As COVID-19 continues to grip the United States, parents need to plan ahead to keep their children safe on Halloween, experts say. Kids aged 12 and older are eligible for COVID shots, but many haven’t been vaccinated. Those under 12 aren’t yet eligible for vaccination. “Some families organized a family movie night, held virtual costume…  read on >  read on >

Your Jack-o’-Lantern may be more than scary — it could be dangerous. Pumpkin carving is the leading cause of injuries associated with Halloween, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Between October and November 2018 in the United States, 44% of Halloween-linked injuries were connected with pumpkin-carving activities. More than one-quarter of Halloween-related injuries…  read on >  read on >

Gun violence sky-rocketed by more than 30% across the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 39,000 injuries and deaths nationwide involved a gun in the year starting in February 2019 — and that number shot up to more than 51,000 between March 2020 and March 2021, according to nationwide figures…  read on >  read on >

Liver disease is usually associated with alcoholism or hepatitis, but obesity and diabetes are becoming an even more dire threat for potentially fatal liver damage, a new study reveals. In fact, advanced fatty liver disease increases a person’s risk of death by nearly sevenfold, according to a new report. But it’s a silent killer —…  read on >  read on >

You’ve probably heard that getting better sleep can be good for your waistline. The same appears to be true for your baby. Newborns who get more sleep and wake up less during the night are less likely to become overweight in infancy, according to a just-published study. “While an association between insufficient sleep and weight…  read on >  read on >