Study: 2 Million Babies And Mothers Die At Birth
The study, released Tuesday at the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics world congress being held in Cape Town, also showed that such deaths could be easily avoided.
“The world will continue to miss the unheard cry of the 230 babies who die every hour from childbirth complications,” unless there is better planning and implementation of policies, according to the study.
Some 1.02 million babies are stillborn and another 904,000 die soon after birth. By comparison, 820,000 children die from malaria and 208,000 die from HIV/AIDS worldwide.
About 42 percent of the worlds 536,000 maternal deaths also occur during childbirth, according to the [...]
2 Government Studies Discover Autism Disorders In 1 In 100 Us Children
Greater awareness, broader definitions and spotting autism in younger children may explain some of the increase, federal health officials said.
“The concern here is that buried in these numbers is a true increase,” said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. “Were going to have to think very hard about what were going to do for the 1 in 100.”
Figuring out how many children have autism is extremely difficult because diagnosis is based on a childs behavior, said Dr. Susan E. Levy of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics [...]
Candy, Chocolate In Kids Makes For Violent Adults, Study Says
Researchers from Cardiff University found that 10-year-olds who got daily treats were more likely to have been convicted for violence by age 34, according to a study that will appear in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
The study is the first to examine the effects of childhood diet on adult violence, according to an e-mailed press release from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Others have established a link between food additives and hyperactive behavior.
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Mctriage: Hospitals Use Drive-thrus For Swine Flu
Call it McTriage. And yes, you can get Tamiflu with that - if youre sick enough to need it. Most people arent.
The idea behind these efforts is to keep coughing, feverish people out of regular emergency rooms, where they can infect heart attack victims and other very sick patients. The need has soared in recent weeks as flu has spread among schoolchildren before vaccine is available.
In Austin, Texas, Dell Childrens Medical Center had nearly 400 ER visits on Sunday alone, mostly kids with swine flu. Dozens were diverted to two tents outside, and there are plans to add a third.
In [...]
More Than Half Million Kids Get Bad Drug Reactions
Children younger than age 5 are most commonly affected. Penicillin and other prescription antibiotics are among drugs causing the most problems, including rashes, stomachaches and diarrhea.
Parents should pay close attention when their children are started on medicines since “first-time medication exposures may reveal an allergic reaction,” said lead author Dr. Florence Bourgeois, a pediatrician with Childrens Hospital in Boston.
Doctors also should tell parents about possible symptoms for a new medication, she said.
The study appears in Octobers Pediatrics, released Monday.
Its based on national statistics on patients visits to clinics and emergency rooms between 1995 and 2005. The number of children treated [...]
Drugmaker Reports Shortage Of Kids Tamiflu
Switzerland-based Roche Holdings is sending a notice to doctors and pharmacists about a shortage of the liquid version of Tamiflu for children and how to handle prescriptions in the meantime.
The company has been facing increasing demand for Tamiflu since swine flu first appeared in April, and has decided to focus production on adult-strength pills, which it can make faster than childrens formulations, company spokeswoman Kristina Becker said Wednesday.
The adult-dosage pills are still in good supply, and pharmacies can grind them and turn them into smaller doses for children, she said.
Tamiflu is one of two drugs that work against swine flu. [...]
Day Care Centers Urged to Be Vigilant Against Flu
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines Friday for day care programs that echo the advice for schools: Kids need vaccine - against both regular flu and the new swine flu - and they should stay home when theyre sick. Dont return until 24 hours after a fever naturally subsides.
“If your child comes down with the flu, we hope you plan to keep them home and not share this with their playmates,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.
The guidelines urge day care providers to do a quick health check every day, looking for children with flu-like [...]
Cdc Study: Swine Flu Fatalities Higher In Older Kids
At least 40 children have died, accounting for about one in 13 U.S. swine flu deaths, scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Two-thirds of those already had high-risk health problems, confirming what officials have been saying about who is most vulnerable to swine flu.
It is not clear whether the new virus is more dangerous than ordinary seasonal flu for kids, though some health officials suspect it is. But the analysis shows some preliminary and important differences:
- Normally, half or more of the children who die of the flu are 4 and under. But more than [...]
Lead Poisoning May Cause Lower Iq For Kids Near China Smelter
They may also have impaired kidney function and anemia, said Michael Moore, who advised the Australian government as a former director at Australias National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology. The extent of damage depends on how long they have been breathing in lead-contaminated air, he said.
Children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can hurt brain function, the World Health Organization said. More than 1,350 children living near a manganese smelter in central Hunan province were found to have as much as 499 micrograms of lead [...]
Cdc: Lead Dust In Cars Source Of Kids Poisoning
Government health officials said Thursday the six cases are the first ever attributed to lead dust on childhood safety seats. The car seats themselves werent the source; the inside of family cars were contaminated through a parents workplace.
Parents got lead dust on their clothes at work and then shed it in the cars, said Tina Bernier of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Adults who work in paint removal should change and shower before getting in their cars to go home. However, the Maine families with lead-poisoned children said their employers didnt provide places to do that, Bernier said.
Lead [...]