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Beat the rush! If you need a Kindergarten, 6th
Grade, 9th Grade or College physical you can
make your appointment today as times fill up
fast over the summer months. |
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To schedule a
physical
for your child(ren) before
the rush, call our office
at (847) 398-0400.
You'll be glad you did!
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As
per previous national recommendations, APL has seen toddlers for checkups at age
24 months and
36 months. But now, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the
Center for Disease Control
recommend that children should see the pediatrician at age 30
months too. General health, development
and behavioral concerns need to be evaluated on a more frequent
basis during this critical time of growth.
This change in recommendation relates to the appropriate push for
earlier recognition and intervention in
speech, motor and behavioral delays.
Issues to be addressed at this visit will include an
assessment of developmental milestones, toilet
training, tantrums, and behavior issues.
There are no new vaccines associated with this check-up, but
catch-up vaccination will be offered.
If your child is between 24 and 32 months, call our office
to schedule your 30 month check-up today!
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At
APL, no question is too silly and remember the first five-thousand are free. |
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Infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can lead to
devastating
diseases. These include blood infections, pneumonia and
meningitis which
are some of the leading causes of serious illness and
death especially in
young children. A vaccine was developed in 2000 which
substantially
decreased the number of invasive pneumococcal disease
by nearly 80%
among children under 5 years of age. This first
pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine is called PCV7 because it protects against 7 of
the 91 strains of
the pneumococcal bacteria which were responsible for a
majority of severe
cases. Even though there is less disease since the
advent of this vaccine, |
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other strains of pneumococcal bacteria have become more
common. Thus a new vaccine has recently
been approved and is expected to prevent even more
cases of serious disease.
In February 2010 the FDA licensed the new and improved
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, PCV13.
PCV13 includes the original 7 strains found in PCV7
plus an additional 6 strains to offer even broader
coverage against invasive pneumococcal disease. It may
even prevent some milder infections that
are very common, such as ear infections and sinusitis
caused by certain strains of Streptococcus
pneumoniae. The PCV13 is manufactured in the same way
as the prior vaccine, has a safety profile
comparable to PCV7 and does not contain thimerosal. The
most common side effects are generally
mild and include injection-site reactions (redness,
pain and swelling), fever, increased or decreased
sleep and irritability.
The PCV13 vaccine replaces the old PCV7 and is given
similarly to infants in a four dose series at 2, 4,
6 and 12 months of age. Infants who have already begun
their immunization series with PCV7 should
complete the series with PCV13. Those who have missed
some doses at these ages should still get
the vaccine, and the number of doses and intervals
between doses will depend on their age. In addition,
children 14-59 months who have already completed a
series with PCV7 should receive one additional
dose of PCV13 in order to get the maximal protection
from the added strains. Lastly, for children up to
18 years with certain underlying medical conditions
(chronic heart or lung disease, damaged or absent
spleen, renal failure, diabetes, or immunodeficiency),
either 1 or 2 doses of PCV13 is recommended
depending on age and prior doses of PCV7 received.
Please call our office at (847) 398-0400 if you
have any questions.
Keep in mind that pneumococcal infections may be hard
to treat because some strains have become
resistant to the drugs used to treat them. This makes
prevention of pneumococcal infections through
vaccination even more important. The doctors at APL
strongly support these new guidelines. We now
have the new PCV13 available for our patients and will
be administering the PCV13 for eligible patients
at their routine check-ups. We also encourage you to
schedule an appointment for the vaccine if your
child does not have an upcoming check-up yet meets any
of the above criteria. Please feel free to call
our office if you have any further questions regarding
the vaccine and whether your child qualifies for it.
You can also find additional information at the Center
for Disease Control website:
www.cdc.gov/vaccines
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APL families are often
concerned about fevers. Common questions include
what is a fever (and what is not) and when should the
office be called. The
easy answer is if you are worried about your child,
please call!
The technical answer depends on the age of your child.
In infants less than two
months old, a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or
greater is a fever. A
fever at less than two months old might signify serious
illness, including
meningitis, pneumonia and kidney infections. Therefore,
if your child is less
than two months old and develops a fever, call APL
immediately, day or night. |
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This
is an emergency! No fever-reducing medicines (such as
Tylenol or Motrin) should be given. An APL
representative will direct you to the nearest Emergency
Department (ED) for evaluation.
If your child is older than eight weeks, a fever is a
rectal temperature of 101 degrees or greater. Children
8-12 weeks old should be evaluated in the office as
soon as possible. If they appear better one hour
after a fever-reducing medication is given, they do not
need to be seen in the ED. Instead, they may be
seen at APL that day or the next day.
Of course, if you are worried, please call APL anytime
day or night with questions or concerns. APL
physicians want to hear about any child who is
"ill-appearing", regardless of age.
Another common question is...how high is "too high" for
a fever? APL physicians recommend that you
call for any fever greater than 105 degrees. Injury
does not occur to the body even with a temperature
this high. However, there is a slight increased risk
that your child may have a bacterial infection.
As always, if you have any questions, please call our
office at (847) 398-0400. Thank you for allowing us
to join you in keeping your family healthy.
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We have made it easy for you by
centralizing calls for both offices.
To make an appointment, talk to
a nurse or to contact a physician,
dial our main office number.
(847) 398-0400 Main Number
(847) 398-9590 Fax
algonquinpediatrics.com
arlingtonpediatrics.com |
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Below are a few jokes we found
funny. Let us know if you have any
good ones for our next issue.
How do bees get to
school?
On the
school buzz.
What's black and white and |
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red all over?
A zebra with a
rash. |
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How do you know
carrots are good for your
eyes? Because
rabbits don't wear glasses.
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Our
motto: "We treat our patients like our own children and
grandchildren." |
^ Top of Page |
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