Med First ENT Centre

Being an ENT Specialist with a considerable Paediatric practice, I am frequently asked by parents whether their child needs the annual Flu Vaccine.   They often tell me "according to the Internet she/he should get it".  Following this line of reasoning, I decided to abandon my textbooks for a change and ‘Google’ it.  This is what I learnt: The top results that came up after typing in " Should my child get a Flu Vaccine ?" are as follows:  Caring For Children : All children over 6 months old should get the flu shot each year. That would mean a child from 6 months to 18 years of age.  Mayo Clinic :  In most cases, yes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the yearly flu (influenza) vaccine for all children 6months and older - ideally given as soon as the vaccine is available each year.  KidsHealth:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age...

What is an Antibiotic? A simple course of an Antibiotic to a child gets rid of good bacteria from the gut - these may take up to 6 months to be replenished. We are increasingly concerned about that. Most upper respiratory tract infections are viral in origin - an antibiotic is not required  Once started an Antibiotic must be taken in the correct dosage and for the proper duration - do not stop because you are feeling better on the second day. There are very few newer antibiotic molecules in the pipeline - we have to depend on what we have. Undigested antibiotics are passed on in the stools - we do not know the effect these have on the environment. Antibiotic usage can sometimes cause life-threatening side effects, including anaphylactic reaction. Why you should not start one on your own ANTIBIOTIC ANTI - Against BIOS - Life ANTIBIOTIC = Against Life In its most common use,   and Antibiotic is a medicine that destroys or slows down the multi...