Parents PACK Newsletter

December 2008

Parents Pack Newsletter

Possessing, Accessing and Communicating Knowledge About Vaccines

In this issue:

• Feature Article: Rotavirus and Rotavirus Vaccines 
• Spotlight: Vaccine Information for the Public and Health Professionals 
• Did You Know? . . . Winter Viruses, Colds and "the Flu" 
• Ask the VEC - Newborns and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) 

Feature Article: Rotavirus and Rotavirus Vaccines

Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea and can quickly lead to dehydration. In the U.S. rotavirus season occurs during the winter. In the past, rotavirus sickened millions of infants and young children annually in the U.S. During winter months, about half of the hospital admissions and emergency room visits for children under 3 years of age were due to rotavirus infections. Additionally, about 3 of every 10 visits to doctors' offices during the winter by those less than 3 years were also the result of rotavirus infections.

Because of medical treatments, such as re-hydration, few in the U.S. die from rotavirus (about 20 to 60 deaths per year); however, in countries with limited or no access to medical care, hundreds of thousands of children die from infection with rotavirus. Throughout the world, about 2,000 children die each day due to rotavirus disease.

In 2006, a rotavirus vaccine became available for infants in the U.S. The vaccine is given by mouth at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Studies comparing last year's rotavirus season (2007-2008) with previous rotavirus seasons found two effects of the rotavirus vaccine. First, the season was much more mild. Second, even though only about 1 in 3 infants were fully vaccinated, more people were protected due to herd immunity. Said another way, even those who are not immunized are less likely to suffer rotavirus disease because of vaccine use throughout the community at large. Overall, there was an 80 to 90 percent decrease in the number of cases when compared to the previous two rotavirus seasons.

A second rotavirus vaccine became available earlier in 2008; it is given by mouth at 2 and 4 months of age. As we move forward with two vaccines, scientists and public health officials will continue to watch for decreases in rotavirus disease throughout the U.S. and abroad. 

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Spotlight: Vaccine Information for the Public and Health Professionals

The Immunization Action Coalition has a user-friendly Web site for the public and healthcare professionals. The site features information about each vaccine-preventable disease, stories about families affected by these diseases and photos of the diseases. Information is also categorized by age and special interests (e.g., travel, adoption); vaccine concerns and additional resources are also easily navigated.

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Did You Know? . . . Winter Viruses, Colds and "the Flu"

With winter and the holidays comes cold and flu season. We see different people, more people, and tend to stay in warm, confined places. All of these things can lead to more sicknesses. Often when people become ill during the winter, they assume they have "the flu." While symptoms for some of these illnesses are "flu-like," the cause may not be influenza. Here is a list of common winter symptoms and the viruses that can cause them:

Respiratory symptoms (congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat) can be caused by:

• Influenza (see November Parents Pack for more information; hopefully, you got your vaccine!
• Parainfluenza
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus
• Rhinoviruses ("Common cold" - over 100 different types)
• Adenoviruses

Gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, nausea, diarrhea) can be caused by:

• Rotavirus (see "Feature Article")
• Norovirus
• Enteroviruses (may also cause respiratory symptoms)
• Adenoviruses
• Caliciviruses
• Astroviruses

Only two of the viruses mentioned above (influenza and rotavirus) are currently preventable by immunization. Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, getting enough rest, staying home when ill, coughing into your elbow, and eating a well-balanced diet may decrease your chances of getting sick or passing an illness to others.

And remember, if you think you have "the flu," you may not actually have influenza!

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Ask the VEC - Newborns and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Q.  I had a friend whose baby was hospitalized for several weeks with pertussis (whooping cough). I will soon deliver my first baby and want to prevent her from getting sick with this. What can I do?

A. Pertussis can be a dangerous disease for a new baby. Because of their small airways and the amount of mucus caused by infection with pertussis, babies have trouble breathing, often turning blue during their coughing spells. Every year in the U.S. about 15 to 20 children die from pertussis, most are young babies who have not been fully immunized.

There are several things that you can do to help protect your baby from pertussis. Babies get a vaccine to protect them from pertussis when they are 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months of age. They get an additional dose at 15 to 18 months. However, babies are most susceptible during their first few months of life either because they have not gotten the vaccine yet or because the dose they received did not fully protect them. During this time, you can protect your baby by making sure that all of the adults (or siblings) who will be around the baby are protected - this is what public health personnel call the "cocooning" method.

There is a vaccine available for adolescents and adults called Tdap. The "p" means that it contains a pertussis component. While you will not be able to get the vaccine until delivery, your spouse, the baby's grandparents and any other adults who will commonly be around the baby can get the vaccine in advance of your delivery. You should ask for yours before being discharged from the hospital.

Additionally, you can encourage hand washing before people touch the baby, and if anyone has a cough, try to limit the baby's exposure to this person. Unfortunately, people are not only contagious in the first few weeks of the severe coughing stage, but also in the one- to two-week period leading up to cough onset. During this period, symptoms may resemble cold-like respiratory symptoms (e.g., runny nose, sneezing, occasional cough).

Send us your comments

If you have any comments about this newsletter or suggestions about how we can make our Web site more helpful, please send your comments to contactPACK@email.chop.edu.

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