Pediatric Physicians, PC

It hasn’t started yet.. but it will soon. Influenza typically lasts 5 days, with fevers, body aches, cough, abdominal upset, and misery. Young babies and older people are the most likely to have complications. Ask anyone who’s really had the flu– it is no fun.

Protect yourself against influenza by washing your hands, avoiding sick people, getting a good night’s sleep, and getting vaccinated. Immunizations against influenza are recommended for everyone from age 6 months and up, and can help protect your child, your family, and your community. If you haven’t been by yet this year, call soon to set up an appointment for influenza vaccines at our office for you and your children.

The vaccine Gardasil is now recommended for routine use in boys and girls starting at age 11 to prevent infection with the human papilloma virus, or HPV. The vaccine has been in use for several years, mostly in girls, to prevent cervical cancer. Recent studies have confirmed that it’s very safe, and have shown that this same vaccine can also effectively prevent head and neck as well as rectal cancers in males. These cancers aren’t rare—in the United States each year, about 18,000 HPV-associated cancers are diagnosed in women, and 7,000 in men. The recent recommendation to include boys in the vaccination strategy can help prevent most of these cancers, and help prevent transmission of the disease in the community. We’ll plan on reviewing your child’s HPV vaccine status at the next routine well visit.

We know children don’t always get sick when it’s convenient. That why we’ve helped open our Kids Time after-hours pediatric care centers. They’re staffed by genuine, board-certified pediatricians, and can help take care of the same acute illnesses we see in our offices—sore throats, fevers, coughs, and many other common complaints. The Kids Time sites take the same insurance as our offices do, usually at the same co-pay (please call ahead to confirm the exact rates for your plan. A few plans insist you pay an urgent care co-pay, but most do not.)

Kids Time Alpharetta and East Cobb offices are open from 6-9 during the week, and from 1-7pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.kidstimepeds.com.

Flu season will be here soon, and it’s now recommended that every eligible person get vaccinated. We’ve scheduled two evening clinics for children and parents to get flu vaccines, on Tuesday September 20 (Windward office) and Wednesday September 21 (Roswell.) Flu vaccines will be given by appointment only. No physician will be available to evaluate any illnesses or other concerns– these appointments are only for quick flu immunizations. Please call either of our offices during regular hours if you’d like to set up an appointment at one of these clinics.

We’ll be administering both traditional shots (for everyone past their six month birthday) and the nasal flu mist vaccine (for people aged 2 to 49 who have no significant heart, lung, or immune problems.) For more information about influenza and vaccinations, visit our recent post, or the CDC’s influenza information page.

Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and up. It’s especially important for babies and anyone with conditions that make influenza more risky (like asthma, pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, or any chronic lung or heart disease.) People in contact with anyone in those special groups should consider getting their own vaccination a priority to help protect the people most at risk.

We have two kinds of influenza vaccines available for babies, children, and adults. At our practice, all influenza vaccines are preservative-free.

• The traditional “flu shot” is appropriate for almost anyone at or over 6 months of age.
• The “mist” vaccine is squirted into the nose. It’s only for people 2 years thru 49 years of age. To get the mist, you can’t have any kind of chronic lung or heart disease, and cannot have used asthma medicine in the last 12 months. The mist vaccine is not approved during pregnancy. Because the mist is a live, cold-adapted vaccine, it is not good for people with immune problems or their family contacts.

Neither kind of flu vaccine can be given to people with serious egg allergies, and neither should be given during a serious illness. Mild egg allergies and mild illnesses (like a cold) are not contraindications to influenza vaccines.

As with other, routine vaccines, we are pleased to offer influenza vaccines not only to our patients, but their families. If your insurance doesn’t cover this vaccine to be given here, the cash price is $25 for either kind of vaccine.

Answer these questions to know if your child needs two doses of flu vaccine this year:

• Has your child reached the 9th birthday (If yes, only 1 dose is needed.)
• If your child is 8 years old or less, did he or she get at least one dose of flu vaccine last year? (If yes, then only 1 dose is needed this year.)
• For children less than 9 who did not get any doses of flu vaccine last year, two doses need to be given for good protection this year. These should be given 28 or more days apart.

Remember: If you suspect you have influenza, stay away from crowds, school, and work. During flu season (and all year ‘round!) wash your hands frequently to prevent yourself from catching common infections. Almost all of these infections spread by you touching your own face, eyes, nose, or mouth. Stay healthy!