With cases of measles confirmed in Oregon recently and ongoing outbreaks in other places throughout the US, you may have questions regarding measles. Below are a few important facts to keep in mind and keep your family protected against contracting the disease.

What are measles and how do you get them?

• Measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. 
• It affects the respiratory system (lungs and breathing tubes) and causes a fever and a rash. Other symptoms include cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. 
• Measles can be serious, especially for babies and young children. 
• It mainly spreads through the air after a person with measles breathes, coughs or sneezes. 
• Measles symptoms usually begin 7-14 days after exposure to the virus. 
• Measles is contagious from about four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appears. 
• People can spread measles before they have the characteristic measles rash.

How do you protect your children and yourself from measles?

• A highly effective vaccine exists to protect people from measles called MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella).
• The recommended vaccine schedule for children includes 2 doses of MMR vaccine:
  • First dose at age 12 through 15 months
  • Second dose at age 4 through 6 years
• Adults who have not completed the vaccine series or are unsure if they have should contact their primary care provider.

What to do if you suspect you have been exposed to measles?

• Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles. It is uncommon for someone fully vaccinated to develop measles. If you have concerns or your child is under 12 months of age and you suspect they may have been exposed, call our office to discuss the best course of action.
• Though there are confirmed cases in Oregon, the volume of cases at the moment is very low. If additional cases present the Public Health Department may recommended some shifts to the vaccination schedule to provide additional protection. At this time there are no recommended changes to the vaccine schedule.

Traveling Internationally?

• It is recommended that children should be vaccinated before traveling. Infants 6–11 months old should get 1 dose of the MMR vaccine before travel. Then they should get 2 more doses after their first birthday. 
• You should plan for your child to be fully vaccinated against measles at least 2 weeks before you depart. If your trip is less than 2 weeks away they should still get a dose of MMR.
• Watch your health for 3 weeks after you return and keep an eye out for the symptoms listed above.

If you have questions or concerns regarding measles or the MMR vaccine please call our office.

Sun Safety: Information for Parents About Sunburn & Sunscreen

​Warm, sunny days are wonderful. It’s good for children to spend time playing and exercising outdoors, and it’s important they enjoy it safely. Here are some tips on how to help keep your family safe from too much exposure to the sun’s harmful rays.

Simple rules to protect your family from sunburns

• It’s good for your children to spend time playing and exercising outdoors but it’s important to do so safely. Keep these simple rules in mind to protect your family from sunburns now and the risk of skin cancer later in life.
• Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight.
• Dress yourself and your children in cool, comfortable clothing that covers the body when possible. Think lightweight cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts and hats.
• Select clothes made with a tight weave, which protect better than clothes with a looser weave.
• Wear a hat with an all-around 3-inch brim to shield the face, ears, and back of the neck.
• Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., when UV rays are strongest.
• Wear sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection. Look for youth-sized sunglasses with UV protection for your child.
• Use sunscreen (see more below).
• Make sure everyone in your family knows how to protect their skin and eyes. Remember to set a good example by practicing sun safety yourself.

How to choose a sunscreen

• Use a sunscreen that says “broad-spectrum” on the label; that means it will screen out both UVB and UVA rays.
• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 (up to SPF 50). An SPF of 15 or 30 should be fine for most people. More research studies are needed to test if sunscreen with more than SPF 50 offers any extra protection.
• If possible, avoid the sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone because of concerns about mild hormonal properties. Remember, though, that it’s important to take steps to prevent sunburn, so using any sunscreen is better than not using sunscreen at all.
• For sensitive areas of the body, such as the nose, cheeks, tops of the ears and shoulders, choose a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These products may stay visible on the skin even after you rub them in, and some come in fun colors that children enjoy.

How to apply sunscreen

• Use enough sunscreen to cover all exposed areas, especially the face, nose, ears, feet, hands and even backs of the knees. Rub it in well.
• Put sunscreen on 15 to 30 minutes before going outdoors. It needs time to absorb into the skin.
• Use sunscreen any time you or your child spend time outdoors. Remember that you can get sunburn even on cloudy days because up to 80% of the sun’s UV rays can get through the clouds. Also, UV rays can bounce back from water, sand, snow, and concrete, so make sure you’re protected.
• Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours and after swimming, sweating or drying off with a towel. Because most people use too little sunscreen, make sure to apply a generous amount.

