| Date: January 27, 2017 | ||||||
| Dear All,This is to inform you that a mass campaign (Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) to provide a single dose of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine is going to start from February 2017 in five states/UTs namely, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. It is our utmost duty to support this activity by encouraging parents of eligible children to participate in these campaigns. We need to offer our clinics/ hospitals/ nursing homes, or other facility to function as “Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) management site/centre” in case any serious AEFI is encountered during the campaign. Furthermore, we need to fully support and cooperate with the local health authorities to counteract any misinformation against these campaigns. | ||||||
What is MR campaign?
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Rationale for MR campaign
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Who should be vaccinated?
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017
MR vaccine by Govt of India, IAP recommendations, Jan 2017
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Doing Nothing And Doing It Well, Not Easy, guest post from Dr Gunreddy, docplexus
At the risk of trivializing my profession, the majority of patients seen by pediatricians would be just fine without us. When I first discovered this, I was somewhat disappointed. But then, I realized this doesn’t mean that pediatricians are irrelevant. On the contrary, one of a pediatrician’s primary responsibilities is reassuring parents about normal or mildly abnormal conditions. A couple of weeks ago, I took care of a 12-month-old boy with a cough. He had been seen by three other doctors over the last two days. Initially, he was seen by his pediatrician, who told his mother that it was “just a virus” and that his symptoms would go away on their own. Unsatisfied with this answer, she left the pediatrician’s office and drove immediately to another care facility, where they told her that her son had pneumonia, and he started on an antibiotic. The next day, he was coughing more. So his mother took him to a different Doc care facility, where a second antibiotic was started. On the third day, she brought the child to the pediatric emergency where I worked. She was very concerned that his cough was worsening, despite the two antibiotics he was on. She was worried that he had now developed diarrhea, in addition to his primary symptoms. And more than anything, she was irate that his pediatrician had done “nothing.” Everything about his history and physical exam screamed: “bronchiolitis” (a common viral respiratory infection in young children that does, in fact, go away on its own). Worsening over the first three to four days is precisely what I would expect from this illness. And more than likely, his diarrhea was a result of the antibiotics he was on. As far as bronchiolitis cases go, his was mild. He was eating well and breathing comfortably just coughing a lot and dripping snot everywhere. According to the most current treatment guidelines, he truly needed nothing but nasal suction and maybe a humidifier. Eventually, I was able to explain all of this to his mother, convince her that he would be better, even without the antibiotics, and arrange follow-up with his pediatrician the following day. But it took time. Doing “nothing” and doing it well, isn’t easy. In reality, doing “nothing” involves quite a bit of work. Choosing to do “nothing” presumably involves the doctor listening to the patient’s symptoms, gathering relevant details, performing a physical exam and reaching the conclusion that no further testing or treatment is warranted. In many cases, doing “nothing” is the most appropriate course of action. And in these cases, doing more would place the patient at risk for harm from unnecessary tests or treatments (like my patient’s diarrhea or worse, a life-threatening allergic reaction to a medication). But providing this reassurance requires a great deal of knowledge about those things that would be more concerning. Vomiting could be due to a viral illness, a head injury, a bowel obstruction or new-onset diabetes (among many other possibilities). A fever could be caused by a self-limited illness or an overwhelming infection. Doing “nothing” involves discerning the sometimes subtle differences between the common and the complex, sorting out the few who really need us from the many who don’t. And it requires a level of confidence sufficient to send the patient home, knowing that being wrong could have disastrous results. Most people who seek medical care for themselves or their children especially in emergency settings expect testing or treatment. After all, if they thought that doing nothing would be sufficient, many of them would have stayed home. Convincing them that they don’t need these things, and effectively explaining why can require far more time than simply writing the prescription. Many physicians today, due to a shortage of time or concerns about low patient satisfaction scores, over-diagnose, and over-prescribe to avoid this situation altogether. But a doctor who always gives patients what they want either has remarkably well-informed patients, or practices poor medicine. “Doing no harm” frequently means doing nothing at all. But doing “nothing” well is more than saying “it’s just a virus.” It requires expertise, confidence, and communication and it’s much easier if the doctor has already developed a relationship of trust with the patient or family. The doctor must know enough to make an accurate diagnosis (or at least rule out the scary ones) when working with children, this means having sufficient training and experience with childhood illnesses. The diagnosis should be explained to the family in a way that they can understand. The family should know what to expect, what changes would be truly concerning, and what to do if one of those concerning things happens. They should leave the visit understanding why “nothing” was done and ideally, being grateful for a doctor that cares enough to do nothing. Please share your experiences in this context.
Copyright 2017 © Docplexus
Friday, January 06, 2017
Should You Be Taking a Multivitamin?
Written by Michelle Burington, Dietetic Intern, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
Did you know that one in every three Americans takes a dietary supplement? The pill popping popularity along with the abundance of vitamin and mineral supplements lined up along grocery store shelves might make you start to wonder if you need to take one too. These bottles tout alluring health claims, which may have you thinking your diet isn’t doing its job. The fact of the matter is, if you are generally healthy and eating an overall well balanced diet, it is likely that you do not need to take a multivitamin. However, if you fall into any of the following categories, you may benefit from a daily multivitamin or another dietary supplement.
You are:
- An older adult (50+)
- Vegetarian or vegan
- Pregnant or are trying to become pregnant
- Breastfeeding
- A competitive athlete
- Restricting your diet to less than 1,600 calories per day or eliminating whole food groups
- Unable to eat, digest or absorb certain foods for any reason (allergies, intolerances, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, or other medical conditions)
If you don’t fall into any these categories, but are still thinking about taking a multivitamin for “insurance,” there are a few things you should consider before buying:
- Look for a reputable brand from a well-known manufacturer.
- Since supplements are not regulated in the United States, buy from companies that voluntarily submit their products to be tested for quality and purity before they are sold in stores (look for Consumer Lab Approved, USP Verified or NSF Certified on the label).
- Check the label to make sure there aren’t any vitamins or minerals that far exceed 100% of the recommended daily value.
- Consider your age and gender. For example: women need more iron, and older adults need more vitamin D, B12, and calcium. Some multivitamins are specially formulated to fit these needs.
Another factor to consider is the form of your multivitamin. Some forms that are available include gummies, chewable tablets, capsules and liquid vitamins. What is the difference, you ask? One difference is how fast you absorb the vitamins. Liquid vitamins are the most easily absorbed, but they are also the most expensive and have a shorter shelf life than chewable tablets or capsules. On the contrary, gummy vitamins are absorbed slower and generally have lower concentrations of vitamins and minerals per gummy, so you don’t get as much bang for your buck (You have to take two gummies for every one capsule or chewable tablet to get the same amount). With gummy vitamins, it is also important to remember that they are just that, vitamins. The tempting taste might make you want to have more than just two, but when consumed in high amounts, they can be harmful to your health.
Studies reviewing the effects of taking a daily multivitamin have shown that they can fill vitamin and mineral gaps when your diet is poor, but there don’t seem to be any long term benefits for otherwise healthy individuals (such as longer lifespan). Instead, it is best to include a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods to promote optimal health and reduce your risk for chronic diseases.
If you are still worried you are not getting all the nutrients you need, talk to a dietitian about strategies to modify your diet to maximize your intake of essential vitamins and minerals and reap the benefits of a nutritious diet.
References
- Bruso, Jessica. “Absorption of Gummy Vitamins Vs. Chewables.” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, 11 June 2015, www.livestrong.com/article/443399-absorption-of-gummy-vitamins-vs-chewables/.
- “Choosing the Right Multivitamin Supplement For You.” Consumer Reports, Sept. 2010, www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/multivitamins/index.htm.
- Denny, Sharon. “Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements: Do You Need to Take Them?” Eat Right, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 7 Jan. 2016, www.eatright.org/resource/food/vitamins-and-supplements/dietary-supplements/vitamins-minerals-and-supplements.
- “Dietary Supplement Advice.” Eat Right, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 28 Jan. 2014, www.eatright.org/resource/food/vitamins-and-supplements/dietary-supplements/dietary-supplements.
- “Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know.” Family Doctor, American Academy of Family Physicians, Feb. 2014, familydoctor.org/dietary-supplements-what-you-need-to-know/.
- “Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements Fact Sheet For Health Professionals.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 8 July 2015, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/MVMS-HealthProfessional/.
- “Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrient Supplementation.” The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 109, no. 12, Dec. 2009, pp. 2073–2085. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2009.10.020.
- “Practice Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Selecting Nutrient-Dense Foods for Good Health.” The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 116, no. 9, Sept. 2016, pp. 1473–1479. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2016.06.375.
- Tadlock, Lindsay. “What Is the Difference Between Chewable Vitamins &Amp; Capsules?” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, 30 June 2015, www.livestrong.com/article/322192-what-is-the-difference-between-chewable-vitamins-capsules/.
- Zelman, Kathleen M. “How to Choose a Multivitamin Supplement.” Edited by Elizabeth Ward, WebMD Ask the Nutritionist, WebMD, www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/nutrition-vitamins-11/choose-multivitamin?page=1.
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