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Tag: Children

Lead testing declines in NH children, health officials say
Health

Lead testing declines in NH children, health officials say

New Hampshire health officials say fewer children have been tested for lead exposure in recent years.Under state guidelines, children should have their lead levels checked at least once before age 2 and again before age 6. Health officials said children are at risk in New Hampshire because the state has a large number of older homes that have paint that contains lead."The main source of elevated lead levels is lead-based paint," said Dr. Jonathan Ballard, chief medical officer for the Department of Health and Human Services. "Older homes have a significant amount of lead-based paint, and that can cause exposure to children unknowingly."Doctors said the threat to children is significant because even small amounts of exposure to lead can lead to serious health problems.Children youn...
Health Crisis Leads Scores of Yanomami to Roam the Streets
Health

Health Crisis Leads Scores of Yanomami to Roam the Streets

BOA VISTA, Brazil (AP) — From a distance, the small group lying on the sidewalk outside the city market could be confused with hundreds of homeless people spread through Boa Vista.But they are Yanomami, an Indigenous people from the Amazon rainforest who traditionally live in relative isolation. Years of neglect during the previous government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro led to a health crisis that got worse while illegal gold miners swarmed into their territory. Dozens of Yanomami ended up roaming in the region’s largest city.The eldest ones in a group living in Boa Vista's food market are a couple — Oma Yanomami, 46, and Bonita Yanomami, 35. Both are from the Koroasipiitheri community, only accessible by air. In September, they were medivaced to Boa Vista to accompany their 3...
US News to adjust standards for hospital rankings
News

US News to adjust standards for hospital rankings

U.S. News and World Report is shifting its standards for rankings starting with the 2023-24 "Best Hospitals" and "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings to be published this summer. The rankings will now put more weight on clinical outcomes and objective measures of quality and less weight on the organization's opinion survey of physicians, according to a Feb. 8 news release from U.S. News. "Our decision was informed by discussions with numerous stakeholders, including hospital leaders and medical experts in diverse specialties," the release said. "While studies indicate that patients consider provider reputation when choosing where to receive care, medical professionals, whom we regularly consult with, generally agreed that subjective data should play a lesser role in determining the U....
2nd Colorado Library Closes Due to Meth Contamination
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2nd Colorado Library Closes Due to Meth Contamination

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For the second time in a month, a Colorado library has closed its doors to clean up methamphetamine contamination.Officials in the Denver suburb of Englewood shut down the city library last week within a couple of hours of getting test results Wednesday showing that the contamination in the facility's restrooms exceeded state thresholds, city spokesman Chris Harguth said.Other spaces such as countertops also tested positive for lower levels of the drug and will require specialized cleaning, he said. The larger-scale remediation work will include removing tainted surfaces, walls, ductwork and exhaust fan equipment.The city of about 33,000 just south of Denver decided to test for the drug after officials in the nearby college town of Boulder closed its main library...
FDA Authorizes Updated COVID-19 Booster Shots for Children as Young as 6 Months | Health News
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FDA Authorizes Updated COVID-19 Booster Shots for Children as Young as 6 Months | Health News

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday expanded access to the updated COVID-19 booster shot to children as young as 6 months old.“More children now have the opportunity to update their protection against COVID-19 with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, and we encourage parents and caregivers of those eligible to consider doing so – especially as we head into the holidays and winter months where more time will be spent indoors,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.The FDA said that children 5 years old and younger who received two doses of Moderna’s vaccine more than two months ago are eligible for the company’s updated booster shot. Children 4 years old and younger who haven’t yet received the third dose in Pfizer’s three-shot program will receive its updated booster as t...
COVID-19 impact on young people’s mental health could result in increased demand for support services
Health

COVID-19 impact on young people’s mental health could result in increased demand for support services

The first comprehensive study to evaluate research on the mental health of children and young people using evidence that spanned before and during COVID-19 has found an impact on mental health that could result in an increased demand for support services. The research, led by the University of Exeter and the University of Cambridge, is the first to examine research that has information on young people's mental health before and during the pandemic. The study gives more insight into changes in mental health of children and young people of various ages across the globe during the pandemic. The study is published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) with some support from NIHR PenARC. Res...
New consortium aims to address the impacts of heat exposure on maternal, newborn and child health
Health

New consortium aims to address the impacts of heat exposure on maternal, newborn and child health

A new consortium involving the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has launched to address key knowledge gaps around the quantification and monitoring of the direct and indirect impacts of heat exposure on maternal, newborn and child health. LSHTM was awarded £1.7 million by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of €10 million in funding from the European Union (EU). The LSHTM research team will work closely with the World Health Organization and eight other partners across the EU and sub-Saharan Africa: Universiteit Gent, Belgium; Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Ltd, South Africa; Centre For Sexual Health and HIV and AIDS Research, Zimbabwe; Aga Khan Health Service Kenya Lbg, Kenya; Lunds Universitet, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Danmarks ...
one health heroine’s work to improve community health
Health

one health heroine’s work to improve community health

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us what inspired your career as a doctor? Born and raised in Mali, Dr. Mariam has dedicated her life to caring for the health of her community, particularly regarding child mortality. When it came to university, Mariam initially hoped to study engineering. However, this changed when she repeatedly witnessed her family's inability to access timely care for her siblings, resulting in the loss of three sisters. She began her medical career by attending the University of Bamako's Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry and graduated in 2007. After graduation, she set out to improve the socio-health outcomes of Malians living in vulnerable communities, focusing on providing quality and timely maternal and child health servic...
New report highlights the health impacts of air pollution in Africa
Health

New report highlights the health impacts of air pollution in Africa

Nearly all the African continent faces some of the most severe health impacts in the world caused by air pollution, with several countries experiencing some of the highest levels of air pollution in the world, according to a new report published by the U.S.-based research organization Health Effects Institute (HEI). The new report, The State of Air Quality and Health Impacts in Africa, provides a comprehensive analysis of major air pollution sources and related health impacts in the continent of more than 1.2 billion people. Released just before the U.N.'s upcoming COP27 Climate Change Conference in Egypt, the report finds that air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death across the continent. Africa is home to five of the top ten most heavily polluted countr...