(HealthDay News) – It’s important to find the right OB-GYN to guide you through some of life’s greatest joys and troubles. An obstetrician-gynecologist works with women through family planning, pregnancy, childbirth, aging, menopause and sometimes life-threatening diseases. It’s important that your personalities mesh. “You have to feel comfortable sharing intimate details of your life with…  read on >  read on >

While overall support for childhood vaccines remains strong, a new UNICEF report documents a significant decline in the public’s faith in the importance of these vaccines. Confidence in childhood immunizations dropped by up to 44 percentage points in some countries during the pandemic, according to the report. Meanwhile, 67 million children missed one or more…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – This past winter delivered a surge in strep infections, including more serious cases, a new analysis shows. After two years of very low levels of strep infections during the pandemic, the number of strep infections is now almost 30% higher than the most recent peak, which was in 2017, the report found.…  read on >  read on >

A new Australian study found that children who had COVID-19 during the first couple of years of the pandemic could be safely treated at home, taking the burden off hospitals. Children who had COVID-19 with moderate symptoms or preexisting high-risk conditions could be treated effectively via a Hospital-in-the-Home (HITH) program, according to the study. The…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, April 19, 2023While mild cases make up the majority of autism diagnoses, “profound” autism affects about 27% of American children with the developmental disability, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. This is the first time the CDC has broken down that definition statistically. Children with profound autism are nonverbal, minimally…  read on >  read on >

Young teens who vape and smoke cigarettes may be setting themselves up to be heavy smokers by the time they are older teens, a new study suggests. The researchers chalked it up to what they called the “entrenchment hypothesis.” “There has been a lot of attention on restricting e-cigarettes, so that they do not serve…  read on >  read on >

Health care facilities remain one of the last places left in the United States with COVID-era mask requirements still in effect. It’s time for that to end, experts say. A prestigious collection of infection disease experts and epidemiologists say universal masking requirements in health care settings should be lifted, according to a commentary they published…  read on >  read on >