Suburban Pediatrics

12/23/2025

Thank you for trusting us to protect what matters most!

Suburban Pediatrics is wishing you safe, restful holiday season and a successful year ahead!🎄

12/10/2025

The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend administering the Hepatitis B vaccine 3-dose series with the first dose administered at birth.
Hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective and there is no new information to suggest the birth dose should be delayed. Delaying the dose only prolongs the time until protection is achieved without any benefit to the infant.
When Hepatitis B infection occurs in infancy, the vast majority of cases result in chronic infection which can lead to liver damage, liver cancer, and death.
Prior to routine Hepatitis B vaccination, 18,000-20,000 children were infected with Hepatitis B in the US each year, and about 5o% of those infections were from a non-maternal source.
Most cases of Hepatitis B infection are asymptomatic, and transmission can happen through contact that occurs in household, daycares, and schools, even when there is no apparent contact with blood or body fluids.
Hepatitis B can remain infectious on contaminated surfaces for at least 7 days.
The 3-dose Hepatitis B vaccine series results in long-lasting immunity for most children who are vaccinated.
Checking antibody levels after a single dose does not necessarily ensure durable protection, even if the antibodies are positive.
The full 3-dose Hepatitis B vaccine series has been studied for safety and efficacy and continues to be monitored though programs such as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and the Vaccine Safety Datalink.
There is no new information on which to base a change to Hepatitis B vaccines series for infants.

References:

ACIP announcement: https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/acip-recommends-individual-based-decision-making-hepatitis-b-vaccine-birth-dose-infants-born-women-test-negative-virus.html

AAP announcement: https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2025/hepatitis-b-immunization-is-critical-to-protect-all-newborns/?_gl=1*394fcy*_ga*NjU3Mzg5MjM2LjE3NjUzMzEwMDU.*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*czE3NjUzMzEwMDUkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjUzMzEwMDUkajYwJGwwJGgw

Stability of Hepatitis B in the environment: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6420165/

11/28/2025

Suburban Pediatrics office will CLOSED on Saturday, November 29, 2025.
The closure is due to an incoming snowstorm.
This applies to Ballas and Von Talge locations. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Stay warm and safe. ❄️ ⛄️ ❄️ ⛄️

11/26/2025

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filed with love and happiness! 🦃 🧡

11/05/2025

To schedule Online and Virtual visits you must be signed up for MyChart. If you are not signed up, you will NOT be able to schedule. Please call our office if you need help signing up. Thank you!

11/05/2025

As we enter these darker months, how do we encourage our kids, along with ourselves, to stay active? Dr. Ratz joins the show to give us some ways to stay active this winter!

11/03/2025

FIRST ALERT CHANNEL 4: "As we enter into these darker months, how do we encourage our kids, along with ourselves, to stay active? Dr. Ratz from Suburban Pediatrics joins the show to give us some ways to stay active this winter!"

As we enter into these darker months, how do we encourage our kids, along with ourselves, to stay active? Dr. Ratz joins the show to give us some ways to stay active this winter! Give their South County location a call today at 636-492-5433 or for those of you on the Illinois side, call 618-750-5433...

10/31/2025

Wishing you all a “Happy Halloween”. Be safe and have FUN! 🧡

10/31/2025

10/15/2025

Making Sense of Recent Autism News:
What Families Should Know
���� What do we know about the causes of autism?
Decades of research show that autism has many complex causes.
Scientists have found hundreds of different genes that may cause autism.
Some things in the environment can also change how genes affect
development, but vaccines are safe and effective. There is no one thing that causes autism. Autism is not caused by anything parents did or didn’t do.
��� About Recent Claims
The best research right now shows that autism is not caused by pregnant women taking Tylenol (also called "acetaminophen"). Experts say that Tylenol is safe when used correctly during pregnancy.
Pregnant people should take folate because it is healthy for the unborn baby. Folate may help lower the chance of the unborn baby having autism or other disabilities. Right now, there is not enough strong research to know if taking Leucovorin, a form of folate, is safe or helpful for autistic people. Scientists find that the tests for FRAT (folate receptor antibody testing) are not completely accurate. Health insurance may not pay for FRAT testing.
��� Caution about Claims
Families, health care experts, and scientists want to know more about what causes autism. We must be careful about believing simple answers that are not based on strong research. Autism is a complex condition and needs careful treatments that are supported by science. Making false claims about what causes or helps autism can cause harm.
��� What You Can Do
Children and adults with autism and other disabilities need support from their communities and families. Autistic people can be happy and healthy if they get the help they need. Talk with your child's healthcare provider about any concerns. Healthcare providers can help you understand new research about ways to support autistic children.
From the Society of Developmental Behavioral Pediatricians

10/09/2025

Exciting News!

Effective Monday, 10/13/25 our office will be offering Flu vaccines to PARENTS of our existing patients. Vaccines are by appointment only at either location. Please call our South County (on Von Talge Road) 314-939-1674 or West County (on N New Ballas Road) 314-567-6868 or request a visit through MyChart if interested.