Children Denied Immunizations At Increased Risk Of Whooping Cough

Children of parents who refuse vaccines are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared to fully immunized children, according to a new study led by a vaccine research team at Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s Institute for Health Research.

The study will appear in the June 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, this is the first study to use electronic health records to look for immunization refusal and possible pertussis infections, making it the most definitive on the risk of vaccine refusal to date.

Unvaccinated Children At Higher Risk Of Whooping Cough

New research from the US suggests that children whose parents won’t let them be vaccinated are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared to children who are fully immunized.

The study was led by a vaccine research team at Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s Institute for Health Research in Denver and was published online in Pediatrics on 26 May.

The researchers wrote that most parents have their children vaccinated, and this has led to a dramatic fall in numbers of children with serious childhood diseases, but despite this, the number of parents who don’t want their children to be vaccinated appears to be rising in the US.

Risk Factors For LRTIs In Inuit Children Identified In First Of Its Kind Study

Inuit children have the highest rate of hospital admission for Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) globally, but new research shows that lowering risk factors though public health interventions and an enhanced immunization program could improve health for Inuit children and lower health care costs significantly. The first-of-its-kind case control research was conducted by Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital.

What Will Happen to the Children or Person?

Question:

What is the possible result of a person or children who is being contacted by the person who was undertreated with the radioactive iodine?i am more concerned with my children and families.

Answer:

Thank you for contacting Net Wellness. Without knowing what dosage or what the treatment goal was for the radioactive iodine, I can only provide some general guidelines.

There are no special precautions when used in small doses, but with large doses used to treat cancer or an overactive thyroid, you may be advised to have to follow some specific guidelines for 28 to 96 hours. To reduce exposure to other persons, you should:

Exploring Mobility For Disabled Children

If your child needs to use a wheelchair, whether temporarily following illness or surgery or for longer-term disability, it is important they feel confident to move about safely. At this year’s national Mobility Roadshow that takes place at Kemble Airfield near Cirencester on 4, 5 and 6 June the Association of Wheelchair Children will be holding wheelchair skills workshops for children. In half hour sessions they will teach practical skills – ascending and descending kerbs, slopes, negotiating roads, moving backwards and forwards – empowering them with the ability to assess risk and to move safely and confidently about their homes and neighbourhoods. These sessions are equally useful for parents and carers.

Cousin-marriage Children Under Greater Threat From Infectious Disease

Human populations where close relatives marry are more likely to suffer from infectious diseases. Novel research published in the journal Biology Letters shows that populations in The Gambia-where around a third of marriages are between second cousins-are more susceptible to diseases such as hepatitis B and tuberculosis (TB).

“Consanguinity is the extent to which two individuals are related when they marry, so we talk about consanguineous relationships, for example, when two second cousins marry,” says corresponding author Professor William Amos from the University of Cambridge. There are a number of populations worldwide where second cousin marriages are common and even encouraged. Scientists already know that some heritable conditions such as heart defects are commoner in these populations, but this study is the first to look at the effects of consanguinity on infectious diseases.

UNICEF Delivers Supplies For Children Suffering As A Result Of Critical Shortages Of Food, Fuel And Medicine In Gaza

In an effort to reduce the suffering faced by children in Gaza, UNICEF is delivering urgent supplies of food, fuel and medicine to Gaza hospitals.

Hospitals are struggling to cope with the current crises, lacking medical staff, drugs, equipment and space to treat wounded civilians. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that even before the latest round of hostilities started, 105 items on the essential drug list were nearly depleted. The main hospital, Shifa, is reportedly using four obstetric wards as surgery rooms and has stopped admitting women for deliveries. Only half of Gaza’s 58 ambulances are operational.

NO Help: Nitric Oxide Monitoring Does Not Help Most Children With Asthma

The level of nitric oxide (NO) in an asthmatic’s exhaled breath can portend worsening asthma symptoms, and may even signify an imminent attack linked to underlying airway inflammation. This has made the monitoring of NO levels, particularly in children, of significant interest as a potential way to help clinicians fine-tune medications and improve treatment outcomes. However, a recent multi-center prospective study found that calibrating medications based on daily monitoring of the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and symptoms in asthmatic children showed no significant improvement over medicating based on daily symptom monitoring alone.

Cough And Cold Medicines Not For Children Under 6, Says Health Canada

Manufacturers in Canada will have to relabel OTC (over-the-counter) cough and cold medicines that have pediatric dosing information to indicate that these medications should not be given to children under six years of age.

Health Canada says the products affected are those that contain any of the active ingredients listed below that are administered orally (via the mouth).

Active Ingredients Affected by Health Canada’s Decision on Cough and Cold Products for Children

Papers Examine Effects Of Expanded Eligibility In Public Health Insurance Program For Older Children, Medicare Spending; More

“Has Public Health Insurance for Older Children Reduced Disparities in Access to Care and Health Outcomes?” Journal of Health Economics: The paper examines the effects of expanding public health insurance programs for older children. The paper analyzes data from the National Health Interview Survey from 1986 to 2005 and finds that income became a less important predictor of the health statuses of children ages nine to 17 in recent years. In addition, the report finds that while eligibility for public health insurance programs improves current utilization of preventive care, it has little effect on a person’s current health status. In addition, the paper finds some evidence that Medicaid eligibility in early childhood has positive effects on future health, which suggests that early and adequate care puts children on a course for better health as they grow (Currie et al., Journal of Health Economics, December 2008).