About 1 in 20 children with meningitis caused by meningococcus and about 1 in 3 children with bloodstream infections (i.e., sepsis) caused by meningococcus will die from the infection. Death from sepsis can occur within 12 hours of the beginning […]
Why Varivax (from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
The disease What is chickenpox? Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella virus, and it is highly contagious. It can spread in one of three ways: by coughing or sneezing, physical contact with broken blisters, or by virus particles […]
Why flu vaccine (from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
Every year in the United States, influenza kills thousands to tens of thousands of people. Probably the best example of how devastating influenza can be was the influenza pandemic in 1918 — this worldwide outbreak killed between 50 and 100 […]
Why MMR Vaccine (From CHOP)
Measles, mumps and rubella are all viral infections that caused widespread illness. Vaccines are now available for each and have been combined to form the MMR vaccine. The diseases Measles The face of measles In 1991 the city of Philadelphia […]
Why Hepatitis B Vaccine (Info from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
The hepatitis B vaccine is given to prevent the severe liver disease that can develop when children or adults are infected with hepatitis B virus. The hepatitis B vaccine is given as a series of three shots. The first dose […]
