Infectious Diseases November 4, 2009

USA Today - Flu vaccine readily available, and free for many this year .

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius says

the federal Affordable Care Act mandates for the first time
that Medicare and private health plans offer flu vaccine coverage without
co-pays or deductibles.
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/coldflu/2010-09-07-flu07_ST_N.htm

Further Evidence Shows No Link Between Thimerosal and Increased Autism Risk

http://mp.medscape.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/hC6fy0U3A8G0D2P0LMWC0E7&uac=120087CJ

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - What You Need To Know ~ Pertussis (whooping cough) is very contagious and can cause serious illness―especially in infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated. Make sure your infants and young children get their recommended five shots on time. Adolescent and adult vaccination is also important, especially for families with new infants.

******************************************************************************************

IMPORTANT TOPICS

• Safe Kids USA: Toy Safety

• US Consumer Product Safety Commission: Toy Hazard Recalls

Please follow this link for reliable health info. Also included are health calendars and fun health message e-cards. Check it out.

http://healthfinder.gov/nho/default.aspx

Announcing the State of New Jersey's newest Website, NJ Parent Link, The
Early Childhood, Parenting and Professional Resource Center
http://www.njparentlink.nj.gov

Avoid Food-Drug Interactions-A Guide

www.fda.gov/medsinmyhome

Energy Drinks May Pose Risk to Young People (CME/CE)

Popular energy drinks -- which may contain high levels of unregulated ingredients -- could pose a health risk to children, adolescents, and young adults, who consume many of the drinks sold, a review suggests. The review found that almost half of 5... full story http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/tb/24856

************************************************************************

I hope you find these web sites useful also.

http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/health.htm ( for all Hunterdon Co. health news alerts)

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu

Department of Health and Senior Services:

http://www.state.nj.us/health/

Kids Health Information:

http://kidshealth.org/

http://www.starlight.org/home

Allergy and Asthma Information:

Food allergy network (FAN) http://www.foodallergy.org/

Pediatric/Adult Asthma Coalition of New Jersey http://www.pacnj.org/