Tamalpais Pediatrics

In September 2010, then Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law AB354, which requires all 7th through 12th graders to get the Tdap vaccine before entering school in the fall.  This vaccine protects against Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough).  This vaccine is usually given at age 10 and most of the kids age 10 and up in our practice have already received it.  About 1/3 have not, though, and we will be contacting you in the spring to schedule a time to get it.  We will be doing "Tdap Days" so that all of those who need to get protected can do it easily. 

Because our practice participates in the Marin County Vaccine Registry, if your child has received the vaccine, their School Nurse should already have a record of this.  If not, we can provide a copy of your child's immunization record for you to give to the school.

There has been a lot in the press lately about Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his poorly done and fraudulent study on the connection between the MMR vaccine and Autism and Gastrointestinal Disease.  The fact that Dr. Wakefield's study was bad science and that the results had not been replicated by any other researcher is not news.  What is news is that Dr. Wakefield had financial conflicts and it appears has falsified some of the data for the study. 

The real tragedy is that Dr. Wakefield's irresponsible science and the publicity he and other anti-vaccine activists have sought around the safety of the MMR vaccine in particular and all vaccines in general, has led to a decrease in immunization rates in many countries.  Sadly, this has led to illness and death in many children that could have been prevented.

Here at Tamalpais Pediatrics we believe that vaccines are the best way to prevent serious and life-threatening diseases in our community.  There is no reliable, well done research that shows a connection between vaccines and autism or any other chronic disease in children.

For more on vaccines and how vaccine refusal affects our community, we recommend you read one or both of these  books by Dr. Paul Offit : Autism's False Prophets or Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All.

To see Dr. Offit on The Colbert Report, click here.

And if you're interested in what Bill Gates thinks, click here.

You may have noticed a new name on our website - Dr. Julie Bokser joined our group in October.  Dr. Bokser has worked with us in the past, and we're all pleased to welcome her back as a permanent part of our group.  Dr. Bokser has worked as a Pediatric Hospitalist at Marin General Hospital for the past several years, as well as doing General Pediatrics at the San Mateo Medical Center Pediatric Clinic.  Dr. Bokser is available for prenatal and meet-and-greet visits for new patients.  She works in both the Novato and Greenbrae offices

As we watch the news reports about the earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear power plant crisis in Japan, all of us here at Tamalpais Pediatrics are saddened at the trauma faced by the Japanese people, and their families and friends.  We hope that any of our patients who may have relatives or friends in Japan have been able to contact them and ensure their safety.

Many parents have called us with concerns about radiation.  We have heard from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC and UCSF that there are currently no health risks for radiation exposure to us here in California.  The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is monitoring air and water in the U.S. and has not detected any radiation.  Our distance from Japan, and weather patterns make it so that we would not expect any radiation to reach California.  We are not recommending that children or adults take any radiation precautions such as Potassium Iodide at this time.  Public health authorities (CA State and Marin County) will notify us if there are any potential exposures and recommend treatment if it is necessary.  There are also stockpiles of Potassium Iodide available in the case of a disaster that required widespread administration of this medication.

We also know that exposure to the images and sounds of disaster on the news can be very difficult for young children.  You should minimize your child's access to the media, and remember that when you are watching or listening to stories of this disaster, your children may see and hear it as well.  You should talk to your children about what they may have seen or heard, and discuss it with them in an age-appropriate way.  The most important thing is to ensure them that they are safe and that you will do everything possible to keep them safe.

For more information, visit the AAP Healthy Children website (www.healthychildren.org) or the CDC Information on radiation exposure ( CDC Radiation Emergencies , CDC Info on Potassium Iodide ).

If your child comes to our Novato Office for their checkup, you will notice that we are using a new system to check their eyesight.  The Pediavision  Ocular Photoscreener takes several infrared digital pictures of a child's eyes and does several measurements that can tell us if the child is nearsighted, farsighted, has a 'lazy eye' or astigmatism.   You will be given information about this test as well as information about billing and insurance issues when you come in for your visit.

Here's an interesting little video on why we continue to believe things that aren't true.  From CBS News and "The Fast Draw."  Click here to see it.

We have been in our new Novato office since mid-September and are very pleased to be in our new, sunny and bigger home.  We hope you enjoy the new space and look forward to seeing you and your kids there soon!  Check here for the address and directions.

Many of us are confused about what exactly is in the new Healthcare Reform law passed by Congress.  This animated video helps explain the most important parts of the new law: Health Reform Hits Main Street