May 22, 2025

Dear Amazing Centennial Valley Pediatrics Patients and Caregivers,

We hope this email finds you all healthy and well!

School is almost over for most of you, and for some of our college kids, it may already be over. That means it's time for vacations, summer camps, maybe summer school or work, but hopefully there will be a lot of fun and relaxation time, too! 

Office News:

 

Kim Carter will stop seeing patients in the office on May 30, and will start seeing patients by telehealth only, starting in July. This will help us meet patient needs through telehealth visits, which we know are very convenient for you.

What kind of visits can be telehealth visits? Mental health evaluations or follow-ups (depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc), birth control consults and medication management, and asthma follow-up visits. She may also be able to do some sick visits, depending on the issue. 

Please, PLEASE, check and DOUBLE CHECK the reminder that you get for your appointments. The office location is in this reminder.

Remember, we have two locations. If you come to the wrong location for your appointment, you will likely not be able to be seen and will have to reschedule. We cannot just squeeze you in to a schedule you are not on, and you will be much too late if you try to go to the other office.

We truly regret turning anyone away, but it is not fair to the rest of the scheduled patients to see you late and make everyone else late as well. We know how frustrating this would be for you, so please, PLEASE be sure you know which office your appointment is scheduled in. 

Thank you!!

Due to increasing concerns about vaccines lately, we will be starting a recurring information section, focusing on different vaccines. We want you, as parents, to know what these vaccines are for, why your child gets them at particular times, and answer your questions about safety.

We are fully in agreement with the American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC recommendations on the childhood immunization schedule, and will always encourage you to stick with this. Of course, we will work with you if you choose to vaccinate differently, but the schedule was created to be safe for your child, and to give them protection from serious childhood illnesses when they need it most. 

When you have questions, please reference trusted vaccine information sources, like:

Voices for Vaccines--a website meant for lay people, gives Information on vaccine preventable diseases, how vaccines work, and why to vaccinate

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center (VEC)--The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) was launched to provide accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. The VEC is funded by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and through philanthropic donations, and does not receive support from vaccine manufacturers.

Talking about Vaccines with Dr. Paul Offit--Paul A. Offit, MD is Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology, He has created a very watchable, parent friendly video series all about vaccines, how they work, what's in them, etc.

Shot by Shot--stories of vaccine preventable illnesses from people who suffered them, or the families who had to watch. Shows the real life effect of these illnesses, that they do still exist, and that they can be devastating

There are many illnesses caused by pneumococcus. Pneumococcal infections are caused by a group of bacteria known as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcus can lead to infections of the ears, sinuses, brain and spinal cord (meningitis), lungs (pneumonia), or bloodstream (sepsis).

The majority of pneumococcal infections are mild, like ear infections or sinus infections. However, some can be serious, even deadly. Meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia are more serious--they often require lengthy hospitalizations, may involve surgeries, can cause severe complications after recovery, or cause death.

Those most likely to experience severe infection include the very young (children <5y), the elderly, and teens and adults with conditions or situations that increase their risk. This is why infants get this vaccine at 2mo, 4mo, 6mo, and 12-15mo. 

Pneumococcus is commonly found lining the surface of the nose and the back of the throat; in fact, about 25 of every 100 people are colonized with pneumococcus (meaning they have the bacteria in their body, but aren't sick from it). Therefore, many children will come in contact with pneumococcus sometime in the first few years of life.

You can contract a pneumococcal infection primarily through the respiratory droplets from another person (like when someone is coughing, sneezing, even close talking; or you can pick it up on your hands by touching surfaces that have been coughed/sneezed on, and then putting your hands in your mouth/nose/eyes--as small children often do).

Newborns have some immunity to pneumococcus for their 1st few months. Most adults are immune to pneumococcus, so mom can transfer antibodies from her own blood to the blood of her baby before the baby is born. However, as these maternal antibody levels diminish, the baby becomes vulnerable. This is why babies start getting vaccinated at 2 months old.

This vaccine is made using part of the coating (or polysaccharide) of the bacteria. However, because young children don't make a very good immune response to the coating alone, it is linked to a harmless protein (this is called a "conjugated polysaccharide" vaccine). As children make an immune response to the helper protein, they also make an immune response to the polysaccharides.

Polysaccharide coatings from 15 types of pneumococcus, linked to a harmless diphtheria protein

Aluminum phosphate (adjuvant--makes the vaccine work better)

L-histidine (an amino acid, which is found in our body), Polysorbate 20 (sugar), Sodium chloride (salt)--(stabilizers)

Before the vaccine became available for children in 2000, every year pneumococcus caused about 700 cases of meningitis, 17,000 cases of bloodstream infections, and 200 deaths. With vaccination, there has been an 86% reduction in cases of severe pneumococcal disease that are caused by the types in the vaccine. There has been a 60% reduction in cases caused by any strain. 

