It’s fun to playfully toss a toddler into the air, or tote a kid piggyback-style on your shoulders. But those delightful giggles may come with a risk of head injury from a typically overlooked hazard — the room’s ceiling fan. Each year U.S. emergency rooms treat about 2,300 children for head injuries caused by ceiling…  read on >  read on >

Public health officials are warning people about the risks of flesh-eating bacterial infections and how to avoid them after the deaths of three older adults on the northeast coast. Two of the deaths from vibriosis — an illness caused by the vibrio vulnificus bacteria — occurred in Connecticut residents. Two of the illnesses were connected…  read on >  read on >

THURSDAY, Aug. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) – The abortion pill mifepristone should remain legal in the United States, but with significant restrictions on access to it, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The decision, issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, effectively sets the stage for a showdown…  read on >  read on >

When teens vape, their lungs pay a price, researchers report. The warning stems from a detailed analysis of smoking habit histories shared by just over 2,000 U.S. teens during a series of recent annual surveys. The upshot: When compared with teens who’ve never vaped, those who reported using electronic cigarettes in the month prior to…  read on >  read on >

Research into a possible link between childhood health problems and natural gas wells in western Pennsylvania is wrapping up with some answers. Children who lived near these wells were more likely to develop rare lymphoma, the research found. In addition, residents of all ages near the wells had increased risk of severe asthma reactions, the…  read on >  read on >

America’s emergency rooms are being flooded by children suffering from psychiatric emergencies like anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts, a new joint report from three leading medical associations warns. This surge in pediatric mental health emergencies has overwhelmed ERs in the United States, says the joint paper from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),…  read on >  read on >

New hospitalizations for Americans with severe COVID are climbing once again. The number of patients being admitted to hospitals has grown for each of the past four weeks, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows. Southeastern states have been hit the hardest. In the week ending Aug. 5, the United States had 10,320…  read on >  read on >

All infants should receive the new long-acting preventive monoclonal antibody for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the nation’s leading pediatrics group said. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged that access to the new medication, called nirsevimab, be equitable. RSV is common, contagious and sometimes deadly, the AAP said. The antibody boosts the immune system. The…  read on >  read on >