(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 >