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Children with private, public and no insurance may receive differing levels of treatment in ED

In 2009, children with public insurance were three times more likely and children with no insurance were eleven time more likely not to have a primary care physician, compared with children with private insurance. Without a primary care physician, the Emergency Department (ED) often becomes the primary point of contact for treatments and diagnoses. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics reports that children with private, public, and no insurance may receive differing levels of treatment in EDs.

11 May 2012

Government, development sector leaders should turn to Bangladesh program for solutions to avoidable childhood death

For solutions to help end avoidable child deaths, "government and development sector leaders should heed the lessons of a massive-yet-innovative program" in Bangladesh, called SHOUHARDO, a Bangla word for "friendship," "that is not only helping children ... reach their fifth birthdays but also ensuring they grow healthier, and in many cases, taller," Faheem Khan of CARE Bangladesh, who heads the SHOUHARDO program, writes in this Christian Science Monitor opinion piece.

11 May 2012

New University of Florida research center to focus on rare genetic illness

With the support of a Major League Baseball star, a new University of Florida research center on an island settled by the Vikings could lead to breakthroughs about a rare genetic disorder and potentially change the course of care for high blood pressure and other common conditions.

10 May 2012

USAID launches five-year initiative in Nigeria to strengthen HIV, TB services

U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Terence McCulley on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria, launched a five-year, $224 million USAID program, titled Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS), that aims to "increase access to high-quality comprehensive HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention, treatment, care and related services through improved efficiencies in service delivery," the Daily Trust reports.

10 May 2012

McDonald’s introduces “healthy” fruit drink for kids – but experts say it contains too much sugar

McDonald’s is all set to introduce a ‘healthy’ fizzy drink for children that promises one of their five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables. However the drink is packed with sugar and calories.

10 May 2012

Hospital midwife inadvertently spreads whooping cough to up to 170 people

A Middlemore Hospital midwife could have infected up to 170 people with whooping cough. If passed onto babies or women in the last three months of pregnancy, the disease can lead to severe illness or even death. Whooping cough is a highly infectious disease caused by bacteria which is easily spread through coughing and sneezing, much like the common cold. Also known as pertussis, it is distinguishable by a “whooping” sound at the end of coughing attacks.

10 May 2012

Best and worst mothers worldwide

Right in time for Mother’s day comes a report on the best and worst mothers worldwide. U.S. moms have moved up six places - from 31st to 25th - in the 13th annual Save The Children State of the World's Mothers report. That puts the U.S. right between Belarus and the Czech Republic. Norway is No. 1, just ahead of Iceland and Sweden.

10 May 2012

States grapple with inadequacies in mental health services

Advocates hope the fatal beating of a California homeless man by police, captured by a security camera, may spur changes. In the meantime, a D.C. report says thousands of children who need mental health services aren't getting them, and New York state fines insurers over mental health notices.

10 May 2012

Research with infant twins shows that environmental conditions determine testosterone levels

By comparing the testosterone levels of five-month old pairs of twins, both identical and non-identical, University of Montreal researchers were able to establish that testosterone levels in infancy are not inherited genetically but rather determined by environmental factors. "Testosterone is a key hormone for the development of male reproductive organs, and it is also associated with behavioural traits, such as sexual behaviour and aggression," said lead author Dr. Richard E. Tremblay of the university's Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment.

10 May 2012

UNAIDS launches campaign aimed at ending new HIV infections among children by 2015

UNAIDS on Tuesday launched a new campaign "aimed at ending new HIV infections among children by 2015 and ensuring mothers living with HIV remain healthy," Xinhua reports.

10 May 2012

Millennium Villages Project research yields positive results, but some researchers question methods used

"Death rates among children under five at the [Millennium Villages Project (MVP)] -- set up in Africa to demonstrate what is possible if health, education, agriculture, and other development needs are tackled simultaneously -- have fallen by a third in three years compared with similar communities, according to the project's first results," published in the Lancet on Tuesday, the Guardian reports.

