Immunization

Cindy Morgan was concerned last winter when her 9-month-old daughter Jamie began vomiting. But she was absolutely terrified when the vomiting continued for 10 days.Morgan forced Jamie to drink Gatorade, Pedialyte -- anything she could hold down."I was in constant contact with her pediatrician," Morgan says. "It was no fun."Jamie had rotavirus, a digestive disease that strikes about 3.5 million American newborns and preschoolers each winter, resulting in 500,000 doctor visits and 55,000 hospitalizations.

Just back from a trip to Australia, Jeffrey Lloyd staggered into his doctor's office in January with chills, fever, breathing problems and a strange tingling in his extremities. Stumped, his Annapolis physician prescribed an antibiotic - but the symptoms grew worse.Red spots appeared on his upper torso, then spread to his toes. His face turned a disturbing shade of red, and his eyes became painfully sensitive to light. The 30-year-old Annapolis man spent three days in the hospital, but specialists there were puzzled.

The Baltimore County Council last night voted to enlist the help of Mickey Mouse to help ensure that youngsters receive their immunizations on time.The council gave its approval for a contest in which parents who have their children fully immunized by 18 months can be eligible to win a trip to Walt Disney World and other Florida attractions.Officials hope publicity about the prize will increase immunizations for hepatitis, diphtheria and other childhood diseases from from 62 percent to more than 80 percent for children younger than age 2.State officials say the immunization rate for school-age children is nearly 100 percent.

Baltimore County has a new idea to get reluctant parents to immunize infants: It's offering a free, weeklong trip to Walt Disney World and other Florida attractions for one family.County officials hope publicity about the prize, worth more than $5,000, will boost the number of immunizations for hepatitis, diphtheria and other childhood diseases. Only 62 percent of the county's children have received their state-required shots by the proper age, the local health officer estimates."It's an interesting concept," R. Barry Trostel, assistant chief of Maryland's Center for Immunizations, says -- and an original one."

TOWSON -- With the help of federal money and private donations, the County Council is expected to approve tonight the purchase of development rights to two farms in the northern part of the county.The county is expected to pay $463,600 for rights to a 122-acre dairy farm belonging to John W. Yoder and $110,482 for the development rights to a 29-acre grain farm owned by Harry L. and Jacqueline A. Morfoot.The purchases would be the first for the county's agricultural preservation program. In the past, the county has contributed money to preserve farmland through the state farm protection program.

Many people past the age of reason would have trouble naming, within a decade, the last time they had an immunization shot, much less what vaccine they received and what it prevents.In this supposedly enlightened age, it's amazing that so many of us still think a half-dozen shots and boosters pumped into arms (or wherever) by the time school age rolls around will suffice for a lifetime.Here's a couple of quick facts to point out the folly of such thinking: Every year in the United States, 100 times more adults than children -- between 50,000 and 70,000 -- die from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening launched what he called a "massive mobilization" of state resources yesterday to make sure at least 90 percent of Maryland's children receive their immunization shots by age 2.Declaring that the state's 80 percent immunization rate is "simply not acceptable," the governor outlined a wide-ranging program of community outreach, education and free vaccinations."

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health has scheduled a free immunization clinic from 3: 30 p.m. to 6: 30 p.m. Thursday at the Odenton Elementary School, 1290 Odenton Road, as part of a program to provide vaccinations for all county children.No appointment is necessary, but parents should bring a copy of their child's immunization record.Proof of immunizations is required for children to enroll in school. The deadline for submitting records is Aug. 26.Children should have received a primary round of immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus polio, flu, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox by the time they are 2.Students entering kindergarten through 10th grade in September will be required to have additional measles and mumps vaccines.

My 14-year-old son is going to South America on a school trip in April. The organizers sent home a letter suggesting he get vaccinated against hepatitis A. What do you think?The organizers of your son's trip appear to have done their homework and we agree with their recommendation.Anyone traveling to a country where exposure to the hepatitis A virus is possible should be vaccinated.Although hepatitis A does not carry the same long-term risk to health as infection with the Hepatitis B or C virus does, people who contract Hepatitis A can get quite sick and may occasionally need hospitalization.

Pediatrician Kathie Grimm's patients get a bon voyage present when they're heading out of the country: a medical kit.Grimm, who practices and teaches at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, counts many United Nations families among her patients. She frequently fields questions about their children's health and safety before they head back for a visit to Third World countries.Any family heading for an off-the-beaten-track destination abroad might ask their pediatrician whether they too need a travel medical kit stocked with:eye drops for conjunctivitisantibiotics for ear or skin infectionstopical antibiotic and cortisone creamsterile bandagesantihistamine for allergic reactionsanti-diarrhea drugs for older children and adultsfever-reducing and motion-sickness medications, along with extra prescribed medicinesGrimm and other pediatric travel experts also suggest parents don't leave home on such trips without planning.

