On-time Use of Routine Vaccine Keeps Kids Out of Hospital
The study appeared in the Feb. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It looked at the order in which two types of childhood vaccines were given.
Under the recommended vaccination schedule, children should receive DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccination at about ages 3 months, 5 months and 12 months, according to a journal news release.
The vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b, a bacterium that causes meningitis, pneumonia and other serious infections.
Children are then supposed to be given the MMR vaccine at age 15 months, noted researcher Signe Sorup, of the Statens Serum Institute, and colleagues.
In this study, they looked at data from nearly 496,000 children in Denmark who were followed from ages 11 months to 2 years. During the follow-up, the children had nearly 57,000 hospital admissions for any type of infection.
Children who received the MMR vaccine after the DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine had a lower rate of hospital admissions for any type of infection -- particularly for lower respiratory tract infections -- compared to those who received the MMR vaccine before the DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine.
About 50 percent of the children in the study were not given MMR vaccination on time, and doctors need to encourage parents to have their youngsters receive the vaccine on time and in proper sequence, the authors said.

Scans found motor areas were activated when infants heard others talking, researchers report Credit: HealthDay
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on childhood vaccinations.

Sarra Sounds Off, Season 3, Ep. 6: Top football teams in action and soccer playoffs roundup Gregg Sarra sounds off on Farmingdale vs. Massapequa and the battle between Longwood and Floyd, plus Michael Sicoli recaps some of the playoff soccer games, an update on the high school fantasy football standings and the plays of the week.

Sarra Sounds Off, Season 3, Ep. 6: Top football teams in action and soccer playoffs roundup Gregg Sarra sounds off on Farmingdale vs. Massapequa and the battle between Longwood and Floyd, plus Michael Sicoli recaps some of the playoff soccer games, an update on the high school fantasy football standings and the plays of the week.



