It’s that time of year again: flu shot season! Yes, your offices and schools are filled with plans for “flu shot days”. I’m sure you’re debating right now whether or not you or your kids need it. So, here’s my tip on the flu vaccine: It’s basically the same advice I gave last year, which …

A hot news story right now is from California, where students are being forced to get the pertussis booster vaccine or they won’t be allowed in school. This new law was pushed because of a pertussis epidemic which has already killed 11 children, especially in areas like Marin county where vaccination rates had slumped. I’m …

Readers may remember a couple posts I wrote last year discussing the British Medical Journal’s retraction of the famous 1990′s study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism. Last May, the same British doctor lost his license, and this month the same journal is publishing a series of investigative articles which highlight how that study …

It’s that time of year again: flu shots are here. We all are a bit shell-shocked after last year’s H1N1 pandemic madness, and many communities were divided on the pros and cons of the flu vaccine. So who really needs the annual flu shot? There’s actually a very comprehensive new study which should help shed …

We’ve been getting a lot of calls from concerned parents regarding the local campaign to vaccinate all schoolkids with measles vaccines. As far as I understand, this is voluntary for students. Firstly, people should understand that there is no crisis of a sudden measles outbreak; this is simply a national campaign to wipe out measles, …

Many parents have been concerned about the alleged links between the MMR vaccine and a possible link to autism. As I’ve mentioned before, all medical societies continue to state that there has never been convincing proof of this, and now there is even less. The esteemed medical journal Lancet, which started this whole issue in …

I’m sure most China expats and locals remember — and often quote — last month’s “news” that four Chinese people had died after getting the H1N1 vaccine. I felt that initial story was very misleading, as it provided zero evidence of a connection and stoked nationwide fears when most likely the deaths were coincidental, not …

By now, everyone in Beijing is either: 1. recovered from having H1N1; 2. tired of hearing about H1N1; or 3. recovered and tired of hearing about it. But one common theme in discussions remains the uncertainty around the vaccine. Well, finally, there is a lot of real data last week that I wanted to share …

There’s a very provocative new study in Lancet which may change my clinical practice. As parents know, vaccines are not a fun time for their children, and many doctors recommend pain medicines like Tylenol or Motrin with the vaccines. Now, unfortunately, there is good data from this new study that Tylenol (AKA acetaminophen, Panadol) may …

Here’s a question that my patients ask all the time: which vaccines do I need for myself and my children? First, it’s important to realize that each country has their own vaccine schedule.  Even while in China, it’s best to follow your home country schedule, as well as whatever your child’s school requires. So, when you …