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Winter Illness Part 2

Winter Illness Part 2

Along with holiday cheer, snow and cold weather comes Influenza (flu) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), two common winter illnesses that can be very serious for children. Below is Part II of my primer on winter illnesses. Influenza (flu):   This illness presents with the sudden onset of fever (often with chills),

A PERSONAL LOOK AT VACCINES

A PERSONAL LOOK AT VACCINES

One reason why parents can be reluctant to immunize is that vaccines have been so effective that parents do not have experience with most of the diseases we can protect against. They therefore do not know the devastation the illnesses can cause,

Winter Illnesses 101: Part 1

Winter Illnesses 101: Part 1

As I approach my 17th winter as a pediatrician, I find that many patients with familiar symptoms and equally familiar diagnoses are filling my schedule. While examining the patients and counseling the parents, I am pleasantly surprised about my continued interested in these illnesses despite having seen them thousands of times.

A PEDIATRICIAN LOOKS AT VACCINES

A PEDIATRICIAN LOOKS AT VACCINES

Nowadays, many parents are reluctant to vaccinate their children, having been told, incorrectly, that vaccines are too dangerous.  This is far different from when vaccines were first developed.  When the Salk vaccine for polio first came out in the 1950s, parents would endure long lines for a chance to avoid a disease that crippled or killed hundreds of thousands of children yearly in this country alone.