Epidemiology
Dangerous Flu Comeback Expected atop COVID This Winter
COVID shutdowns limited the spread of influenza in 2019–2020. Several factors could mean this season will be more severe
Stories by Tara Haelle
Vaccines
COVID Vaccine Authorized for Kids Aged 5 to 11
The FDA’s decision to expand eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine to young kids could mean less illness, safer school and more freedom
Vaccines
When Will Kids’ COVID Vaccines Be Available?
Pfizer expects to have safety and efficacy data on five- to 11-year-olds by the end of the month, but federal authorities must still review it
History
Health Effects of 9/11 Still Plague Responders and Survivors
Those who were exposed to Ground Zero have increased rates of certain cancers and other health problems
Medicine
Adolescents Can Finally Get Vaccinated against COVID
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approval is younger teens’ shot at freedom
Medicine
Two-for-One: Chickenpox Vaccine Lowers Shingles Risk in Children
Immunization reduces the likelihood of a painful reemergence of the virus in kids
The Sciences
Shark Bites Are Up, but Attack Risk Is Down?
California coast visitors are now 91 percent less likely to be bitten by a great white than they were in 1950, in part because beach populations of humans have risen dramatically
Biotech
The INTERCEPT Blood System Rids Blood Donations of All Pathogens
Blood banks begin using the method in donations this summer as the northward spread of chikungunya continues
Health
Prime Suspect in Infant Deaths: Lack of Oxygen
The thinner, oxygen-poor air above 2,400 meters may be among the environmental stressors that increase the risk of SIDS
Mind & Brain
Meds Trump Therapy Recommendation for Treating ADHD
Guidelines that emphasize the need for behavioral therapies often go unheeded, although study results broken out by demographics were surprising
Mind & Brain
Misfolded Proteins Travel in Huntington’s Disease
The movement of proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases could serve as a target for future therapies
Health
More Parents Nixing Anti-Bleeding Shots for Their Newborns
Vitamin K injections, given after birth, can prevent potentially fatal hemorrhaging in infants, but anti-vax parents are extending their fears into a general rejection of all shots
Public Health
Delaying Vaccines Increases Risks--with No Added Benefits
Some parents delay vaccines out of a misinformed belief that it’s safer, but that decision actually increases the risk of a seizure after vaccination and leaves children at risk for disease longer...
The Sciences
ID’ing a Skull Just Got Easier
CT scans may soon link human remains to missing persons
Health
500 Drugs Updated with Directions for Child Use Since 2002
That’s the good news. Bad news: Half of drugs used in kids are still unlabeled, which is a problem because of the risk of improper dosing or usage
Medicine
Baboon Study Reveals New Shortcoming of Pertussis Vaccine
The shortcomings of the whooping cough vaccine may help explain the disease's resurgence
Public Health
Vaccination Opt-Outs Found to Contribute to Whooping Cough Outbreaks in Kids
Several factors may be contributing to recent whooping cough outbreaks, but parents’ refusal to immunize their children is one
Health
Expanded Clinical Definition of Anorexia May Help More Teens
The DSM-5 broadens the criteria for anorexia nervosa, but will the expanded definition of the illness help catch those who need help before their disease progresses too far?
Biology
Preschoolers Who Drink Daily Sodas Are More Likely to Be Obese by Age 5
In the wake of a failed New York City law to ban oversize sodas, new findings show the link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity starts as young as toddlerhood
Health
Childhood Concussion Studies Butt Heads
Second and third concussions take more recovery time, new research shows, but many concussions are not adequately identified in the first place
