Even though there were many parents who, in the past, did not have their children vaccinated for the now disproven theory that vaccines cause autism, Reuters is reporting that U.S. toddlers got the recommended vaccinations against childhood diseases at record levels in 2007.

My Take?

USA Today has a great report out on the effective ways to ward off mosquitoes and the sometimes serious illnesses their bites can cause. And, the best preventative does NOT include rubbing your skin with Bounce dryer sheets, eating garlic, or downing vitamin B.

My Take?

This is a great article for all parents and grandparents to read. The bottom line, the best preventive treatment is one of several commercial repellents — “an unloved group of products that can be stinky and sticky and, if used incorrectly, potentially toxic.”

HealthDay News is reporting a story that should be read by every parent. A new online tool is avialble that helps parents and the doctors who care for children adjust childhood immunization schedules when one or more vaccinations are missed.

A report in Health on the Net reminds us that, according to the CDC, from 1998 to May 2005, raw milk or raw milk products were implicated in 45 food-borne illness outbreaks that resulted in more than 1,000 cases of illness in the United States.

In 1999, a study revealed that the preservative thimerosal, a mercury-containing compound present in many vaccines, caused several infants to have levels of mercury in their blood that exceeded guidelines recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Preservatives are used in vaccines to reduce the risk of contamination by bacteria once the vial is opened. 

Exposure to high levels of mercury, especially in the developing child before birth, is associated with neurological disturbances. Therefore, parents began to fear that thimerosal may cause neurological difficulties, like autism.

When this study was first described, physicians, scientists, and public health officials quickly assessed the situation and found that: