Category: Child Health
Measles cases surge worldwide, infecting 10.3 million people in 2023
An estimated 107,500 people, mostly children younger than 5 years of age, died due to measles in 2023.
Playing in mud and dirt can boost your child’s immune system – here’s how
Evidence suggests that exposure to the microbes in dirt might actually help children develop stronger immune systems – and may even decrease their risk of developing allergies and autoimmune diseases.
How parents and school communities can support autistic children as they head back to class
For parents of autistic children, addressing children’s potential anxiety or sensory triggers and having a plan to manage transitions are steps parents can take to promote a successful start to the school year.
More children are getting ACL injuries – here’s what could be done to prevent them
One particularly nasty sporting injury is damage to the ACL – the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, which attaches the thigh (femur) and shin (tibia) bones. ACL injuries have rocketed among children in England, and our research suggests that one cause of this is that children are not developing basic movement skills, such as jumping and hopping.
Infectious diseases spike when kids return to school − here’s what you can do about it
Ready or not, back-to-school season is here, and kids will be bringing home more than homework. They’ll be carrying germs, too.
Measles outbreak in Oregon continues to spread
The outbreak of 23 measles cases coincides with spreading cases of whooping cough, which have surpassed 400 this year
More than 321,000 U.S. children lost a parent to drug overdose from 2011 to 2021
The highest number of affected children were those with non-Hispanic white parents, but communities of color and tribal communities were disproportionately affected.
The autistic brain is different. It comes with limitations, but it also has its strengths.
DOH launchers interactive tool to connect people to Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program
WIC provides monthly food benefits with an emphasis on healthy grocery items like milk, fruits, and vegetables. The program also assists with health screenings and referrals, nutritional education, and breast/chest-feeding support. WIC is for people who are pregnant, recently delivered a baby, who are breast/chest-feeding, and infants and children under 5 years old. Dads, grandparents, foster parents, or other guardians may also apply for WIC for their children.
Stay Ahead of the Class: Ways to Get Your Family Caught Up on Vaccinations Before the New School Year Starts
Now’s the perfect time to make sure your child has the vaccinations they’ll need to start the new year without a hitch. Not only are vaccines required for school and childcare, they’re also one of the best tools you’ve got to help your child stay healthy and thrive, this year and beyond.
Obesity in children is rising dramatically, and it comes with major – and sometimes lifelong – health consequences
Without intervention, many obese adolescents will remain obese as adults. Even before adulthood, some children will have serious health problems beginning in their preteen years.
Millions of Kids Could Lose Health Coverage as States Purge Medicaid Rolls
Now that the COVID-19 public health emergency is ending, states are once again free to verify that enrollees are still qualified and cancel their coverage if they’re not. Experts warn that states could sever as many as 15 million Americans, including 7 million children, from the health coverage they relied on through the pandemic.
Gun Deaths Drive Historic Spike in Child Mortality Rates
After decades of steady improvement, the death rate of America’s children and teens shot up between 2019 and 2021 — and COVID-19 wasn’t the reason.
Child Vaccination Rates, Already Down Because of COVID, Fall Again
Child vaccination rates dipped into dangerous territory during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were shuttered, and most doctors were only seeing emergency patients. But instead of recovering after schools reopened in 2021, those historically low rates worsened. Experts fear that the skepticism of science and distrust of government that flared up during the pandemic are contributing to the decrease.
US birth rates are at record lows – even though the number of kids most Americans say they want has held steady
Birth rates are falling in the U.S.and are now close to the lowest level in a century. Is this decline because, as some suggest, young people aren’t interested in having children? Or are people facing increasing barriers to becoming parents?