A highly infectious strain of avian influenza is tearing through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, causing egg prices to rise as sick chickens are culled across the United States. Now, some experts are worried that the H5N1 avian flu might become humankind’s next pandemic-causing pathogen, if the raging virus makes the leap from birds to…  read on >  read on >

Doctors have dubbed kids’ progression from eczema to asthma the “atopic march,” and they know more about how it affects white children than their Black counterparts. Research scheduled for presentation at an upcoming meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) sheds new light on racial disparities. The atopic march typically begins…  read on >  read on >

A growing number of U.S. kids are landing in hospital emergency rooms for a mental health crisis. Now a new study finds that many do not get follow-up care after they’re discharged. Experts said the findings, published Feb. 13 in the journal Pediatrics, are yet more evidence of the cracks in the nation’s mental health…  read on >  read on >

Exposure to wildfire smoke can increase the risk of premature birth, new research suggests. For the study, the researchers reviewed birth certificates and hospital delivery data for more than 2.5 million pregnant women in California from 2007 to 2012, and used satellite images and ZIP codes to compare daily estimates of wildfire smoke intensity. The…  read on >  read on >

FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) – New research links cannabis use in the first trimester of pregnancy to poor outcomes, closely related to functioning of the placenta. This is important information given that more U.S. states are legalizing marijuana for recreational use, researchers said. The study findings were presented Thursday at a meeting of…  read on >  read on >

Watching the big game on a big TV? Keep safety in mind if young children are around. Seven of 10 fatal furniture tip-over incidents in children involve a falling television, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns. Its latest report on furniture-related tip-over incidents turned up an annual average of 19,400 tip-over injuries treated…  read on >  read on >

Healthy young people who vape or smoke may be putting themselves at greater risk for developing severe COVID, new research finds. Both smoking tobacco and vaping electronic cigarettes may predispose people to increased inflammation, future development of severe COVID-19 and lingering cardiovascular complications, said lead study author Dr. Theodoros Kelesidis. He’s an associate professor of…  read on >  read on >