Alexis Lieberman MD, Advocare Fairmount Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

08/30/2026

Considering the recent measles outbreak in the region, we know you have questions:

Should my child get an early measles vaccine?
The Health Dept is recommending an early measles vaccine if you spend time in Lancaster County or Lebanon county but not if you do not spend time in one of the counties where there is currently an outbreak.

How can I know if my child has measles?
If you child has not received the MMR vaccine (under 1 year old, or you declined it; If unsure, feel free to contact our office via the portal for verification), the following symptoms would suggest measles: fever, red, watery eyes, cough, and rash that started in the hairline AND child is unimmunized. You need ALL these symptoms to suspect it.

If your child has received the MMR vaccine, you can feel reasonably sure they do not have measles, no matter what their symptoms are. The vaccine is highly effective. Two doses of MMR are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.

What should I do if I suspect measles?
Please schedule a telehealth appointment with one of our providers. If we also suspect measles after the telehealth visit, we will contact the Health Department for next steps.

If we do not suspect measles, we will invite you in for a visit if indicated.

How do I know my child will not catch measles in your office?
By seeing patients with measles symptoms first on telehealth, we can prevent other children from contacting this severe virus.
Mask Usage: For added protection, we still recommend that both you and your child >2 years old wear a mask while in the office if any member(s) of the family exhibit respiratory symptoms. Our staff will also be following strict hygiene protocols as well.

08/25/2026

If you spend time in these counties and your child is aged six months to four years old or never had a measles vaccine, please come in for an early measles vaccine.

08/22/2026

Here’s a program out of Duke University that allows you to automatically send monitoring forms to your child’s teacher to monitor how the ADHD is being managed. David Rabiner PhD who developed it is a reputable ADHD scientist. 

Monitor your child's school progress and ADHD treatment effectiveness

08/09/2026

New early MMR guidelines from the health department:

Early MMR Vaccination Guidance

An early first dose of MMR is recommended for patients aged 6 - 11 months, if:
Traveling internationally
Traveling to areas with domestic measles outbreaks, including counties in Pennsylvania with ongoing outbreaks: Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Dauphin, Northumberland, York, and Chester.
Any MMR dose given at 6 - 11 months will not count toward the final series, and these patients will need two doses of MMR after age 1 year. Dose 1 of MMR is not routinely given before 12 months of age, as it may blunt future immune responses, especially when given before 8.5 months of age. However, the benefit of vaccinating infants early outweighs the risks when infection rates are high.
Children aged 12 months and older can receive the second dose of MMR earlier than 4 through 6 years, provided that 28 days have elapsed since dose 1.

An early MMR dose 2 is specifically recommended if:
Traveling internationally
Traveling to areas with domestic measles outbreaks, including counties in Pennsylvania with ongoing outbreaks: Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Dauphin, Northumberland, York, and Chester.
An early second dose of MMR counts towards the final series. Parents should be made aware that while the Philadelphia School District accepts an early second MMR dose for school entry, some other school districts may require a dose at age 4 years or older.
Currently, there are no active measles outbreaks in Philadelphia County. Immunization guidance and recommendations may evolve based on current epidemiology and risk assessments.

07/17/2026

Folks are asking about whether or not they can go outdoors with their babies while the wildfire smoke is in the air.  Here’s a guideline from the American academy of Pediatrics based on the air quality index from Airnow.gov 

0 to 50 Green Good: Air quality is safe. It is healthy for all children to play outside.
51 to 100 Yellow Moderate: Air quality is acceptable. However, unusually sensitive children may be affected and should limit prolonged outdoor time.
101 to 150 Orange Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: Infants, toddlers, and children with asthma should avoid spending a lot of time outside.
151 to 200 Red Unhealthy: Everyone should limit outdoor time. Sensitive groups should move activities indoors.
201 to 300 Maroon Very Unhealthy: Sensitive individuals must stay inside entirely. Everyone else should strictly limit outdoor time.

Airnow’s unified SaaS platform lets developers analyse, monetise and secure mobile apps with market intelligence, A*O tools, ad mediation and app security.

07/03/2026

Helpful info on heat related illness:

Check on your neighbor

05/08/2026

TWO STUDIES THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU THROUGH DREXEL --

1. Opt-In Early is a remote, parent-mediated early intervention study for parents of children 16-48 months old who are waiting for an autism evaluation, but don’t yet have a diagnosis.

2. Facing Your Fears is an in-person study for autistic children 8-14 years old who also have anxiety

03/12/2026

This looks like a useful event


How to Stay Safe Around Dogs You Know with Brighten Up Pup Did you know ANY dog can bite? Yes, even the sweet ones. And most bites are preventable! Let’s learn about how to safely and respectfully interact with our pups so we can enjoy each other’s company and live harmoniously in peaceful forev...

03/11/2026

Fairmount Peds renewed our CPR certificates!

02/10/2026

Check out this free movement program!