Traveling Safely with Infants & Children (partial article from CDC Yellow Book 2012)
Nicholas Weinberg, Michelle Weinberg, Susan A. Maloney
OVERVIEW
"The number of children who travel or live outside their home countries has increased dramatically. An estimated 1.9 million children travel internationally each year. Although data about the incidence of pediatric illnesses associated with international travel are limited, the risks that children face while traveling are likely similar to the risks that their parents face. The most commonly reported health problems among children are:
Diarrheal illnesses
Dermatologic conditions
Systemic febrile illnesses, especially malaria
Respiratory disorders
Motor vehicle and water-related accidents are also major health problems for child travelers. In assessing a child who is planning international travel, clinicians should:
Review routine childhood and travel-related vaccinations. The pre-travel visit is an opportunity to ensure that children are up to date on routine vaccinations.
Assess all travel-related activities.
Provide preventive counseling and interventions tailored to specific risks, including special travel preparations and treatment that may be required for children with underlying conditions, chronic diseases, or immunocompromising conditions.
Give special consideration to the risks of children who are visiting friends and relatives in developing countries. These conditions may include increased risk of malaria, intestinal parasites, and tuberculosis.
Consider counseling adults and older children to take a course in basic first aid before travel."
Passport Health Northern Ohio, Local News
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Good News on Breast Cancer
Some Good News Regarding Breast Cancer
Amongst all the tragic stories dealing with breast cancer, one published last month provided some clarity and perhaps some hope. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to research and education related to breast cancer, commissioned the study asking what environmental factors affect breast cancer. Here are some of the facts regarding what is known and what is yet to be determined.
Members of the study commission concluded that the following are not responsible for causing breast cancer: hair dyes, microwave ovens, and cell phones. That information may provide some measure of peace of mind for some women.
Then there is another group of environmental exposures, such as pesticides and industrial chemicals, about which too little is currently known to say whether or not they are a risk for breast cancer. Further research is clearly needed.
Then there are the causes about which there is general agreement that they do increase the risk for breast cancer. Postmenopausal hormones containing both estrogen and progestin are a risk. Once this association was recognized a decade ago, the use of these hormones decreased sharply in the U.S. and the incidence of breast cancer began to decline.
A second recognized risk factor for developing breast cancer is “gaining excess weight after menopause.” The report doesn’t specify exactly how much is too much.
A third risk about which there is general agreement is ionizing radiation resulting from overuse of CT (computed tomography) scans. One scientist quoted in the Jan. 4, 2012 issue of JAMA noted that “the amount of ionizing radiation from 3 abdominal CT scans is equivalent to levels that Japanese women were exposed to in the World War II atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
The next time your physician or emergency department doctor tells you that you need a CT scan, be sure to question why and ask whether watchful waiting is an option.
Brad Gascoigne, M.D.
Smart Readers Health Column
Amongst all the tragic stories dealing with breast cancer, one published last month provided some clarity and perhaps some hope. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to research and education related to breast cancer, commissioned the study asking what environmental factors affect breast cancer. Here are some of the facts regarding what is known and what is yet to be determined.
Members of the study commission concluded that the following are not responsible for causing breast cancer: hair dyes, microwave ovens, and cell phones. That information may provide some measure of peace of mind for some women.
Then there is another group of environmental exposures, such as pesticides and industrial chemicals, about which too little is currently known to say whether or not they are a risk for breast cancer. Further research is clearly needed.
Then there are the causes about which there is general agreement that they do increase the risk for breast cancer. Postmenopausal hormones containing both estrogen and progestin are a risk. Once this association was recognized a decade ago, the use of these hormones decreased sharply in the U.S. and the incidence of breast cancer began to decline.
A second recognized risk factor for developing breast cancer is “gaining excess weight after menopause.” The report doesn’t specify exactly how much is too much.
A third risk about which there is general agreement is ionizing radiation resulting from overuse of CT (computed tomography) scans. One scientist quoted in the Jan. 4, 2012 issue of JAMA noted that “the amount of ionizing radiation from 3 abdominal CT scans is equivalent to levels that Japanese women were exposed to in the World War II atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
The next time your physician or emergency department doctor tells you that you need a CT scan, be sure to question why and ask whether watchful waiting is an option.
Brad Gascoigne, M.D.
Smart Readers Health Column
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