Sunscreen for babies

• For babies younger than 6 months: Use sunscreen on small areas of the body, such as the face, if protective clothing and shade are not available.
• For babies older than 6 months: Apply to all areas of the body, but be careful around the eyes. If your baby rubs sunscreen into their eyes, wipe their eyes and hands clean with a damp cloth. If the sunscreen irritates their skin, try a different brand or sunscreen with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. If your baby develops a rash, talk with their doctor.

Sunburns

• If your baby is younger than 1 year old and gets sunburn, call your their doctor right away. For older children, call your child’s doctor if there is blistering, pain or fever.
• Here are 5 ways to relieve discomfort from mild sunburn:
  • Give your child water or milk to replace lost fluids.
  • Use cool water to help your child’s skin feel better.
  • Give your child pain medicine to relieve painful sunburns. (For a baby 6 months or younger, give acetaminophen. For a child older than 6 months, give either acetaminophen or ibuprofen.)
  • Only use medicated lotions if your child’s doctor says it is OK.
  • Keep your child out of the sun until the sunburn is fully healed.

Last Updated 8/9/2024 Source Fun in the Sun: Keep Your Family Safe (Copyright © 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics)

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

There’s nothing like a refreshing dip and fun time in a pool or at the beach! Summer brings many opportunities to enjoy different bodies of water and build lots of fun memories. To ensure the safety of your children please keep these important tips in mind!

Safety at Home

• Never leave your child alone in the bathtub – even for a moment. Drownings can happen in even a few inches of water when a parent leaves a small child alone or with another young child.
• Bath seats are meant to serve as aides, however they can tip over and your child can slip out of them. They are not effective tools for drowning prevention.
• Keep bathroom doors closed or install door knob covers or other locks to ensure your small children cannot wander in unattended.
• Keep toilets closed. Always close the toilet lid or consider using a toilet latch.
• Empty water from containers such as large pails and 5 gallon buckets immediately after use.

Safety at the Pool

• Children should always be supervised by an adult while at the pool.
• For infants and toddlers and adult should always be IN the water and within arms reach providing “touch supervision”
• For older children adults should always be supervising with constant attention and free from distractions.
• The supervising adult should also know how to swim.
• Keep toys away from the pool when not in use and deflate small blow up toys after each use.
• Teach children that no one (including adults) should ever swim alone.
• Do not keep tricycles or other riding toys near the pool.
• Never keep electrical appliances or cords of any kind near the pool.
• Do not allow diving in a pool that is not deep enough.
• Ensure that children do not run on the pool deck.
• To prevent small children from entering the pool area on their own, pools should have their own fence completely surrounding the pool and isolating it from the house.

Swimming Lessons

• Learning to swim is an incredibly important skill for most children. The AAP supports swimming lessons for most children 4 years and older and children 1-4 years of age who are ready to learn.
• Some important factors to consider when deciding if your child is ready for swimming lessons is the frequency of water exposure, emotional maturity, physical limitations and health concerns related to swimming pools (i.e. pool chemicals, infections, etc.)
• Some swim programs claim to teach water surveil skills to infants younger than 12 months, however evidence does not show that they are effective in preventing drowning.
• Always research who the swimming classes are taught by and make sure your child is being taught by qualified teachers.

Diving

• Serious spinal cord injuries, permanent brain damage and death can occur when you dive into shallow water.
• Make sure to always check how deep water is and always enter feet first especially when going in for the first time.
• Never dive into aboveground pools or the shallow end of a pool.
• Never dive through toys or inner tubes.
• It’s best to learn to dive properly through taking a swimming class.

Other Bodies of Water

• Swimming in Oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams is different from swimming in a pool.
• While most of the same safety tips apply including not diving unless the depth and conditions of the water are known and appropriate and never swimming without adult supervision, there are a few more things to keep in mind while out on natural bodies of water:
  • Always use approved personal flotation devices such as a life vest when boating, fishing, water skiing, playing in a river or stream. Water wings or other swimming aids should not be used in place of a life vest.
  • Never try water sports such as scuba diving, skiing or snorkeling without instructions from a qualified teacher.
  • Never swim around anchored boats, in boating lanes or where people are water skiing.
  • Never swim during electrical storms.
  • If you swim or drift far from shore, stay calm and tread water or float on your back until help arrives.

