Children's Health

Premature birth is the leading cause of infant death in the U.S. and also can cause lifelong disabilities.

Premature Births Rise Once Again, Despite Efforts To Prevent Them

3:49pm November 01, 2016

by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

Being born too soon puts babies at risk of lifelong disabilities, and it is the leading cause of infant death. It's not clear why the numbers are going up, but lack of health care is one factor.

Many Parents Reluctant To Test Newborn DNA For Disease Risk

6:21pm October 31, 2016

by Mary Harris

We're getting closer to the day when doctors can check a baby's entire genetic code to look for diseases that might develop during childhood or even later. But some parents are reluctant to do these tests.

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Doctors are studying whether sequencing a newborn's genome has any impact on the child's future health.

Would You Want To Know The Secrets Hidden In Your Baby's Genes?

3:55pm October 31, 2016

by Mary Harris

A study offering the parents of newborns a scan of thousands of the baby's genes raises a big question: Do you want this kind of information on disease risk in your child's permanent record?

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Teenagers are most at risk for opioid poisoning, but the rate more than doubled for toddlers from 1997 to 2012.

More Children Are Being Poisoned By Prescription Opioids

3:38pm October 31, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

Whether it's toddlers mistaking pills for candy or teenagers taking opioids on purpose, the huge rise in access to opioid painkillers has led to more children being poisoned and hospitalized.

300 Million Children Are Breathing 'Extremely Toxic' Air, UNICEF Says

3:24pm October 31, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Altogether, some 2 billion children worldwide are breathing air that has been deemed a "long term hazard," a report finds. Pollution contributes to around 600,000 deaths annually of kids under age 5.

Children's photos that parents have posted online have ended up in advertisements and on pornography sites.

Do Parents Invade Children's Privacy When They Post Photos Online?

10:34am October 28, 2016

by Tara Haelle

The kids look so darned cute in that photo, it's hard not to post it online for all to see. But there are privacy risks to sharing children's images, and children often don't want the exposure.

Joseph Blackman, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, at work in Miami. Mosquitoes infected with Zika are now spreading the illness in at least four different parts of the city, according to federal health officials.

Zika May Be In The U.S. To Stay

5:18pm October 26, 2016

by Greg Allen

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now urges pregnant women to "consider postponing travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County." Zika is on the way to becoming an endemic disease in the U.S.

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An Alternative To The EpiPen Is Coming Back To Drugstores

10:47am October 26, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The Auvi-Q epinephrine injector was pulled from the market in 2015 because of quality concerns. Now, the drug's maker says the problems have been solved and Auvi-Q will be available again in 2017.

The window seat may be a safer spot for small children than along the aisle. Plus there's the view.

For Babies On A Plane, Hot Drinks And Co-Sleeping Pose A Risk

5:47pm October 25, 2016

by Erin Ross

Airplanes are a remarkably safe way to travel, but small children can be injured while aloft. Skipping the hot coffee and putting small ones in the window seat can help, pediatricians say.

This happens, pediatricians acknowledge. So they're offering advice on how to reduce the risk of bed sharing with infants, which includes removing loose bedding that could lead to suffocation.

New Guidelines Acknowledge The Reality: Babies Do Sleep In Mom's Bed

2:12pm October 25, 2016

by Tara Haelle

There's no question bed sharing increases the risk of sudden death, pediatricians say. New guidelines are aimed at reducing that risk as much as possible in the first year of a child's life.