Pediatric Center News

As of today, both injectable and nasal flu vaccine is available for both VFC and non-VFC patients.

As usual, it is a bit complicated:

Fluzone (injectable, dead, inactivated vaccine):

between 6 months and 3 years of age — available both VFC and non-VFC (comes in 0.25 ml syringes)

over 3 years of age — available non-VFC only

 reminder: the VFC program covers children and adolescents who are either uninsured or have a government-funded insurance or Medicaid, up to their 19th birthday.  VFC vaccines are supplied free of charge, but are often shipped later than commercially purchased vaccines.  Insurances do NOT pay for immunizations for VFC-eligible patients.

Flumist (live, attenuated vaccine administered as nasal spray, for persons ages 2 to 49 years who do not have a significant chronic illness)

We have non-VFC Flumist.  As usual, we expect a delay in the shipment of the VFC vaccine.

 Flu and flu vaccine will of course be in the news shortly; some news will be at least generally accurate while others will exhibit varying degrees of departure from reality. 

 On a different note, I would like to thank the military families who have joined our practice recently.  The response to my War and Peace editorial has been astounding, and the thought that they might see in our work a fleeting reminder of the dedication and professionalism their loved ones show daily in harm’s way is an inspiration. 

Anatoly Belilovsky, MD

As the NYC public school system now requires TDaP vaccine for all 11-year-olds entering 6th grade, we have plenty of both the VFC and the non-VFC TDaP.

Hepatitis A and second chicken pox vaccines are strongly recommended by the Health Department (first chicken pox vaccine has been required for a while).  There is, however, a nationwide shortage of the chickenpox vaccine, and we have run out.

The story is even more complicated regarding flu vaccine.  The popular Flumist (nasal flu vaccine, not a shot) may or may not be available this season at all.  The shots should be available, but the 6-to-36 months variety should be available first, followed by the 3-year-and-over variety, and as before, we may see big differences in VFC and non-VFC vaccine shipping times.  We have had a number of complaints about it last year, and would urge all parties concerned to call Health Department to make VFC vaccine available as early as possible, as they are ultimately in charge of it.

As the school season approaches, I would urge everyone to read last year’s posts, either at the bottom of this page, or on the next.  As nothing has changed in the school system, I expect to see the same problems this year as well.

In my work as a pediatrician, every once in a while I am privileged to be asked to see a child of a military or law enforcement officer. Even if sometimes they do not identify themselves as such, there is often a moment when their professional identity becomes apparent. It usually goes like this:

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There are many things in my practice which I prefer to leave to experts, and it isn’t just brain surgery. Psychological and behavioral issues are complex enough to need not one but many specialties in medicine: psychology, psychiatry, behavioral and developmental pediatrics, neuropsychology — and, being a general pediatrician, I try stick to what I know.

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