Known side effects of pneumococcal vaccine are mild, whereas disease with pneumococcus can be deadly.

Pneumonia - symptoms can include high fever, cough, and rapid, difficult breathing, sometimes requiring hospitalization, ventilator, surgery, or death

Empyema – pus between lung and chest wall, often requires surgery and long term antibiotics, can suffer lung damage, or death

Sepsis (bloodstream infections), which can lead to multiorgan failure, and infections in other locations, like joints or kidneys, and can lead to death

Meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain) which can lead to severe illness and long hospitalization, significant impairment after recovery, or death

Less severe, but still significant: it causes many ear infections, and some children will require ear tubes (surgery) due to getting frequent infections, and they can lose hearing due to multiple infections. Rarely, ear infections can lead to more serious infections as well.

Pain, redness and swelling at the injection site

High fever (>102 degrees Fahrenheit) in up to 10 of 100 recipients

Decreased appetite

Irritability

Young children who get pneumococcal vaccine and the inactivated flu vaccine (shot) at the same time may be more likely to experience a seizure associated with high fever, called a febrile seizure. Although scary, febrile seizures do not cause long-lasting effects.

The benefit of the vaccine clearly outweighs the risks of the vaccine. 

 

The new school year will be here before you know it! Avoid the last minute scramble for check ups before school/sports begin in the fall!

Summer's just around the corner!

There's lots of fun to be had, but some safety tips are important to review:

Summer water safety should be top of mind for parents, regardless if you have a pool in your backyard, are visiting a community pool, or going to the lake. It only takes seconds for drowning to happen.

Actively supervise children at all times when in or around water--assign a "watcher", someone whose only job is to watch children in the water. They should not be on their phone or reading, or chatting with other parents.

Make sure you have the right equipment to keep home pools safe--fencing and self latching gates are imperative.

Children should wear life jackets when on the water.

And remember that many drownings happen in locations that are not where you usually visit, like a friend's home or on vacation. Make sure your children do not have access to these bodies of water.

More pool safety tips

Make sure your child's car seat/booster seat is properly fitted and appropriate for their age before hitting the road for a family vacation. Take car seats when you travel by airplane, or rent them at your destination. Children under 13 yrs old should always ride in the backseat. 

Never leave a child unattended in a car. The temperature inside a car can rise quickly, even on a relatively mild day. Hot cars kill! Establish a routine to check the car before locking and walking away.

Car seat recommendations

Sunburns hurt, and over time, can increase the risk of skin cancer. Children have thinner skin than adults, and they will burn more quickly.

Apply sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher whenever your child is going to be outdoors in the sun. Reapply every 2 hours or immediately after your child has been in the water, or has been sweating heavily. Apply at least 30 minutes before sun exposure, to give the sunscreen time to start protecting the skin. And remember, you should still wear sunscreen on cloudy days--yes, you can get a sunburn when it's cloudy!

Try to avoid outdoor activities during peak sunshine hours, from 10am-2pm, or have plenty of shade handy. Consider dressing children in sun protective clothing during these hours if you can't stay in the shade.

Babies under 6 months old should ideally not use sunscreen--they should be kept in the shade, and wear protective clothing. However, if shade or adequate clothing are not available, you can apply a minimal amount of sunscreen to small areas of the body, including the face. For babies and young children, a mineral sunscreen is recommended over a chemical one.

As the weather warms up, bugs come out in full force--mosquito and tick bites are itchy and annoying, but they can also transmit serious illness.

To avoid bug bites, apply insect repellant before spending time outdoors, avoid using heavily scented soaps or lotions, and cover arms and legs as much as possible. Try to avoid outdoor activities during peak insect activity (dusk for mosquitos).

When you need, or want, to be outdoors when/where these insects might be present, use insect repellant containing DEET. DEET is the most effective insect repellant, and has been shown to be safe for children 2 months old and up.

When choosing an insect repellant, look at the percentage DEET. The concentration of DEET affects the amount of the time that the product repels insects. For example, 10% DEET provides protection for about 2 hours; 30% DEET protects for about 5 hours. Products with 10% DEET are just fine for a brief evening outside playing. Choose something with higher concentration if you will be in insect territory for longer periods or time--camping trip, long hike in the woods, etc.

Apart from automobiles, bicycles are related to more childhood injuries than any other consumer product.

Wearing a helmet is the first rule to preventing serious bicycle injuries in kids.

Make sure bikes and helmets fit kids properly and follow smart rider rules.

Children should also use a helmet when riding scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, etc.

Click here for more bike safety information

We love and appreciate our patients and families! Stay safe and healthy!

Love, Centennial Valley Pediatrics Providers and Staff