Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Children younger than 10 need 2 swine flu shots

Pregnant women need only one vaccination for protection against the swine flu, but children younger than 10 will need two, according to new government data released earlier this week.

The study analyzed blood samples from 50 pregnant women in their second or third trimesters who were given a 15-microgram dose of the H1N1 vaccine. After three weeks, 92 percent showed an immune response that doctors said would protect them from the flu.

But tests on almost 600 children found that only 25 percent of those ages 6 months to 35 months and 55 percent of those ages 3-9 years had a sufficient response after one dose. However, after a second dose three weeks later, 100 percent of the youngest children and 94 percent of those 3-9 developed sufficient immunity within eight to 10 days of the booster.

At the same time, an independent panel of experts organized by the Health and Human Services Department announced that no safety concerns about the vaccine have arisen. One death has been reported, but that person died from the flu, not the vaccine, according to Bruce Gellin, director of the National Vaccine Program Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

'America's Walking'

Mark Fenton, host of the Public Broadcasting Service series "America's Walking," will be the featured speaker at this year's St. Clair County health policy summit on Nov. 13 at the Westview Baptist Church in Swansea.

The program is designed to help initiate a countywide effort to influence policies in the areas of healthy eating and physical activity. Fenton is a recognized authority on public health issues and the need for community, environmental and public-policy initiatives to encourage more walking and bicycling opportunities.

The program will be from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and will include a keynote address, discussions and breakout sessions. The cost is $10, which includes continental breakfast, lunch and a pedometer. Registration deadline is Friday; for information call 233-7703 or Sarah Williams at 233-9485.

The program is being convened by the St. Clair County Health Care Commission, the Get Up & Go! Campaign and the Dr. Willard C. Scrivner Public Health Foundation.

Epilepsy seminar

Dr. R. Edward Hogan, a neurologist at Washington University, will deliver an update on epilepsy from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fairview Heights Public Library.

Hogan will discuss the types and causes of seizures disorders and the latest treatments being provided at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

To register, call toll-free (866) 867-3627 or go to BarnesJewish.org/classes. The library is at 10017 Bunkum Road.

Sleep apnea in children

For children with a common sleep disorder, treatment often includes a trip to the operating room to have their tonsils and adenoids removed. But doctors at St. Louis University are now taking part in a study to see if and when that drastic step is really necessary.

"We know surgery is associated with improvements in children with sleep apnea, but this research will be the first to allow us to investigate whether or not the surgery causes those improvements," said Dr. Ron Mitchell, a professor of otolaryngology and the principal investigator for the ChildHood AdenoTonsillectomy study.

The research will compare the outcomes of children who undergo surgery versus those who receive medical treatment, such as nasal spray when needed. In addition, the study will look at the connection sleep apnea has to learning problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, slow growth and obesity. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study will enroll 500 children ages 5-9 at six centers across the country.

In normal weight children, obstructive sleep apnea is caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids that restrict the size of the upper airway and disrupt breathing during sleep. As many as 3 percent of all children and as many as 30 percent of overweight or obese children show signs of the problem, which leads to approximately 500,000 tonsillectomies a year.

"In the future, the information we gather from this study may help us know when to recommend surgery immediately and when it is most appropriate to wait and see whether the child will grow out of the problem," Mitchell said. "This will allow us to use health care resources more effectively."

For information about the study, call Casey at (314) 268-1700, ext. 1090

Red or white?

Here's a study worth toasting: Scientists in Japan say they are finally able to explain why you really should drink red wine with beef and white wine with fish.

Takayuki Tamura and his colleague say red wine may spoil that expensive meal of seafood because naturally occurring iron in the wine produces that unpleasant, fishy aftertaste. The study was reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a publication of the American Chemical Society.

The scientists asked wine tasters to sample 38 red wines and 26 whites while dining on scallops. Some of the wines contained small amounts of iron, which varied by country of origin, variety and vintage.

They found that wines with high amounts of iron produced a more intensely fishy aftertaste. However, that aftertaste diminished when the researchers added a substance that binds up iron. So, they conclude, low- or no-iron red wines might be a perfectly acceptable choice with fish.

No Tylenol after baby's shots

Giving babies Tylenol to prevent fever after routine vaccinations may backfire and make the shots a little less effective, new research from the Czech Republic suggests.

It is the first major study to tie reduced immunity to the use of fever-lowering drugs. Although the effect was small and the vast majority of kids still were protected, the results make "a compelling case" against routinely giving Tylenol right after vaccination, say doctors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study was published in the latest issue of the British medical journal, Lancet.

Tylenol or its generic twin, acetaminophen, is widely recommended as a painkiller for babies. Many parents give it right before or after a shot to prevent fever and fussiness, and some doctors recommend this. The CDC's vaccine advisory panel says it is a reasonable thing to do for children at high risk of seizures, which can be triggered by fevers.

Babies given the painkiller in the study were significantly less likely to develop a fever --- 42 percent versus 66 percent of the others. However, lower rates of protective antibody levels from several vaccines were seen in the group given the drug.

Levels remained significantly lower in this group after booster vaccines, given when the babies were 12 to 15 months old. Still, even with the fever-lowering drugs, more than 90 percent of children in the Czech study achieved protection.

Bottom line: Skipping the painkiller may be advantageous; if a child does develop a significant fever after a shot, consult a doctor. It's not clear whether ibuprofen has the same effect. Aspirin should never be given to a child with fever.