Chicken pox vaccine prevents shingles, too

The Pediatric Insider © 2019 Roy Benaroch, MD A study published today in Pediatrics confirms good news about routine chicken pox vaccination in children: it also prevents shingles. Smaller studies had seemed to show this was likely, and this huge new study of over 6 million children nails it down. And: the benefit seems to […]

Measles update: Which adults need a dose of MMR vaccine?

The Pediatric Insider © 2019 Roy Benaroch, MD While the vast majority of measles cases in the US and worldwide are occurring in unvaccinated children, a fair percentage is also occurring in adults.  With more-widespread transmission of measles, it’s becoming more important for all of us – yes, that includes parents – to make sure […]

What’s the best timing for my child’s measles vaccine doses? Should we give them early?

The Pediatric Insider © 2019 Roy Benaroch, MD As the US endures its largest measles outbreak in 25 years – one that’s almost certainly going to get worse before it gets better – we’re getting a lot of calls and questions at my office. What’s measles, what’s the best way to prevent it, when should […]

Vaccines: We’re all in this together

The Pediatric Insider © 2017 Roy Benaroch, MD When we work together, great things can happen. Polio has been around since ancient times – there are depictions of it in art thousands of years old. Improved sanitation helped, but it was vaccines that have nearly eradicated polio from the world. This is a disease that […]

Nursing and vaccines: Two good things, great together

The Pediatric Insider © 2017 Roy Benaroch, MD Stefanie wrote in: My question is related to the MMR vaccine. Would it be better to stop breastfeeding at 11 months and then get the MMR 1st shot vaccine at 12 months? Or did I understand correctly that the maternal antibodies from breastmilk will not interfere with […]

Serious allergic reactions to vaccines: Something else not to worry about

The Pediatric Insider © 2016 Roy Benaroch, MD A huge study of over 25 million doses of vaccines has shown that serious allergic reactions are super-rare, and even when they do occur they’re typically easy to treat. Published in the October, 2015 edition of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study looked at […]

Vaccine reactions: How your “gut feelings” can fool you

The Pediatric Insider © 2015 Roy Benaroch, MD I’m struck, sometimes, by the vehement tone of some of the antivaccine comments you see out there. People who hate or distrust vaccines proudly proclaim that their Googling and life experiences have taught them that vaccines are bad. They don’t care what the science or the evidence […]

Measles vaccine: A real immunity super-booster

The Pediatric Insider © 2015 Roy Benaroch, MD What if there was an intervention that could reduce a child’s risk of death from infection—from any infection—by half? And that one intervention’s immune-boosting power lasted 2 or 3 years. It’s also very safe, with a very small risk of any serious side effects. Pat yourself on […]

Serious side effects of vaccines are rare. What does that mean?

The Pediatric Insider © 2014 Roy Benaroch, MD Since every second of my life, and then some, seems preoccupied with the transition to the New and Improved ICD-10 code set — I can’t imagine how I lived so long without being able to code for macaw attacks – I’ve had no time to write anything […]

Delaying vaccines is not a good idea

The Pediatric Insider © 2015 Roy Benaroch, MD I get asked, now and then, about delaying vaccines. What’s the harm? #1: An increased risk of disease There are many, many studies that have documented less disease in vaccinated individuals. Here’s one, just one recent one, from April 2015. Researchers in Israel looked at cases of […]