When can I pierce my baby's ears?

I was asked this question today by a parent of a 6 month old, and I was stumped. The common question that usually gets asked is whether to get the ear pierced by a doctor or a jeweler (a common practice in India), and this was a new one for me. Here is what I found online....

Although some parents like to get their baby's ears pierced as early as possible, the American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend that you "postpone the piercing until your child is mature enough to take care of the pierced site herself."

This can help avoid some of the risks of baby ear piercing, including:

• infection - younger infants have immature immune systems, so they might not be able to fight off an infection at the site of the piercing very well.
• choking hazard - if they get the earring off.
• allergic reactions - to the metals in the earrings (especially nickle and gold) she wears, but which can be hard to notice since infants normally rub their ears a lot.
• embedded earring - this occurs when one part of the earring goes into the earring hole and gets embedded inside. Although this can happen at any age, it can be harder to remove from infants.

How big are the risks? They are likely fairly small, but since baby ear piercing is usually just a cosmetic procedure that can be put off to a safer time, there is little reason to take that even small risk.

Source

My view: I would agree whole-heartedly that waiting till the child is at least 5-6 years old makes sense. 

Ghana introduces two new vaccines in National Immunization Program

WHO in the African Region, Ghana: Two new vaccines: April 26. 2012

Ghana today made history as the first African country to simultaneously introduce pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines in its national immunization programme in a bid to fight pneumonia and diarrheoal diseases, each of which accounts for approximately 10 per cent of under-five deaths in the country.

 

Ghanaian First Lady, H. E. Dr Ernestina Naadu Mills, said at a ceremony in Accra marking the introduction of the two life-saving vaccines:

"I am happy to announce that vaccines against pneumonia will from today be available at all health centres and hospitals. Children will be given three doses of the vaccine at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age.

 

Also, rotavirus vaccines will be administered to children aged 6 and 10 weeks."

 

In his remarks, WHO Deputy Director-General, Dr Asamoah-Baah, praised Ghana's "bold" decision to introduce the two vaccines at the same time and spoke of the phenomenal progress Ghana had made over the years in immunization coverage from a national coverage of 4% with just one antigen in 1985 to a national coverage of 90% with nine antigens in 2012.

 

Source: Ghana introduces 2 new vaccines

My view: I take a lot of lectures for Pediatricians across India. Given that new vaccines are one of my areas of special interest, I enjoy teaching about controversies & questions related to these in various fora. However, I always like to say that if we could get Rotavirus & Pneumococcal vaccines in our National Schedule, we could reduce the mortality rates tremendously in India. Now that Ghana has shown the way, we too should take support from GAVI and do this good deed. Our next generation will surely thank the politicians who take this initiative, and we will end up saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

Measles cases in USA reached 15-year high in 2011: CDC

By David Beasley

ATLANTA | Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:14am EDT

(Reuters) - Measles cases in the United States hit a 15-year high in 2011, with 90 percent of the cases traced to other countries with lower immunization rates, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

There were 222 cases of measles in the United States last year, more than triple the usual number, the CDC said. There had been only about 60 cases per year between 2001 and 2010.

No one has died of the disease in the United States since 2008. But approximately 20 million people contract the measles virus each year worldwide, and about 164,000 die from it, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the health agency's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The agency said in 2000 that home-grown measles had been eliminated, but cases continued to arrive in the United States from abroad.

There have been more than 25 measles cases reported so far in 2012, most of them imported, the CDC said. The virus can easily enter the country through foreign visitors or Americans traveling abroad who bring the disease back with them.

Measles is highly contagious and is transmitted when an infected person breaths, coughs or sneezes, Schuchat said. The disease can be spread even before an infected person has developed the rash from the virus.

"You can catch measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been even after that person has left the room," Schuchat said on Thursday.

Measles cases were found in 31 states in 2011. Last year's count marked the highest number of cases since 1996, when there were 508 cases in the United States.

All but 22 of the 222 cases last year involved patients who had been infected overseas or caught the virus from someone who had been abroad, the CDC said. The source of the other 22 cases could not be determined.

Many of the cases were traced to Europe, where in some countries immunization rates are lower than in the United States. Europe suffered an outbreak of the disease in 2011, reporting more than 37,000 measles cases.

France, Italy and Spain, popular destinations for U.S. tourists, were among the hardest hit, said Schuchat.

"It's very important for travelers heading off to Europe to make sure they are up to date on their immunizations and that their children are too," she said.

Those who have already had measles or have been inoculated are not considered at risk of contracting the virus, the CDC said. The CDC recommends children receive two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine starting at 12-15 months of age.

More than 90 percent of U.S. children have been vaccinated against measles, the CDC said.

"We don't have to have this much measles," Schuchat said. "Measles is preventable. Unvaccinated people put themselves and other people at risk for measles and its complications."

Source

My view: Given the low incidence of measles vaccination in our country, it is no wonder that we have large scale epidemics and deaths in India. However, a small minority of our parents are not reading about the so called 'ill-effects' of vaccines on the net, and thus questioning the need for vaccination. It is imperative that we pediatricians remain aware of the risk of not vaccinating any child against these common, life threatening yet easily preventable illnesses. This is not only in the interest of the child, but the society at large too.