10 May 2012

UAB’s First Episode Schizophrenia Clinic rapidly treats patients with new diagnosis

Like the "golden hour" of trauma care that increases the odds of a person's survival, some clinicians are now applying that philosophy to the treatment of schizophrenia, one of the most puzzling mental health disorders.

10 May 2012

Article evaluates benefits and costs of screening programs for prevention of SCD

An article, published in Circulation by Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH from the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and colleagues from Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, has evaluated the lifesaving benefits and costs of screening programs for the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children and adolescents.

10 May 2012

California school rationing leads to overall less calorie consumption in kids

Researchers have found that California high school students eat less fat and sugar and fewer calories at school than their peers in states that allow the sale of snacks with more of those.

9 May 2012

Sildenafil may improve cardiac function in children, young adults with single ventricle defects

Sildenafil, also known as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, may give a boost to underdeveloped hearts in children and young adults with congenital heart defects. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia report that sildenafil significantly improved echocardiographic measures of heart function in children and young adult survivors of single ventricle heart disease palliation.

9 May 2012

USAID committed to improving lives of children affected by HIV/AIDS

"Despite many gains in the fight against AIDS, children still lag far behind adults in access to important medical services, including HIV prevention, care, and treatment," Jen Pollakusky, communications analyst at USAID's Bureau of Global Health Office of HIV/AIDS, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," noting that Monday marked the 10th anniversary of World AIDS Orphan Day.

9 May 2012

Phone credits offered to teenagers in exchange for sexual health checks

The Queensland government is offering Mount Isa teenagers mobile phone credit in exchange for sexual health checks.

9 May 2012

Child death across sub-Saharan Africa declining at accelerated rate, report shows

"New statistics show that the rate of child death across sub-Saharan Africa is not just in decline -- but that decline has massively accelerated, just in the last few years," Michael Clemens, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), writes in the center's "Global Development: Views from the Center" blog, citing a paper released last week by Gabriel Demombynes and Karina Trommlerova in the Kenya office of the World Bank.

9 May 2012

Free whooping cough vaccine cut concerns experts

Heath experts are concerned that parents and carers of newborn babies will stop getting the whooping cough vaccine after the state government cut its free immunisation program in the midst of a fatal epidemic.

9 May 2012

Latest science reveals Australians need to swallow some grains of truth about staple foods

A new report has revealed that the simplification of complex nutritional messages has resulted in grain foods like bread and pasta becoming the ‘scapegoat’ for weight gain and bloating, despite ample research to the contrary.

9 May 2012

Child Health News

Children with private, public and no insurance may receive differing levels of treatment in ED

Government, development sector leaders should turn to Bangladesh program for solutions to avoidable childhood death

New University of Florida research center to focus on rare genetic illness

USAID launches five-year initiative in Nigeria to strengthen HIV, TB services

McDonald’s introduces “healthy” fruit drink for kids – but experts say it contains too much sugar

Hospital midwife inadvertently spreads whooping cough to up to 170 people

Best and worst mothers worldwide

States grapple with inadequacies in mental health services

Research with infant twins shows that environmental conditions determine testosterone levels

UNAIDS launches campaign aimed at ending new HIV infections among children by 2015

Millennium Villages Project research yields positive results, but some researchers question methods used

UAB’s First Episode Schizophrenia Clinic rapidly treats patients with new diagnosis

Article evaluates benefits and costs of screening programs for prevention of SCD

California school rationing leads to overall less calorie consumption in kids

Sildenafil may improve cardiac function in children, young adults with single ventricle defects

USAID committed to improving lives of children affected by HIV/AIDS

Phone credits offered to teenagers in exchange for sexual health checks

Child death across sub-Saharan Africa declining at accelerated rate, report shows

Free whooping cough vaccine cut concerns experts

Latest science reveals Australians need to swallow some grains of truth about staple foods

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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