Infectious Disease Related Articles & Blog Posts

Hand washing does something cool that I bet most parents never think about. Most parents do know that hand washing before eating can greatly reduce the risk of bacterial and viral infections and is a cost-effective way to keep your family healthier during these winter months. Hand washing can save your family tissue-strewn days dealing [...]

Washing the nasal passages with a saline solution is better than OTC cold meds both at treating and preventing common colds, according to a study published in the January 2008 Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. After describing this study, I’ll also discuss briefly the concern I’ve been asked about regarding preservatives in some saline [...]

Nighttime cough is rough for kids and for parents. I’m not surprised that people spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter cough remedies, even though the most common ingredient, dextromethorphan (DM), has not been shown to be more helpful for kids than placebo.

Taking out the tonsils for throat infections isn’t nearly as common as it used to be, but tonsillectomy remains one of the most common operations in kids. When is the procedure worth it? When might it be a mistake?

Since the recall of over the counter cough medicines I’ve been asked repeatedly what I personally recommend. The following is an excerpt from my book, Raising Baby Green. It was written before the recall, but certainly applies. — You can clean out the medicine cabinet of decongestants and antihistamines for your baby.

MRSA infections now kill more Americans than does HIV/AIDS, according to a CDC report in the October 17, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association. Most of these infections are in adults over age 65, but infections with resistant bacteria are on the rise, even among healthy children. The important bacteria for parents to know [...]

None of us want to see children feel miserable – for their sakes or for ours. We want remedies when they feel sick. In light of this, I am pleased with the decision of major pharmaceutical companies to withdraw their cough and cold medicines for children under 2 – it’s a good start. Even though [...]

In the modern United Kingdom, about 12 percent of all normal, healthy, full-term babies are hospitalized at least once in their first 8 months of life. Many of these hospitalizations are for pneumonia, bronchiolitis, or other chest infections; many are for diarrhea or other gastroenteritis.  How big a difference might breastfeeding make in preventing these [...]

Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used medicines in children. One brand name, Tylenol, is known by most parents in the U.S. Often used by itself to relieve pain or to reduce fevers, it is also a common part of multi-ingredient medicines (in preparations such as some forms of Benadryl, Contac, Dayquil, Nyquil, Robitussin, [...]

Flu season is almost here. Most people who get the flu feel miserable, but recover without major problem. Nevertheless, each year, the flu kills an average of about 36,000 people in the US alone. Overall, kids are the most likely to catch the flu, but not the most likely to have serious cases.