Health | Page 3 of 3 | Parenting In the Loop

Today I heard a disturbing piece of news regarding children and vaccinations.

Apparently, an infant who was not old enough to receive the pertussis vaccine was exposed to pertussis in a pediatrician’s office. This baby wound up extremely sick and hospitalized due to his exposure to pertussis, a potentially fatal, contagious disease.

This situation poses a dilemma.

Some pediatricians are now refusing patients whose parents are not allowing them to be immunized .

Where is the balance here??? I am not quite sure.

Personally, I would not want my child exposed to these diseases because as a pediatric nurse I have seen how they can ravage a healthy child and in some cases steal their life.

I am also aware of and empathize with the parental fears that surround childhood vaccinations. These vaccinations have been associated with autism. Even though the evidence that at first supported these fears has been sited as flawed, the fear is still there.

So, how do we work with the parents and children who are not vaccinated against these childhood diseases and at the same time protect infants who are not yet vaccinated?

Is refusing to treat the unvaccinated the ethical way to approach this? I don’t think so.

Perhaps, there is a way to separate those who refuse to be vaccinated by making specific office hours when these children can be seen by the pediatrician…this would be expensive but could be an option.

What do you think as a parent…and how does this problem affect you?

NOTEWORTY WEDNESDAY!

KIDS AND ALLERGIES

Allergies are serious and especially so in children.

The vast majority of allergic reactions to foods affect the skin in one way or another. The severity of symptoms can change quickly and there is always potential for a severe, possibly life-threatening reaction.

This week I had a crash course in allergies and children. The fact that ingesting a food such as a peanut could be life threatening is truly a scary situation.

There are ways to minimize the potential risk and prevent accidental exposure to the foods that cause an allergic reaction.

Here are some of the family’s responsibilities when they have a child with a food allergy:

Notify the school of the child’s allergies

Work with the school team to develop a plan that accommodates the child’s needs throughout the school including in the classroom, in the cafeteria, in after-care programs during school sponsored activities and on the school bus as well as a Food Allergy Action Plan.

Provide written medical documentation, instructions, ad medications as directed by a physician using the Food Allergy Action Plan as a guide. Include a photo of the child on written form.

Provide properly labeled medications and replace medications after use or upon expiration.

Educate the child in the self-management of their food allergy including:

safe and unsafe foods

strategies for avoiding exposure to unsafe foods

symptoms of allergic reaction

how and when to tell an adult they may be having an allergy-related problem

how to read food labels (age appropriate)

– Review policies/procedures with the school staff, the child’s physician, and the child (if age appropriate) after a reaction has occurred.

– Provide emergency contact information.

excerpts: from DuPage Medical Group – Asthma & Allergy Center

NEXT: School’s responsibility

Related Posts: http://parentingintheloop.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/food-allergies-new-guidelines/

Parenting in the Loop

Tag Archives: Health

Pediatricians refuse unvaccinated kids

Kids and Allergies…