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Around a quarter of all babies born to unwed couples: CDC study

According to health officials nearly a quarter of all babies born are born to unmarried couples who are living together. The rise is significant from a decade ago. The increase came even as the picture for U.S. births and parenthood remained largely unchanged from the 2002 data, the report said.

15 Apr 2012

Flu shots offered to populations at risk at the beginning of season

All Care Inala Medical Centre doctor Michael Ho said flu shots were becoming more popular each year. “Flu seasons tends to begin in late March early April to June,” he said. “More and more people are opting to get vaccinations because they are promoted well within the community.” He added, “It is particularly important for elderly people to be immunized because their immune system is already not at its best…This is also the case for people who have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, severe asthma, or heart disease. With their current condition, if they catch the flu they can end up with a worse outcome.”

12 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Diagnosing autism in minutes; Finding new uses for old drugs; Cancer war victories

Autism is an extremely complex diagnosis. Parental insight, physician observations and hours of data can factor into determining whether a child actually has the condition or is just a little on the quirky side. Now a Harvard researcher, Dennis P. Wall, has published research about a Web-based tool he developed that promises to diagnose autism in minutes, not hours -;

12 Apr 2012

Dubai Cares makes $1M donation for deworming program in Angola

The philanthropic organization Dubai Cares has announced a $1 million donation to partner with The END Fund in the establishment "of a school-based deworming program that will treat children in Angola," according to the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' (NTD) "End the Neglect" blog.

12 Apr 2012

ALL induction treatment failure should not be an automatic indication for bone marrow transplant

International study that included St. Jude Children's Research Hospital reports some young acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients who fail induction therapy can achieve high cure rates without bone marrow transplantation.

12 Apr 2012

Abnormally low level of SMN protein linked to movement problems in spinal muscular atrophy

An abnormally low level of a protein in certain nerve cells is linked to movement problems that characterize the deadly childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research in animals suggests.

12 Apr 2012

Shoes play vital role in protecting children's health, development

"As we have seen in our work in Haiti and around the world, shoes are a first level of defense when it comes to good health, and are a great complement to the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Control program IMA World Health implements in Haiti," Rick Santos, president and CEO of IMA World Health, writes in the Huffington Post Blog, commemorating One Day Without Shoes, observed on Tuesday.

12 Apr 2012

Overweight moms with moderately high blood sugar raise health risk

Pregnant women who are overweight with moderately elevated blood sugar never set off any alarms for their physicians. The big concern was for women who were obese or who had gestational diabetes because those conditions are known to cause a host of health risks to the mom and baby.

12 Apr 2012

Integrated programming necessary to address root causes of poverty, poor health

"From the rural villages in northern Uganda to the bustling city of Kampala, the poverty-fighting programs I visited last week have something notable in common: they demonstrate how integrated programming can help achieve sustainable changes in the lives of women, men and their families," Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, writes in the Huffington Post Blog.

12 Apr 2012

Scientists create reference guide for harmful germs in sand

On warm days, the beach seems an ideal destination for family rest and relaxation. Who hasn't built a sand castle or been buried up to the neck in sand? However, that family fun has a dark side -- sand can harbor illness-causing microbes. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines for sand quality at recreational sites.

12 Apr 2012

Without scale-up of aid, Africa's Sahel region facing humanitarian crisis, U.N. warns

"Senior United Nations officials on Tuesday made impassioned appeals to the international community to make more resources available to assist millions of people affected by the severe food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa, cautioning that global inaction could lead to a humanitarian disaster," the U.N. News Centre reports.

12 Apr 2012

Online tool can accurately diagnose autism within minutes

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have significantly reduced from hours to minutes the time it takes to accurately detect autism in young children.

12 Apr 2012

Screen time linked with obesity in children

Approximately 20 percent of adolescents in the U.S. today are obese or overweight. With the number of obese and overweight younger children close behind, this epidemic has lasting implications for the future.

12 Apr 2012

Act now 'to prevent tragedy' in Africa's Sahel food security crisis

"The world appears reluctant to open its wallets to relief organizations dedicated to saving the lives of Africa's children until it's official. They want the United Nations to declare a famine," a Globe and Mail editorial states.

12 Apr 2012

GAVI Alliance secures deal to purchase rotavirus vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck

The GAVI Alliance "has struck a deal for bulk buying rotavirus shots from GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, which cuts the price by two-thirds and will allow poorer countries access to them at around $5 per course," Reuters reports.

12 Apr 2012

The urgency of autism: Progress in combating it, even as diagnoses increase

News outlets examine progress being made in diagnosing autism and understanding its possible causes.

12 Apr 2012

Children under five at risk of malnutrition, death from looming Sahel famine, UNICEF warns

The Guardian examines child malnutrition in Chad, where "rising therapeutic feeding center admissions highlight the growing urgency of the situation in one of Sahel's driest, most remote areas."

12 Apr 2012

WHO publishes 'Programmatic Update' on use of ARVs to treat pregnant women, prevent PMTCT

The WHO "recently published a 'Programmatic Update' on the use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) to treat pregnant women and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT)," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

11 Apr 2012

Times of India examines how female health volunteers are improving maternal, child health in India

"In many parts of India, teenagers and housewives are now donning the garb of health volunteers and convincing pregnant women to deliver in hospitals, and not at homes," the Times of India reports, and profiles Lata Ravikar, "one of the many ordinary women who are leading a silent revolution in urban slums and villages across the country."

11 Apr 2012

Mothers tend to be more critical of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder

A new study from Case Western Reserve University finds mothers tend to be more critical of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder than they are of other children in the family. And, that parental criticism is linked to poorer outcomes for the child after treatment.

11 Apr 2012

Child Health News

Around a quarter of all babies born to unwed couples: CDC study

Flu shots offered to populations at risk at the beginning of season

Longer looks: Diagnosing autism in minutes; Finding new uses for old drugs; Cancer war victories

Dubai Cares makes $1M donation for deworming program in Angola

ALL induction treatment failure should not be an automatic indication for bone marrow transplant

Abnormally low level of SMN protein linked to movement problems in spinal muscular atrophy

Shoes play vital role in protecting children's health, development

Overweight moms with moderately high blood sugar raise health risk

Integrated programming necessary to address root causes of poverty, poor health

Scientists create reference guide for harmful germs in sand

Without scale-up of aid, Africa's Sahel region facing humanitarian crisis, U.N. warns

Online tool can accurately diagnose autism within minutes

Screen time linked with obesity in children

Act now 'to prevent tragedy' in Africa's Sahel food security crisis

GAVI Alliance secures deal to purchase rotavirus vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck

The urgency of autism: Progress in combating it, even as diagnoses increase

Children under five at risk of malnutrition, death from looming Sahel famine, UNICEF warns

WHO publishes 'Programmatic Update' on use of ARVs to treat pregnant women, prevent PMTCT

Times of India examines how female health volunteers are improving maternal, child health in India

Mothers tend to be more critical of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder

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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