Allergy & Asthma care

Vaccination Services

KidsDoc Monthly Newsletter from AllForKids
May 2008, Vol-1, Issue-5

How much do you know about Vaccinations, please take a quiz to find out at

www.allforkidsindia.com/allforkids/VaccinationQuiz/vaccineQuiz.aspx to find out.

Is your Child ready for another great year of performance at school?

The month of May is here and for most parents it is time to get started preparing their children for another school year. Here are some points which will be helpful to parents to prepare their children for the school year:

Health Checkup

In most countries it is mandatory for children to get a full medical evaluation and to get a certificate from the pediatrician before they start school every year. Numerous studies have shown the close link between academic and school performance to the overall health , nutrition and well being of the child.

The following are part of the assessment recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics and required by State of California for school children every year.

Each child must be examined by a Pediatrician and the following areas need to be assessed:

Healthy Diets and school performance

A healthy diet can make a big difference in your child’s performance at school , says many new studies. For example, a study conducted by University of Alberta on 5000 Canadian school students shows that children who have a healthy diet tend to have better school performance even after adjusting for other socio economic factors.

Healthy foods are generally classified as fruits, vegetables, grains, dietary fiber, protein, calcium and moderate fat intake while less healthful dietary components included saturated fat, and high sugar and salt intake.

Helping your child choose a healthy food menu and setting an example yourself can have a big influence in your child’s school performance.

Effect of TV in school performance

Children who watch too much TV or have a television set in their bedroom may suffer in school according to new research.

Many studies provide new evidence that children’s television viewing habits can have a negative effect on their academic achievement later in life in many ways. These include:

Excessive television viewing among children has been linked to a greater risk of obesity and violent behavior.

We recommend that Television viewing should be limited to a maximum of 1 – 1 ½ hours per day and no TV below 2 years of age.

Traveling with children – Tips on being safe with food and water

Useful Links

Is any of our your friends or relatives expecting a baby? They may find the ‘Newborn instruction booklet’ at www.allforkidsindia.com/allforkids/resources/newborn.aspx useful. Please feel free to forward this link.

Interested in accessing previous issues of our Newsletter? Please visit the following link. http://www.allforkidsindia.com/Newsletter/newsletter.aspx

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Q&A : Common Questions Parents Ask about Vaccinations

By Dr. M.Vijayalakshmi M.D(Peds), M.D(USA), FAAP, DAA

Data Source: CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Is it okay for my baby to have so many shots at once?

Yes. Studies show that kid's bodies-even infants-can handle many shots at once. Having several vaccines at once is safe, even for a newborn. Combination vaccines protect your child against more than one disease with a single shot.

This reduces the number of shots and office visits your child would need. It's not your imagination; there are a greater number of shots now than even a few years ago. That's because as science advances, we are able to protect your child against more diseases than ever before.

Don't infants have natural immunity?

Babies get some temporary immunity (protection) from mom during the last few weeks of pregnancy—but only for the diseases mom is immune to.

These antibodies do not last long, leaving the infant vulnerable to disease.

Haven't we gotten rid of most of these diseases ?

Thanks to vaccines, some diseases prevented by vaccines are no longer common. However even the few cases that are reported could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases if we stopped vaccinating.

It's not uncommon to have measles outbreaks, whooping cough outbreaks, chickenpox outbreaks, and other diseases when vaccination rates drop. Kids that are not fully vaccinated can become seriously sick and spread it through a community.

I heard that some vaccines can cause autism. Is this true?

No. Scientific studies and reviews have found no relationship between vaccines and autism.

Groups of experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), agree that vaccines are not responsible for the number of children now recognized to have autism.

Can't I just wait until my child goes to school to catch up on immunizations?

Many of the diseases vaccines protect against can be very dangerous to infants.

Newborns, babies, and toddlers can all be exposed to diseases from parents and other adults, brothers and sisters, on a plane, at child care, or even at the grocery store. International travel is easier than ever—your baby can be exposed to diseases from other countries without you knowing.

Don't wait to protect your baby and risk these diseases when he or she needs protection now.

It is easier to stay up to date than to catch up!

Why does my child need a chickenpox shot? Isn't it a mild disease?

Chickenpox can actually be a serious disease for kids if the blisters become infected.

How much do you know about Vaccinations, please take a quiz to find out at www.allforkidsindia.com/allforkids/VaccinationQuiz/
vaccineQuiz.aspx

Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic
North Fort Gate , Next to Adampilly Kavu Temple , Tripunithura-682301