News
Research ties long COVID in kids to chronic school absenteeism, learning problems
2+ hour, 3+ min ago (489+ words) A large Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'study suggests that US school-aged children diagnosed as having long COVID are at 2.5 times the risk of related chronic absenteeism compared with those without the condition.' The study, published last week in Emerging…...
Economic hardship, adverse social conditions may put kids at higher risk for long COVID
1+ week, 1+ day ago (682+ words) Long COVID may be more common in school-aged children whose families experience financial instability and challenging social conditions, University of California'led researchers write in JAMA Pediatrics." The team analyzed data from the federally funded Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER)…...
Maternal flu, Tdap vaccination cuts risk of infant hospitalization, ED visits 70% to 89%, researchers estimate
1+ week, 4+ day ago (459+ words) The influenza and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough; Tdap) vaccines are an estimated 69.7% and 88.6% effective against flu- or pertussis-related hospitalizations or emergency department (ED) visits, respectively, among the infants of vaccinated mothers, although with considerable uncertainty, per an observational…...
Prenatal antibiotics linked to higher risk of group B streptococcus in newborns
1+ week, 6+ day ago (778+ words) A population-based cohort study in Sweden suggests prenatal antibiotic exposure is associated with increased risk of group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease in newborns, researchers reported last week in the Journal of Infection. "Given the widespread use of antibiotics during pregnancy…...
Boston reports first pediatric flu deaths since 2013 as flu illness surges across US
1+ week, 6+ day ago (571+ words) Two young children are dead from flu complications in Boston, city officials said yesterday, noting that these are the first pediatric flu deaths in the city since 2013." The two children were both under the age of 2 years; earlier this week,…...
RSV confers similar risk of poor outcomes in hospitalized patients as flu over time, data suggest
3+ week, 22+ hour ago (546+ words) The retrospective'study, published last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases, used claims data from October 2015 to June 2023 to compare clinical outcomes among US adults aged 50 and older hospitalized for RSV or flu with those of controls without ARI. The average ages…...
Study finds that despite broad COVID vaccine availability, COVID still deadlier than flu in hospitalized patients
4+ week, 2+ day ago (548+ words) While the mortality gap between COVID-19 and influenza has narrowed since the onset of the pandemic, COVID continues to carry a substantially higher short-term risk of death than seasonal flu despite the availability of a COVID vaccine, according to a'large…...
COVID lockdowns may have slowed toddler development, while reopenings tied to better mental health in older kids
1+ mon, 5+ day ago (740+ words) A pair of analyses on the effects of COVID-related public health measures on children ties lockdowns and physical distancing to developmental delays among toddlers in Scotland and school reopenings to improved mental health in California students. A University of Edinburgh'led…...
RSV tied to heart problems, breathing issues well after infection in adults
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (754+ words) Viktoriia Hnatiuk / iStock Two studies shed new light on the long-term effects of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults, with one linking infection to an additional five cardiovascular events per 100 patients in the year after diagnosis, and the other suggesting…...
Days ahead of ACIP meeting, chair moves to senior HHS position
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (538+ words) Th'r'se Soukar / Wikimedia Commons With the next meeting of federal vaccine advisers set to kick off later this week, the current chair of the group has been promoted to a new role in the Department of Health and Human Services…...