Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Health Watch, we’re talking about some health issues kids may face. If you’re the parent of an infant, you may be able to protect your child’s health by protecting yourself.
Cases of infant pertussis, or whooping cough, are on this rise. Infants and children are regularly vaccinated against this disease, but the immunity may fade by adulthood. Although the disease usually isn’t serious in adults, it can be fatal to infants. That’s why Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center hospital, suggests that new parents and others who care for infants under age 1 receive a pertussis booster. Although infants are vaccinated, it can take a while before they have full immunity. If the adults don’t get sick, they won’t pass the disease on to their infants.
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February 2007
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