LifeBridge Health Pediatrics

06/23/2025

Great opportunity to get free bike helmets!

Join us for Foundry Row Family Night, sponsored by LifeBridge Health, this Thursday, June 26, from 6:30-8:00PM!

We're giving away free bike helmets for children to promote safety and healthy outdoor fun. Let's ensure our kids ride safely this summer! *While supplies last.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/44mprSO

02/20/2025

Diphtheria - not a nice disease.

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02/18/2025

Learn about Rubella today.

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02/17/2025

Another disease to avoid is polio.

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02/17/2025

Day 3 for diseases to be aware of is Bordetella Pertussis (or whooping cough). Unfortunately this disease has never really gone away because of pockets of low vaccine rates (staring at you Oregon). But in addition to whooping cough, it is also known as the “100 day cough” because it lasts so long. It’s also such a bad cough it can cause rib fractures and bleeding around the eyes (subconjunctival hemorrhages). Unfortunately, 2024 set a record of deaths from whooping cough since 2017.

Illness 3: Bordetella Pertussis or whooping cough
Type of infection: Bacteria
Transmissibility: Highly contagious through respiratory droplets
Incubation period: 7-10 days
Clinical Presentation: 3 phases – catarrhal stage with 1-2 weeks of symptoms like a common cold; then the paroxysmal stage with 4 to 6 weeks of severe cough with classic “whoop”. Infants can become apneic and stop breathing during this stage; finally ends with the convalescent stage with a slowly improving cough for another 3 weeks.
Complications: infants with apnea, death, pneumonia, and rib fractures. Can also rarely get cerebral nervous problems from bleeding or anoxia. Historically can cause malnutrition in infants because they cough so much they can’t eat.
Evaluation: CBC with lymphocytosis in infants especially, diagnosis by PCR NAAT
Treatment: macrolide antibiotics
Infection control: isolate contacts, test and treat empirically with macrolide antibiotics regardless of immune status
Prevention: vaccines – DTaP for children under 7, TdaP for children 7 and over. Pregnant women should receive booster of TdaP during 3rd trimester to protect infant for first 2 months. No current recommendation for repeated TdaP for adults (but that may change and I for sure did one before traveling to Oregon last month!!!!)

What whooping cough sounds like:

Listen to a recording of a child suffering from whooping cough, who makes the characteristic 'whoop' sound.Find out the symptoms of whooping cough and how to...

02/15/2025

Day 2 of illnesses to be aware of and are completely preventable by vaccines.

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02/14/2025

Be prepared and know how to spot diseases that were once eradicated. And make sure your child is vaccinated since outbreaks are coming.

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07/30/2024

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in 2022 the infant mortality rate rose for the first time in 20 years.

04/26/2024

Today is the 5th and final day of Every Kid Healthy Week, and today, , encourages family engagement.

Engage with your child by having a family dinner, modeling healthy behaviors and engage is physical activity togethers.

Find more idea from Action for Healthy Kids here: https://bit.ly/3UrrJvQ

04/26/2024

It’s day 4 of Every Kid Healthy Week!

To help risk prevention and education, today’s theme is . It’s important to create an environment for your child that celebrates diversity.

Learn how you can create meaningful learning spaces for your child from Action for Healthy Kids here: https://bit.ly/3UrrJvQ

04/26/2024

Today is day 3 of Every Kid Healthy Week and it’s time to get your children moving for !

Physical activity fuels both the body and mind, which is why it’s important to incorporate it into their everyday routine.

Learn ways to increase your child’s physical activity from Action for Healthy Kids here: https://bit.ly/3UrrJvQ

04/26/2024

Every Kid Healthy Week , organized by Action for Healthy Kids and celebrated annually during the last week of April, is a special initiative designed to highlight the importance of health and wellness in children's lives. Each day between April 22 and 2...