Child Health News

RSS

Alere WCH partners with Monica Healthcare

Alere Health, LLC, a leader in personal health support solutions, today announced a partnership between the Alere® Women's & Children's Health Division and UK-based Monica Healthcare Ltd, developers of a groundbreaking wireless, wearable fetal-maternal monitor.

26 Mar 2010

Budget continues to ignore mental illness and sanctions deaths of young Ontarians

Suicide is the leading cause of non-accidental death in Ontario's youths aged 10 to 19, claiming the lives of our young people more than any other health-related cause. Mental illness is the strongest risk factor for suicide yet these youths cannot get treatment because of years of government underfunding.

26 Mar 2010

Pregnant breast cancer patients can receive chemotherapy without endangering baby health

Women who discover they have breast cancer while they are pregnant can be treated with chemotherapy without endangering the health of their unborn baby, according to research to be presented at the seventh European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC7) in Barcelona today (Friday).

26 Mar 2010

Skin cancer prevention measure increases hat use among fourth-graders

A sun protection intervention program that encouraged fourth-graders to wear hats outdoors as a skin cancer prevention measure significantly increased hat use at school, a study by researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine found. The program, however, had no effect on self-reported hat use at home or on measures of skin pigmentation.

26 Mar 2010

Lay health workers can help reduce childhood mortality

Lay persons in many countries who are given special training to promote or carry out some health care services may reduce childhood mortality.

26 Mar 2010

Short-term economic boom not always good for children in developing nations

A short-term economic boom is not always a good thing for children in developing nations, according to a new study in the Journal of Political Economy. The study found that when Colombia's coffee trade suddenly booms, illness and mortality rates among children increase in coffee-producing counties.

26 Mar 2010

New report urges government to ban smoking in cars to limit children's exposure to passive smoke

A new report released by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians urges the government to ban smoking in cars and other public vehicles to limit children's exposure to passive smoke.

26 Mar 2010

White House scrambles to fix health bill language on covering sick kids

The White House is seeking to nail down a provision in the new law it says bars insurers from denying coverage to sick kids starting this year.

26 Mar 2010

Coverage for sick kids under question in new law

Kaiser Health News staff writers Phil Galewitz and Andrew Villegas write that while Democrats have said that the new health law "would immediately stop insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing medical conditions, ... health advocates and some insurers say the law does not clearly state that such protection starts this year.

26 Mar 2010

Children with severe food allergic reactions need two doses of epinephrine

In a large six-year review of emergency department (ED) data, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, found that many children with severe food-related allergic reactions need a second dose of epinephrine, suggesting that patients carrying EpiPens should carry two doses instead of one.

25 Mar 2010

Words play an important role in infants' cognition

Northwestern University researchers have found that even before infants begin to speak, words play an important role in their cognition. For 3-month-old infants, words influence performance in a cognitive task in a way that goes beyond the influence of other kinds of sounds, including musical tones.

25 Mar 2010

Novel test may help identify newborns with fragile X syndrome

A newly developed test appears highly accurate in identifying newborns with fragile X syndrome—the most common inherited cause of cognitive impairment—as well as identifying couples who are carriers of the causative gene, reports a study in the March issue of Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

25 Mar 2010

Committee recommends inclusion of genetic diseases in newborn screening program

The experts who make recommendations for genetic disease screening in newborns face a challenging task: To make conclusions based on the most authoritative available evidence, while considering gaps in the research on such rare conditions, as well as their human impact. An overview of the steps followed by the expert panels tasked with making these recommendations is presented in a special section of the current issue of Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

25 Mar 2010

Breastfeeding expert offers tips for choosing right feeding bottles

Breastfeeding expert Donna Dowling, associate professor of nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, could sympathize with the new mom next to her in a large baby store as she was also overwhelmed by the variety of bottle choices in the 12 x 8 foot display.

25 Mar 2010

300,000 extra GP visits for children due to passive smoking - time to make cars and homes smoke free

Doctors have urged an immediate review of the anti-smoking laws in light of such alarming facts. They want a ban on smoking in public places and cars.

25 Mar 2010

Gesture may be a tool for diagnosing language delays in children with brain lesions

About 1 in 4,000 infants has a brain injury known as pre- or perinatal brain lesions, mainly as a result of stroke, with risk factors involving both mothers and babies. Children with early brain lesions that affect one side of the brain often take longer to reach early language milestones; these delays normalize for many but persist for some.

25 Mar 2010

Researchers explore ethnic differences in asthma incidence

A study of UK schoolchildren has revealed that Black Africans, Indians and Bangladeshis have a similar or lower prevalence of asthma than White children, while Black Caribbean and Mixed Black Caribbean/White boys are more likely to have asthma.

25 Mar 2010

New injection device for endoscopic treatment of pediatric vesicoureteral reflux

A new injection device for the endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux) offers urologists greater control, precision and accuracy for treating a condition of the urinary tract that predominantly affects infants and young children. An alternative to corrective surgery, the Injekt VUR Injection Needle marks an advancement in fast and minimally-invasive endoscopic treatment.

24 Mar 2010

The Children's Aid Society applauds healthcare reform bill

The following is a statement by Richard R. Buery, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children's Aid Society: "This morning when President Obama signed the historic Affordable Health Care for America Act, he took great strides towards improving the health of all children in the U.S.

24 Mar 2010

Pfizer to supply pneumococcal conjugate vaccines for infants and children

Pfizer Inc. today announced it has signed a 10-year Provisional Supply Agreement to supply Prevenar 13* (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]), the company’s 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, for infants and young children in the world’s poorest countries under the terms of the Advance Market Commitment (AMC) pilot project against pneumococcal disease.

24 Mar 2010