Updates

Updated 10 April 2024

Measles- Measles is the most contagious disease in human history and we have been seeing an increase in cases in America mostly due to international travel-  113 cases in 2024 as of 4 April.  Please make sure your children have gotten full protection prior to international travel:

From CDC Health Alert

U.S. residents older than age 6 months without evidence of immunity who are planning to travel internationally should receive MMR vaccine prior to departure.

  • Infants aged 6 through 11 months should receive one dose of MMR vaccine before departure. Infants who receive a dose of MMR vaccine before their first birthday should receive two more doses of MMR vaccine, the first of which should be administered when the child is age 12 through 15 months and the second at least 28 days later.
  • Children aged 12 months or older should receive two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days.
Infographic: Protect your child from measles. Measles is still common in many parts of the world. Unvaccinated travelers who get measles in other countries continue to bring the disease into the United States. Give your child the best protection against measles with two doses of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

CHADIS Developmental Screens-Save time ! We started a new online developmental screening program Jan 2024 so you can complete developmental screens and ADHD scales on your phone or computer before the appointment to save time! (CHADIS Infographic) You (or your child if a teen) should get an invitation to sign into your patient portal to complete the forms.  The link to the portal is at the top right of this page and also here.

COVID Vaccine – COVID cases are fortunately much lower but just like other vaccines we recommend everyone to be up to date on their protection against this awful virus.  We have the updated Fall 2023 Moderna COVID vaccine – The updated vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older, especially our elders- remind the grandparents! ACIP and CDC recommend a second spring dose of updated 2023-2024 COVID vaccine for people 65 yo and older.

Pfizer COVID vaccine is available at local health departments.

Flu vaccine is available at all 3 offices- Flu vaccine is important especially for young children, elderly and pregnant people. Last year was a bad flu season – click here to see Families Fighting Flu season in review.

We are a Vaccinating Practice

Sandhills Pediatrics is a vaccinating practice – for the health and safety of our patients and our community. Vaccines prevent serious illnesses and save lives.

Children and young adults should receive all recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers of Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Paxlovid (an oral anti COVID medicine) is available for high risk patients who test positive for COVID, are 12 yo+ and >88 pounds. NC DHHS has a new telemedicine program for those who don’t have a doctor.

If you have questions about the vaccine, please call for an appointment so we can answer your questions!

Sandhills Pediatrics vaccinates patients 6 mo + and any family members.  Please call for an appointment or ask us about it next time you are in the office.

Breastfeeding– is a reason to get the COVID vaccination (protects mom and maybe even baby) and we encourage all of our nursing mothers to receive it.

Pregnancy–  CDC issued an urgent appeal for ALL pregnant people to get vaccinated 29 Sep 2021. The American College of OBGYN now strongly recommends vaccination for pregnant individuals – see here.  For more answers about breastfeeding and other COVID vaccine questions, click here to access the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine education center.

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Looking for information on Coronavirus COVID-19? New information is available daily, so we’d like to point you to the continuously updated CDC website for the most reliable information.  We recommend you follow the sensible precautions from the American Academy of Pediatrics provided here. To help us keep your child and other patients healthy, if you suspect your child has a Coronavirus COVID-19 infection, please do not come to walk-in clinic!  Call us and let us know about possible exposures so we can discuss the best plan to provide safe and high quality care.

 

COVID-19 resources specifically for kids

Please don’t let COVID-19 make you miss recommended vaccines!

One of our biggest worries about COVID-19 has been indirect effects of the pandemic on child and teen health, as families limit doctor's visits along with other outings.  The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics have stressed the importance of pediatric primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates to prevent life-threatening disease.  We were disappointed to see recent information about vaccine delivery to children and teens reported in the New York Times.  In Massachusetts, the state health department said its vaccine doses were down 68 percent in the first two weeks of April, compared with the previous year.  And Minnesota reported that its doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine dropped by 71 percent toward the end of March!  We worry outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other vaccine preventable, life-threatening diseases will follow COVID-19.

Please help us prevent vaccine preventable disease in our community.

At Sandhills Pediatrics, all patients and their families are screened for fever and respiratory symptoms when appointments are made.  Every family is greeted when they arrive, often before they even enter the office, and re-screened.  Each office is essentially separated into two halves.  Well checks and similar appointments have their own side of the office, with dedicated well-only check-in staff, nurses, and providers.  We haven't used the waiting room in weeks! If an exam room is not immediately available, families wait in their cars until they can go straight to a room.  We maintain appropriate social distances, wash our hands,  and wear masks at all times.

We are confident coming to Sandhills Pediatrics and we want you to be too!