Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant may need to forgo coffee, tea, sodas and other sources of caffeine. A new data analysis finds no safe level of the drug during this time. “The cumulative scientific evidence supports pregnant women and women contemplating pregnancy being advised to avoid caffeine,” concluded study author Jack… read on >
Fall is approaching, and so is the possibility of what public health officials are calling a “twindemic” — overlapping epidemics of both COVID-19 and influenza. A bad flu season coupled with continued COVID-19 outbreaks could increase people’s risk of fatal illness and overwhelm hospital capacity in communities already scrambling to treat coronavirus patients, experts say.… read on >
The Trump administration has blocked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from regulating a wide swath of laboratory tests, including ones for the coronavirus. The new policy, which was posted Wednesday and is strongly opposed by the FDA itself, stunned health experts and laboratories because of its timing, the Washington Post reported. The change could… read on >
Here’s some reassuring news for pregnant women: In-person doctor visits don’t appear to make them vulnerable to COVID-19, a new study indicates. It included thousands of Massachusetts women who had babies at four Boston-area hospitals between April 19 and June 27, 2020. In the spring of 2020, there was a surge in COVID-19 cases in… read on >
Child abuse reports have plunged during the coronavirus pandemic, a troubling sign that the constraints of social distancing may mean thousands of cases are being missed, a new survey suggests. The survey, conducted by the Children’s National Alliance, found that children’s advocacy centers across the country reported serving 40,000 fewer children nationwide during the first… read on >
The largest study of its kind finds that children can carry exceedingly high amounts of the new coronavirus, even in the absence of symptoms. Researchers say that could make them ideal “silent spreaders” of COVID-19, throwing the safety of reopening schools into question. “If schools were to reopen fully without necessary precautions, it is likely… read on >
Back-to-school season can be a time of stress for many kids — even in the best of times. But pandemic fears add to the anxiety many kids will experience with the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, according to David FitzGerald, a child and adolescent psychologist at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn. “COVID-19’s continued presence… read on >
High levels of air pollution may increase young children’s risk of developing asthma and persistent wheezing, researchers warn. The findings “support emerging evidence that exposure to air pollution might influence the development of asthma,” according to a report by Torben Sigsgaard, of Aarhus University in Denmark, and colleagues. For the new study, the researchers analyzed… read on >
With the likelihood that many kids will be taught remotely this fall, all children are bound to face obstacles to their learning and development. But kids with disabilities often require more support, some of which cannot be delivered remotely. “The burden of stress on the families of children with disabilities is significant, and even more… read on >
As the school year begins across America under the shadow of COVID-19, a new survey shows most parents are feeling overwhelmed and abandoned. Just 1 in 7 parents said their children would be returning to school full time this fall, and most children need help with remote schooling, The New York Times survey released Wednesday… read on >
