by Matt Cyr on October 19, 2009
If you’ve been reading up on vaccines lately (and it seems like everyone has), you’ve probably read that there’s a difference between the injectable and mist versions of vaccines. And if you’re like me, you might not know what that difference is. Well, here it is: the injectable version is made with “killed virus” and the mist version is made with “live virus.” If, like me, you’re still confused, here’s some help from Ken McIntosh, MD, an infectious disease and vaccine specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston.
The killed vaccine has been used for decades, and during that time has improved. The improvements are that it has become more potent and, most important, contains less of the possible non-influenza components that were in the earliest killed vaccines. These were (mostly) bits of egg protein coming from the embryonated eggs that were used to produce the vaccine. Those non-viral bits were responsible for most (although not all) the bad reactions (fever, headache, sore arms) that occurred in the old days. Now someone can expect a somewhat sore arm or nothing at all. Fevers and headaches are quite rare. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 11, 2009
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
Canada is delaying its seasonal-flu vaccine program. Should we be worried? There are an alarmingly high number of glass-table injuries involving children. Six months after Children’s Hospital Boston’s Division of Emergency Medicine published a study on these injuries, new standards have been recommended in the production of glass-tables. A Children’s study showed that side effects or accidental overdoses of medications in children are more common than you might think. In part 7 of our milk allergy series, Robyn Nasuti shares her tips on keeping her kitchen safe. French Parliament wants to pass a law that would mandate a bold print notice when images have been digitally enhanced. Children’s Alison Field, ScD, who specializes in eating disorders, talks about what we can do to educate our children about images in the media. We follow one family’s story when they discovered their child, Ann Louise, showed signs of a congenital heart defect. Children’s David Ludwig, MD, addresses the soda-tax solution in an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times. The HealthMap team gives their weekly H1N1 update. The Mediatrician weighs in on what computer games, if any, are good for a 2-year-old.
by Nitya Rao on October 9, 2009
An unpublished, unverified Canadian research study, which suggests that people who got flu shots last season are twice as likely to contract swine flu, prompted 12 out of 13 Canadian provinces to hastily suspend their seasonal-flu vaccination programs earlier this week.
In contrast to the simultaneous H1N1 and seasonal-flu vaccination programs being conducted by the U.S. and many other countries around the world, Canada’s provincial governments have decided to put off their seasonal-flu vaccination program until after the H1N1 inoculations are completed, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The vaccine suspensions however, do not apply to seniors above the age of 65, since they are more prone to catching seasonal flu. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 8, 2009
by The HealthMap Team on October 8, 2009
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 5, 2009
Other stories we’ve been reading:
- Nearly one in 10 of the world’s babies is born prematurely, and about 1 million infants die each year as a result, says a startling report.
- Ear infections are especially common in children between 6 months and 3-years old. The Canadian Pediatric Society’s website, Caring for Kids, offers us some great information on how to know when your child has an ear infection and what to do when it actually happens.
- Burn injuries among children dropped by 31 percent between 1990 and 2006. Even though the numbers are down, burn injuries are still disproportionately high among younger children.
- Kitchens are a great place for families to gather. They are also a hotspot for injuries. Vicky McEvoy, M.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School tells us about common kitchen injuries that you should be aware of.
- The liquid children’s version of the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu in short supply, so pharmacists are making their own children’s version by mixing cherry syrup with the contents of the Tamiflu capsules.
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 2, 2009
In the last couple of weeks, Thrive has published several postings concerning the seasonal and H1N1 flu. Many of our readers have questions concerning the safety of these vaccines. We spoke to Children’s Hospital Boston’s Kenneth McIntosh, MD, a senior physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Here, he answers many of your questions, on everything from thimerosal and squalene to Guillain-Barre and how many shots is too many for a baby. Full story »
by The HealthMap Team on October 1, 2009
Here are this week’s H1N1 updates from the 
Here are this week’s H1N1 updates from the 
