Four Seasons Pediatics would like to announce a recent change in Infant Tylenol dosing.  This change is consistent with FDA recommendations to offer a single concentration of acetaminophen for children. 

Old INFANT DROPS: 80 mg / 0.8 ml

New INFANT SUSPENSION: 160 mg / 5 ml

Current CHILDREN’S LIQUID: 160 mg / 5 ml

For more information see the link below:

McNeil’s Link for Frequently Asked Questions

Four Seasons Comment:

This is an industry wide initiative.  There will continue to be the old concentration of infant drops (in generic brands) while the new concentration of TYLENOL brand acetaminophen hits the shelves.  The transition for other products will continue through 2012.  This change aims to reduce possible medication errors.  We are concerned that the availability of the new concentration with the words “Infant” may increase dosing errors.  Please refer to the dosing chart on our website and match the concentration of your acetaminophen to your child’s weight. 

You may access our NEW web portal at the following link:

Patient Portal Login

Using the portal you will be able to:

• Confirm and Update all your information on file with the practice
• Email with Four Seasons Pediatrics, securely and efficiently
• View your Personal Health Records
• Receive and review your lab results and statements
• Request for appointments, see date and time of upcoming appointments
• Request a prescription refill from pre-populated list of currently refillable prescriptions

To get started, ask about a user name and password in our office, or call us to get registered.

Four Seasons Pediatrics suspended the use of the Rotateq until we were able to see and review the FDA opinion. We also sought to review the basis for the opinion and any further scientific information that was used in the FDA opinion. Our independent review of the available information concurs that use should be continued. Over 100 million doses have been distributed worldwide. The benefit of saved lives exceeds the risk of DNA fragments found that have not been shown to cause any disease in humans. If you missed this vaccine last week, when we suspended the use, please call us to schedule a nurse visit to get the vaccine. Thank you for your understanding – Dr. Miller and Dr. Elmer on behalf of Four Seasons Pediatrics.

For more information, please see this link:

FDA Link for information

It has been determined that the Merck vaccine contains two strains of a porcine (pig) virus DNA.  Neither of these strains causes disease in humans and one of the strains is found in meat that is consumed by humans and felt to be safe.   The product used by Four Seasons Pediatrics (Rotateq) was one of the most extensively tested vaccines before it came to the market.  Four Seasons Pediatrics waited one year after FDA approval before we used this vaccine.    Approximately 6 million doses of Rotateq have been distributed in the United States and have dramatically reduced this diarrheal illness in the United States.

A rotavirus vaccine protects children from rotaviruses, which are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among infants and young children.   Each year more than 500,000 children die from diarrheal disease caused by rotavirus, and another two million are hospitalized.  Nearly every child in the world will suffer an episode of diarrhea caused by rotavirus before age five.  Although the severity of rotavirus infections differs between children living in developed and developing countries, the rates of infection is similar in both settings.   Clean water supplies and good hygiene have little effect on the transmisssion of infection, and further improvements are unlikely to prevent disease.

Based upon the effectiveness of the vaccine, a 2009 review estimated that vaccination against rotavirus would prevent about 45% of deaths due to rotavirus gastroenteritis, or about 228,000 deaths annually worldwide.  Since there are about 20-60 deaths in the United States from rotavirus infection, this translates to saving about 9 to 27 deaths per year in the United States.

Practice Comment From Dr. Miller and Dr. Elmer:

 A scientific review at this time shows that the risk of the virus itself (a known risk), exceeds the risks of the DNA of the porcine virus in the vaccine (no evidence of any disease in humans).  More than 6 million doses of vaccine have been distributed in the United States, and 106 million doses have been distributed worldwide. This gives us great comfort, as we have not seen any significant problems with the vaccine and the vaccine is highly effective.

• Use a repellant when going outside
• Perform a Tick check at the end of each day – if you find a tick, sit down, relax and pull the tick gently to tent the skin.  Just wait until the Tick releases.  Do not pull too hard, or the Tick may break.  If it does, this is ok, as it will work itself out
• Tick’s do not need to be saved or tested, it is not part of current recommendations
• You should be aware of the signs of Lyme Disease

The first sign is a red rash at the site of the Tick bite.  It generally occurs within 1-2 weeks and is a red spot with concentric red rings surrounding it (the Bull’s Eye Rash).  Along with the rash, a person may experience flu-like symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, headache, and muscle aches.

See the following link for more details:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/lyme.html