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618.345.KIDS (5437)

After Hours 888.307.6562

1230 George E Chance Pkwy

Caseyville, IL 62232

 On IL-159 one mi. south of the world famous Collinsville "Ketchup Bottle" & only 3 mi. north of St. Clair Square!

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AAP Updates Recommendations on Infant Sleep Safety

Amercian Academy of Pediatrics Recommends Rear-Facing Car Seats Until Age 2 

Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Was 'Elaborate Fraud,' Journal Says

 1/6/11

LONDON  — 

The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research.

The conclusions of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Still, the suggestion the MMR shot was connected to autism spooked parents worldwide and immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella have never fully recovered.

A new examination found, by comparing the reported diagnoses in the paper to hospital records, that Wakefield and colleagues altered facts about patients in their study.

The analysis, by British journalist Brian Deer, found that despite the claim in Wakefield's paper that the 12 children studied were normal until they had the MMR shot, five had previously documented developmental problems. Deer also found that all the cases were somehow misrepresented when he compared data from medical records and the children's parents.

Wakefield could not be reached for comment despite repeated calls and requests to the publisher of his recent book, which claims there is a connection between vaccines and autism that has been ignored by the medical establishment. Wakefield now lives in the U.S. where he enjoys a vocal following including celebrity supporters like Jenny McCarthy.

Deer's article was paid for by the Sunday Times of London and Britain's Channel 4 television network. It was published online Thursday in the medical journal, BMJ.

In an accompanying editorial, BMJ editor Fiona Godlee and colleagues called Wakefield's study "an elaborate fraud." They said Wakefield's work in other journals should be examined to see if it should be retracted.

Last May, Wakefield was stripped of his right to practice medicine in Britain. Many other published studies have shown no connection between the MMR vaccination and autism.

But measles has surged since Wakefield's paper was published and there are sporadic outbreaks in Europe and the U.S. In 2008, measles was deemed endemic in England and Wales.

***Enfamil Recall Update:  No contamination Found***

1/3/12

CDC and FDA officials announced Friday that they found no trace of Cronobacter sakazakii in the powdered baby formula or the distilled water, known as nursing water, that they tested in response to four cases of illness that have resulted in the deaths of two infants. The recall of Mead Johnson's Enfamil baby formula is no longer necessary since "there is currently no evidence to conclude that the infant formula or nursery water was contaminated during manufacturing or shipping," an FDA spokesman said.

***New blog post is up!

***Change to Infant Tylenol (acetaminophen) dosing***

7/19/11

Please note that all drug manufacturers of the pain reliever/fever reducer acetaminophen ("Tylenol" and other brands), upon the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have changed the amount of acetaminophen in medications for infants. These new concentrations will have different dosing directions than in the past.

For the sake of safety, there will now be ONLY ONE type or concentration of acetaminophen. During the transition, you may find both types on the shelves. The label will state to call your physician for dosing children less than 2 years of age.

We still recommend to call us before you give any medications to infants less than 2 months old. 

You will find a downloadable guide on our Forms & Files page (see link at top of this page) or click here.

As always, please contact us with any questions!

New Patient Info

We encourage you to visit our Forms page (above) and print out our registration forms at home.  You may complete them at your convenience and turn them in when you come for your first appointment.  A great time saver!

The information on this website is meant to be useful in conveying general information and it may or may not be applicable to your child. Readers should always consult a physician or his/her office before implementing any treatment plan. This information, without specific, express instructions from one of the physicians of A to Z Pediatrics, should not be relied upon as medical advice. If you have a life threatening emergency, please dial 911.