Sharing food and smooching are two ways babies can suss out whom they can depend on to take care for them, a new study suggests. The tell-tale clue common to both is a surprising one: saliva. “Babies don’t know in advance which relationships are the close and morally obligating ones, so they have to have…  read on >  read on >

Having a child with type 1 diabetes can be a challenging health condition for parents to manage, but new research suggests an “artificial pancreas” system may beat standard treatment in controlling the blood sugar disease in young children. Forms of the technology — which automatically monitors and regulates blood sugar — are already available for…  read on >  read on >

If you need more proof that a third shot of COVID vaccine is needed, new British research confirms that boosters can “neutralize” the virus’ Omicron variant. To arrive at that conclusion, they analyzed 620 blood samples from 364 health care workers and staff at the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research…  read on >  read on >

Think your prior bout of COVID shields you enough from another encounter with the coronavirus? New research suggests that adding in vaccination is still your best bet. A combination of vaccination and prior infection offers the most optimal protection against infection with COVID-19, a new government study shows. Researchers analyzed data on infections in New…  read on >  read on >

A rare and serious inflammatory condition called MIS-C can strike kids weeks after they’ve recovered from their COVID infection. But now there’s good news for parents: Children tend to recover completely from any heart injury within three months of falling ill, a new study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) shows. “Although it can…  read on >  read on >

If COVID-19 vaccines and medicines are shared equally worldwide, the pandemic could ease this year, a top World Health Organization official said Tuesday. However, if wealthier countries don’t share their resources with poorer countries, there will continue to be high rates of deaths and hospitalizations, warned Dr. Michael Ryan, head of emergencies at WHO. “What…  read on >  read on >

Breastfeeding moms can rest easier: New research finds no evidence their milk transmits the virus that causes COVID-19 to their babies. “Breast milk is an invaluable source of nutrition to infants,” said lead author Dr. Paul Krogstad of the University of California, Los Angeles. “In our study, we found no evidence that breast milk from…  read on >  read on >

It’s too soon to determine whether Omicron’s rapid spread will turn a pandemic virus into an endemic disease, America’s top infectious disease expert says. That “would only be the case if we don’t get another variant that eludes the immune response to the prior variant,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week during the Davos Agenda,…  read on >  read on >