Barb's Daily Dose

Measles

I was just talking to a reporter about the recent increase in Measles cases. This is one of those highly contagious infectious diseases that has been just under the radar for years, but recently has increased dramatically. Most people under 40 haven't seen a case of measles and don't know anyone who had measles. If you're over 50, chances are that you had measles or knew someone else who couldn't go to school for a week while recovering from measles. 

Whooping Cough on the Rise

In Washington State, there is currently and epidemic of whooping cough.  There have been 640 case reported there in the first 3 months of the year, compared to only 93 the year before.

Whooping cough is also known as pertussis and can be serious and even life threatening in babies. The reason that there's a new epidemic is that we think that people's immunity to it decreases over time.

The Condom Broke! I Want to beTested for Everything!

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I would be taking more vacations to tropical beaches! When I hear this, what I also understand is that the person wants to be tested for every sexually transmitted disease/infection (STD) ever known. By the time, the person comes in to see me, I can offer up a few tests that will help them know if they contracted an infection.

Chicken Pox Vaccination

What many of us forget is that virtually everyone used to get chicken pox. That meant that there were between 3-4 million cases each year.  While the vast majority of people recovered after a few days of  itching and feeling miserable, there were still about 100 people, mostly children who died from chicken pox each year. Now with vaccination rates for chicken pox increasing the numbers of deaths has also decreased dramatically.

Help The Hurt

Article Today is by Mary Ellen Strote - Featured in Fit Pregnancy

Some medical procedures can’t be avoided. Here’s how to make them less painful for your baby—and you.

Help The Hurt - Some medical procedures can’t be avoided. Here’s how to make them less painful for your baby—and you. - Fit Pregnancy.

What Causes Autism?

Autism and Autism spectrum disorders are one of the biggest worries parents experience.  In the last few years, we've seen an explosion of numbers of children diagnosed with Autism, we've seen the link between autism and vaccines debunked and more research on the subject. I found this article from Reuters that may help clear up some of the anxiety.

Children with Asthma Need the Flu Shot

Many children who have asthma don't receive the flu vaccine and are much more likely to have worsening asthma symptoms if they get the flu.  Interestingly enough, parents who don't have their children vaccinated aren't as concerned about the flu being a trigger for asthma attacks and are more worried about the potential side effects of the vaccine.

Pap Smear Guidelines Updated

This is a screen grab of Naomi Watts in Universal Studio's King Kong and I often wonder if this is how women feel when they think about getting their Pap smear. Do you know anyone who looks forward to their exam?  Most of my patients say that they know it's something that they have to do, and tolerate it so that they can discuss all of their issues during their annual visit. There are new guidelines about frequency of pap smears that may be a welcome change for millions of women. 

Universal Flu Vaccine On The Horizon: Researchers Find 'Super Antibody'

Check Out this Informative Article that was Featured on Huffington's Post

Flu vaccine-makers have to change flu shot formulations each year to keep up with the constantly mutating virus, but scientists have come across a new "super antibody" that has the potential to beat both of the main groups of influenza A.

While research is still early, the antibody -- called F16 -- could be promising for a universal flu vaccine, Reuters reported. The finding was published in the journal Science.

New vaccines are made each year to match the specific type of influenza that is circulating. There are two main types of influenza -- type A and type B -- both of which are responsible for the yearly flu outbreaks. Influenza A itself is broken up into two main groups, comprised of 16 different subtypes. The 2009 H1N1 influenza is a type A influenza.

Read more of this article.

HPV Vaccine Prevents Cervical Abnormalities

Now that many of my patients have been vaccinated against HPV, we are seeing fewer and fewer abnormal pap smears and more serious abnormalities in the cervix. Indeed, this has also been seen in a large study in Australia.

The HPV vaccines that are available are Gardisil and Cervarix.  Gardisil has the benefit of also decreasing the likelihood of developing external genital warts in both males and females. In my practice we are also seeing fewer patients with genital warts, which I've heard is also the case with many of my colleagues.