Emergency Preparation

• The best things to do to prepare for an emergency situation are:
  • Learn CPR. Anyone caring for children should know COR which can save a life and help reduce injury after a near drowning. Trainings are offered regularly by the American Heart Association, Red Cross and local hospitals or fire depts.
  • Always have a phone near the pool.
  • Post safety and CPR instructions poolside.
  • Mae sure all rescue equipment is nearby including: a shepherds hook, safety ring and rope.

Air Travel

Air travel is safe for most newborns, infants and children. Speak with your pediatrician before flying if your child has chronic heart or lung problems or sickle cell disease.

• Ear pain can be troublesome for infants and children while flying. Encourage your child to swallow or chew or allow an infant to nurse or suck on a bottle. Using antihistamines or decongestants is not recommended and has not shown to be of benefit to help with ear pain.
• Safety restraints: children should be restrained safely during a flight. The safest place for your child is in a government-approved child safety restraint system or device. Car seats cannot be used in all seats or on all planes and some airlines might have limited safety equipment available. Make sure to check with your airline about specific restrictions and approved child restrain options. 

Additional Resources for Flying with children:

• FAA: https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children
• Healthychildren.org: Flying with Baby: Parent FAQs

International Travel

While incidence of pediatric illnesses associated with international travel are limited here are some important steps to take to increase the chance for international travel safety:

• Review and ensure your child is up to date on their routine vaccines.
• Review the CDC website for the location of your travel to determine if you need any additional non-routine vaccines to protect against diseases or illnesses common to your travel destination.
  • Please note, Sunset Pediatrics does not typically carry specialty vaccines beyond the routine vaccines recommended by the CDC vaccine schedule. 
  • If travel vaccines are recommended or required for your travel destination, please see the list of travel clinics below that are able to administer those vaccines. 
• Review the need for travel-related medications (i.e. anti-malarial medication, altitude sickness medication, anti-diarrheal, etc.) It is important to discuss any new medication with your pediatrician before administering to a child. 
• Establish a plan of where and how to seek medical care while traveling and consider purchasing travel health insurance if your medical insurance does not cover international care.
• Ensure children who have medication managed chronic health conditions have an adequate supply of their medication prior to the trip.
• Consider taking a basic first aid course before travel.
• Consider enrolling children and adolescents in swimming lessons prior to travel near oceans or other bodies of water. Many international destinations do not have lifeguards present. 

Diarrhea and vomiting

Diarrhea and associated gastrointestinal illness are among the most common travel-related problems affecting children. Infants and children with diarrhea can become dehydrated more quickly than adults. It’s important to ensure safe food and water precautions and frequently wash children’s hands to prevent food-borne and waterborne illnesses.

• Check the CDC website for your travel destination to determine the safety of water and food so you know how best to prepare.
• Breastfeeding is the best way to reduce infants’ risk for food borne and waterborne illness. If your child needs infant formula it is important to remember that formulas available abroad might not have the same nutritional composition or be held to the same manufacturing safety standards as the US. Consider whether bringing formula from home might be a good option for your infant or utilizing liquid formula which is sterile. 
• It is important to ensure water served to young children is properly disinfected, including water used to prepare formula, wash bottles, pacifiers, toys, etc. 
• Parents should wash hands well following diaper changes especially for infants with diarrhea to avoid spreading infection to themselves or other family members. 
• The biggest concern for infants or young children with diarrhea or vomiting is dehydration. Medical attention should be sought for an infant or child with diarrhea who has signs of moderate to severe dehydration such as:
  • irritability or lethargy, 
  • significantly decreased urine output, 
  • dry mucous membranes, 
  • reduced skin turgor or tenting, 
  • cool extremities, 
  • bloody diarrhea, 
  • body temperature >101.3°F
  • persistent vomiting 
• You can find additional guidance on rehydration by the American Academy of Pediatrics here.

Additional travel resources:

• Travel and Screen Time
• Tips for Safe & Stress-Free Family Travel

Travel Clinics:

• Providence St. Vincent Travelers Clinic
• Passport Health – Multiple Locations.
• AFC Urgent Care Beaverton Travel Medicine
• Travel and Immunization Clinic of Portland

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/family-travel/traveling-safely-with-infants-and-children.html