Mat-Su Community Pediatrics

02/21/2022

I am loving seeing people in-person but with all the flying and meetings it has been nice to test out my free test from covidtest.gov that came lightly insulated, with an email notification to my mailbox.

02/19/2022

Three brands of powdered infant formula were recalled on February 17, 2022 for possible Cronobacter contamination.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to use Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare powdered formula if:

• the first two digits of the code on the container are 22 through 37, and
• the code on the container contains K8, SH, or Z2, and
• the "use-by" date is 4-1-2022 (APR 2022) or later.

The FDA received several consumer complaints of sick infants who were fed powdered formula and opened an investigation. Cronobacter is a bacterium. Illness from this organism is rare, but infection can cause meningitis and septicemia in infants. The infection can be fatal or result in long-term complications.

Do not feed infants recalled powdered formula. Throw it away or return it for a refund. Visit FDA’s website for more information: https://bit.ly/353UUOu.

12/25/2021

Meery Christmas to all!

Are are no longer seeing patients, but are available for non urgent matters and refill requests until I start at Ptarmigan Pediatrics 2/3/22.

12/24/2021

We have a lot of extra diapers, sizes 2,3 and 5s. Does someone want them all?
We will be in the office next week cleaning. Please call and let us know you want them.

12/11/2021

https://www.newsweek.com/2021/12/17/americans-are-addicted-ultra-processed-foods-its-killing-us-1656977.html?fbclid=IwAR26ZrJ5fj0X9rrekSRqCjIOYnuK3agJza4Hal1Ht5B3qA4qEI-pM3odB_4

Explosive growth in "ultra-processed" foods that bear little resemblance to anything natural is behind a panoply of diseases. Policymakers are taking notice

12/10/2021

I have someone willing to give away a lot of size 7 diapers.
Is there anyone in need?

12/09/2021

I have a collection of dolls from around the world that have been on display in the office. Is anyone interested in them?

12/03/2021

Esteemed families,

My husband and I started Mat-Su Community Pediatrics together in 2005. We have had the privilege of caring for some of your family members for 16 years. I am so thankful for that opportunity!

However, the time has come for me to transition to a new opportunity. I have decided to close Mat-Su Community Pediatrics and join Ptarmigan Pediatrics. This transition will occur February 2nd, 2022.

I am very excited for this new opportunity and look forward to joining the amazing providers at Ptarmigan! We understand if this causes any inconvenience. However, I would love to continue to serve your family at Ptarmigan Pediatrics.

We will know more details about the transition over the upcoming weeks.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for entrusting your family’s care.

Sincerely,

Tamara Krimm, MD and Charles Krimm.

BTW, Ptarmigan takes Tricare.

12/03/2021

The American Academy of Pediatrics answers questions parents may have about the COVID-19 vaccine. Learn how it safely teaches your child’s immune system to recognize and get rid of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

11/30/2021

I have been getting a lot of questions about Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant of concern. We still have so much to learn, but I thought I would share a quick few updates on what we know – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and what we can do.

The Good:
➡ Science is amazing, and watching teams of experts across the globe share information and resources about the variant so quickly is incredible.
➡ Our tests for COVID look like they work to detect this variant. There are thousands of different tests, so more to come on this, but testing (antigen, PCR, and molecular) continues to be an important way of identifying COVID (including this variant) and slowing the spread.
➡ We are doing much more sequencing now compared to earlier in the pandemic (and Alaska continues to lead the country in sequencing data). This means better monitoring to identify this and other variants.
➡ No cases have yet been identified in Alaska or the US.
➡ We know so much more about COVID, and know that ventilation, distancing and masking work to slow the spread. We can keep using these tools.
➡ Even if vaccines prove to be less effective against this variant, some protection is better than no protection, and more than 68% of the 18+ population in Alaska have received at least one dose of vaccine.
➡ The development of effective COVID vaccines and treatments has happened at an accelerated and impressive pace these past two years. Many great people are now working on understanding this variant and how best to fight it.

The Bad:
➡The early data out of South Africa suggest it is very transmissible as they are starting to see a fourth wave after a long and hard third wave caused by the delta variant.
➡ Early cases were reported in both people who had been previously infected as well as those who had been vaccinated.
➡ We are all tired of COVID, but it’s not tired of us. This new variant will make it harder to slow it down.

The Ugly:
➡ There are a TON of new mutations in this one variant: ones we have seen before and ones we have not. Take a look at this sequencing data - The x-axis is time (from December 2019 onwards), and on the y axis is the number of mutations in the S1 gene relative to the original sequences. Omicron (red in the top right) is totally an outlier. https://nextstrain.org/ncov/gisaid/africa?d=tree&l=scatter&p=full&scatterY=S1_mutations. The S1 gene spike protein is how COVID enters our cells. It is also the target for vaccines and most treatments. What this means is still unknown, but we will continue to follow it closely.

So what to do...
➡ If you have not yet gotten vaccinated, now is a great time to start your vaccine series. If you are 18+ and it has been >6 months since your second dose of mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) or 2 months since a J&J vaccine, please get a booster dose as soon as possible for added protection. Even imperfect protection is better than little to no protection.
➡ Take care of your physical and mental health. Get outside, stay connected, and remember we are not powerless over this pandemic. This is a new twist, but we will learn and adapt, and we are stronger when we work together. Be well and stay safe!