India Vaccine Parent Queries - Hepatitis A vaccine

Q: My daughter is due for HEP A vaccine & she is 12 months old now. Pls suggest me the brand & product name of the same(preferably PFS vaccine). Pls mention the doses also. 

A: I prefer to use BIOVAC A (Wockhardt) as it is a Single dose Live Vaccine.

The more well known option is HAVRIX (GSK) & AVAXIM (Sanofi) , which are very good vaccines, but require 2 doses at a gap of 6 months.

Warm regards

How to Battle the Infections this Monsoon? Guest Blog by Dr Hema

Dear Parent,

The rains are here and how!!! How is the monsoon treating your area - lots of showers or just drizzles? We're having intermittent showers that are certainly a respite from the heat, but are also bringing along their evil friends - infections! So how do you help your little one stay happy and healthy this monsoon?

One of the biggest effects of the changing weather is decreased immunity. Improve your kids' immunity by making sure they eat well, drink lots of water, get proper sleep and stay active.

Here are some posts about the kind of food you can feed your child this season.

• Healthy Monsoon Recipes for Kids
• Immunity Boosting Soup for Kids
• 15 Super Foods to Boost Immunity

And it's not just food, drinks are also important! Avoid chilled beverages and opt for warm ones like these:

• Masala Milk Recipe
• Sprouted Ragi Malt Drink
• Multigrain Health Drink

Another common problem is infection of the skin and eyes. Let kids wear full sleeve clothing to stay protected from insects. Teach them to wash hands properly and not to keep touching their eyes, face or mouth. For more practical tips regarding health care during monsoons, check out this post.

Most infections that occur during monsoons are viral and antibiotics may not help. Here is more aboutwhy you should skip the antibiotics this monsoon.

And when it's pouring outside, the little bundles of energy can't go out and are likely to get bored! Keep them occupied and happy with a boredom box; go here to find out how you can make one for your child

Take care

Expert Consensus: Fasting not Required for Lipid Profile

When evaluating cardiovascular risk, there is not enough evidence to indicate that fasting lipid profiles are better than non-fasting. Several guideline committees and leading societies have endorsed non-fasting lipid testing, including the European Atherosclerosis Society and European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Observational data, including from Denmark where non-fasting lipid testing was first suggested in 2009, indicate fasting status does not affect HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein(a) levels, and one to six hours after habitual meals, the maximal mean changes for triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol are not significant. The full study published in the European Heart Journal, can be found through the following link:

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/04/22/eurheartj.ehw152