38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BACK TO SCHOOL • AUGUST 24, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
back to school
Is your child protected from preventable illnesses at school?
Fighting head lice can start with
a conversation with your doctor
“Your child has head lice” is news no
mother wants to receive. Not only can
this common condition aff ect the child at
home and at school, but it can also throw
a family’s life off balance for days or even
weeks.
Results of the new “Facts of Lice” online
survey of 1,000 millennial moms (ages
18-35) and 350 pediatric health care providers
(HCPs) suggest that some millennial
moms may be receiving mixed messages
from various sources about managing
head lice. Th e “Facts of Lice” survey
was conducted by ORC International on
behalf of Arbor Pharmaceuticals between
March 28 - April 10, 2017. Respondents
were members of an online panel that
agreed to participate in online surveys
and polls.
Nearly all of the HCPs surveyed (95
percent) said that at least one parent had
reported treatment failure using an overthe
counter (OTC) head lice treatment in
the past year. Still, the majority (51 percent)
of HCPs surveyed continue to recommend
OTC treatment as a fi rst-line
option for their patients.
Considering a report stated that some
parents may try OTC treatment up to fi ve
times before successfully eliminating head
lice, the time and money commitment
can become signifi cant. Approximately 68
percent of millennial moms surveyed who
had experienced head lice in their households
reported they had failed to treat it
successfully.
While head lice are not dangerous and
do not carry any diseases, the survey
explored the social and emotional impact
the condition can have. Almost all (97 percent)
millennial moms surveyed say they
worry about the consequences of head lice
on their children and households, including
lost time at school (58 percent), inconvenience
of an infestation (49 percent),
fear of their child being bullied (45 percent),
personal anxiety (44 percent), criticism
from other parents (39 percent),
ruined clothing or property (27 percent)
and their own lost time at work (24 percent).
Furthermore, 77 percent of moms
surveyed say that their child was negatively
aff ected, either socially, mentally, and/or
physically, by having head lice.
Th e “Facts of Lice” survey fi ndings highlight
an opportunity for more eff ective
conversations between parents and HCPs
about head lice management. To address
these fi ndings, Arbor Pharmaceuticals
developed educational resources to arm
moms with tools to encourage conversations
with their child’s doctor and promote
understanding of how to get a head
lice infestation under control and combat
associated misinformation and stigma.
If you have received the news from your
child’s school that your child has head lice,
or you received a note saying he or she has
been exposed and you suspect an infestation,
it’s important to reach out to your
doctor. Your doctor will be able to provide
you with advice for treating head lice as
quickly as possible. Some important questions
to ask include:
1. What is the most eff ective way to control
head lice?
2. What head lice treatments do you recommend?
3. Does my child need to stay home
from school?
4. What can I do to eliminate head lice
from my home?
5. How can I help so my child doesn’t
feel embarrassed or isolated?
More head lice tools and information,
including more questions to ask your doctor,
can be found at FactsofLice.com.
Courtesy BPT
Fall is an exciting time for kids - seeing
old friends, getting to know new classmates,
learning new skills and exploring
classrooms. But with all this fun and
interaction, it’s important to remember
one of the best ways to keep your child
safe and healthy is to make sure he or
she is up to date on their vaccinations.
Vaccines have made many once-common
serious childhood diseases rare today.
Th ey are safe, eff ective and they save lives.
“It’s critical to make sure that you
and your children receive vaccinations
according to the schedule recommended
by the Centers for Disease Control,”
says John Meigs, Jr., MD, president of the
American Academy of Family Physicians.
“Vaccines are important not only for
school-age children, but for babies and
young children, pregnant women, teens
and pre-teens, adults and seniors.”
How exactly do vaccines work?
According to the patient education website
familydoctor.org, “Vaccines contain
weakened versions of a virus or versions
that look like a virus (called antigens).
Th is means the antigens cannot produce
the signs or symptoms of the disease, but
they do stimulate the immune system to
create antibodies. Th ese antibodies help
protect you if you are exposed to the virus
in the future.”
Much like how an athlete trains to prepare
for competition, vaccines train your
immune system to respond in case the body
is exposed to the virus. If it is, it knows exactly
how to fi ght it off . Vaccines help you stay
healthy, and if you do get sick, it might be
less severe or for less time when compared
to others who have not been immunized.
Th e CDC lists recommended immunizations
for the prevention of 17 diseases
to protect people from birth through old
age. All states require children to be vaccinated
against certain communicable diseases
in order to attend school.
Information about recommended
immunization schedules for people of all
ages is available at familydoctor.org. On
aafp.org, you can fi nd an interactive map
showing vaccine-specifi c coverage levels
for each state.
If anyone in your family is behind on
their vaccinations, it’s easy to catch up.
Speak with your family physician about
creating a plan. You might even be able to
schedule vaccine-only visits, meaning you
won’t even need an exam.
Concerned about costs? Vaccines are
typically covered by health insurance, so
it’s likely you won’t have to pay anything.
If you don’t have health insurance, reach
out to your state public health department.
Many off er assistance programs
that provide vaccines at a reduced cost.
Visit familydoctor.org for health information
the whole family can use.
August is National Immunization
Awareness Month
Courtesy BPT
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