The Baltimore County Department of Health will hold an immunization clinic from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow at the Woodlawn Health Center, 1811 Woodlawn Drive, for students who haven't had their required shots. No appointment is necessary and immunizations are free. Parents must show a copy of their child's immunization record for the walk-in clinic. The 2008-2009 school year immunization requirements include chickenpox and hepatitis B vaccination for children entering preschool programs through 11th grade.

About 900 city students remained barred from school yesterday for failing to get state-required immunizations - a number that officials say they expect will continue to dwindle in the coming weeks. The Baltimore school system barred 2,500 students Sept. 14, the district's deadline for students through 10th grade to have hepatitis B and chickenpox shots. Since then, city school and Health Department nurses have vaccinated nearly 1,600, most of them high school students. All high schools have health centers staffed with nurses and Health Department representatives ready to administer the shots.

Some Maryland students were sent home from school this week while thousands more face a dwindling grace period to get up to date on chickenpox and hepatitis B vaccinations. New regulations, which affect mostly sixth- through ninth-graders, included a Jan. 1 deadline that required schools to exclude those who have not received the vaccines or, in the case of chickenpox, have not documented when they had the illness. Many students are taking advantage of a 20-day window in which they can attend classes if they show they have an appointment to get their shots.

School nurses throughout the county have been poring through health records for weeks to determine which returning students are not in compliance with the more stringent immunization requirements unveiled in January. Though many students have come into compliance over the summer, county and school health officials say they are expecting thousands of students to show up for the new school year lacking proper immunization status. "We've seen an increase over the summer of about 50 percent for students receiving immunizations," said Andrew Bernstein, a health officer for the county Health Department.

Hospital schedules August activities Harbor Hospital will offer the following activities: Today, 6 p.m., "How to Lose 10 Pounds a Month," LifeResource Center, 2990 S. Hanover St., registration, 410-350-2563. Tomorrow, 5:30 p.m., "Dinner with the Doc, The Aches of Arthritis," Ecker Business Center, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, registration. 410-350-2563. Aug. 30, 11 a.m., "Diabetes Q&A," LifeResource Center, 2990 S. Hanover St., 410- 350-2563. Free immunizations offered to students The Anne Arundel County Health Department has announced that immunization requirements for children in preschool through ninth grade have changed this year.

Harbor Hospital sets August activities Harbor Hospital will offer the following activities next month: Aug. 10, noon, Rest in Peace, how to stop snoring, LifeResource Center, 2990 S. Hanover St., registration, 410-350-2563. Aug. 14, 11 a.m., Harbor Seniors, food safety, LifeResource Center, 2990 S. Hanover St., registration. 410-350-2563. Aug. 22, 5:30 p.m., "Dinner with the Doc: A Second Opinion on Back Pain," including what to do before trying surgery, Ecker Business Center, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, registration.

Ornithology Bird may know who thieves are When Western scrub-jays put food aside for the future, they typically watch over their shoulders (or wings) to see whether other scrub-jays are watching them. That's because scrub-jays like to raid one another's food supplies. Now, research by scientists at the University of Cambridge in England shows that scrub-jays may actually remember which birds were watching when they stored the food. And they use that knowledge the next time to decide whether to stash the goodies in a different place to avoid having it stolen.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention honored Baltimore health officials yesterday for significantly improving the city's immunization rate by targeting children in impoverished neighborhoods. Baltimore received the CDC's "Most Improved" award, with 82.8 percent of city children 19 to 35 months old having received vaccines against a variety of diseases in 2004. With dozens of 3- to 5-year-olds in attendance as evidence of the program's success, Baltimore's health commissioner, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings announced the recognition at the Health Department's East Baltimore-area office.

One of the nation's largest providers of seasonal flu shots said yesterday that it will end flu clinics at retailers such as Giant Food about two weeks sooner than planned as a result of shipment delays and greater-than-expected turnouts. The move by Maxim Health Systems to stop giving shots after tomorrow comes as the nation wrestles with flu vaccine supply problems for the second year in a row. It also comes as public interest in immunization appears to be growing, thanks to publicity about whether an unrelated avian flu pandemic will materialize.

BALTIMORE 170 homes, businesses to lose water service during repairs More than 170 Locust Point homes and businesses will be without water for nine hours Tuesday so that city work crews can work on pipes in South Baltimore. The Department of Public Works said in a statement that water would be shut off from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to replace 6-inch and 10-inch valves. The area affected will be the 1600 block of E. Fort Ave. and nearby streets. Residents are advised to fill containers with water for use through the day. BALTIMORE@SUBHEDHealth Department to hold child vaccination clinics The Baltimore City Health Department will be holding child vaccination clinics throughout the month to help prepare children for the start of the school year.