An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend the emergency use of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for the country’s youngest children. The approvals come not a moment too soon: More than two years into the pandemic, children younger than 5 still have no vaccine…  read on >  read on >

A centuries-old mystery as to the origins of the Black Death has been solved, according to an international team of scientists. They said the plague pandemic that killed up to 60% of people in Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa in the mid-1300s originated in central Asia in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Plague first…  read on >  read on >

At least 13 infant deaths have been reported in Fisher-Price’s Infant-to-Toddler Rockers and Newborn-to-Toddler Rockers since 2009, while there has been one death reported with a Kids2 Bright Starts Rocker, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and both companies warned in new alerts issued Tuesday. Rockers should never be used for sleep, and infants…  read on >  read on >

An emergency committee of independent experts will meet next week to determine whether the growing monkeypox outbreak that’s spread to dozens of countries should be declared an international health emergency, the World Health Organization announced Tuesday. That’s the highest level of alert for viral outbreaks and doing so would mean that WHO views the normally…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend the agency approve the emergency use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 6 to 17. Despite the unanimous support, some panel members worried that trials of the vaccine were conducted before the emergence of the Omicron variant. They noted…  read on >  read on >

Overall use of insulin pumps among U.S. youngsters with type 1 diabetes has climbed in recent decades, but those who are poor or from minority groups are less likely to have the devices, a new study finds. Insulin pumps, which do away with the need for numerous painful injections, have been shown to improve control…  read on >  read on >

The first reported case of a cat giving COVID-19 to a person shouldn’t alarm pet owners, but a Canadian expert says it’s a reminder to take precautions. “I think it’s important for us to recognize this virus still can move between species,” veterinary specialist Dr. Scott Weese recently told the New York Times. The case…  read on >  read on >

The expression “plays well with others” is often tossed around to describe people who are less likely to ruffle feathers, and new research shows these sandbox skills really matter. It turns out that kids who play well with others in preschool are less likely to experience mental health issues as they grow up. The findings…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel will decide on Tuesday whether to recommend the agency approve the emergency use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 6 to 17. The panel will analyze Moderna’s two-dose vaccine for children aged 6 to 11 at half the strength of the adult shot, and for…  read on >  read on >