Last week, a young college student was mourned after succumbing to a virulent form of bacterial meningitis. Emily Stillwell was 19, a sophomore at Kalamazoo college, and hailed from West Bloomfield. She developed a bad headache and fever and her roommates understood this was no ordinary illness. They helped her get to the hospital quickly … Continue Reading →
Influenza has hit early and hit hard. Your work colleagues are out sick, media reports tout the ERs are at capacity and you’re scrambling to minimize the chance that your children get sick with this year’s flu. First some facts: stomach flu is not the same as Influenza. Both are circulating now, but they are … Continue Reading →
Middle schoolers, high schoolers and graduates heading off to college all need to make sure they have the latest fashions and the forms they need to play sports, and for many getting vaccines is another thing on the long list of things to do. It may not be glamorous, but being protected against cervical cancer, meningitis, … Continue Reading →
Whooping cough claimed the life of a healthy infant earlier this summer and it was a terrible reminder of how devastating this illness can be. Infants, even vaccinated infants, are more vulnerable because of their size and relative weakness at fighting infection. Even with the help of some immunity that vaccination can provide, without completing … Continue Reading →
It’s getting harder and harder to accept the fact that some families are opting not to fully vaccinate their children. Five to 10 years ago when the controversies surrounding vaccination were at their height, I felt strongly that vaccines were both safe and effective, but I had little head-to-head data to prove that fact. Most … Continue Reading →
Every year this story is in the news. Nicholas Collins, a 19-year-old Central Michigan University freshman from Livonia who tested positive for bacterial meningitis, died May 10 at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia. College students are at particular risk for a very deadly form of meningitis because they live in close quarters and as … Continue Reading →
Although fewer people are dying of measles infection, the United States has seen the highest rate of measles cases in more than a decade. With international travel and falling vaccine rates both in the U.S. and abroad it’s no surprise that measles cases are on the rise. Measles infection is caused by a virus that … Continue Reading →
Harvey Karp wrote a book several years ago called “The Happiest Baby on the Block.” It was well received by parents and pediatricians alike and many of the strategies he forwards in the book help soothe cranky infants. Up until now though, these strategies have not been formally assessed as a strategy for helping infants … Continue Reading →
Children ages 8 to 11 are at high risk of getting whooping cough if exposed — even if they’ve been fully vaccinated. Yep, you read that right. Of course tweens who haven’t had all their DTaP vaccines are more likely than vaccinated children to get the illness if exposed, but research is now showing that … Continue Reading →
What an unusual winter we’ve had. With the warm temperatures and lack of snow, it has barely felt like winter at all. We all got lulled into a false sense that winter illness may skip a year too. Unfortunately, Influenza had a different plan. This month, we have started to see a significant number of children with … Continue Reading →