Childhood Diseases | Health News RSS

Rotavirus Vaccine Has Proven Success

Many children and even those around them are being rewarded from the oral Rotateq vaccine offered by Merck & Co. The vaccine seems to have had great success preventing many cases of the rotavirus, the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea in children, since the vaccine's release to the market in 2006.

Simple Air Circulation Could Help to Prevent SIDS

When preparing the nursery for your new arrival, adding a fan to the list of necessities may be beneficial. A fan could help to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the number one killer of infants from one month to one year old. When placing a box fan in both of my boy’s rooms, to help drown out background noise, I didn’t realize I was helping to prevent SIDS, but thank goodness, it may have aided in the prevention of the very scary infant killer.

Acid Reflux May Trigger Chronic Croup

Although croup is usually not a serious condition, it can be scary for both children and parents. It most commonly affects children between the ages of six months and three years, and is most likely to occur during the fall, winter and early spring. Most croup is thought to be caused by the same virus that causes the common cold, but similar symptoms may sometimes be caused by bacteria or an allergic reaction.

Bacteria Now Being Linked to SIDS

It is a parent's worst nightmare to know that their healthy infant suddenly is gone with no rhyme or reason. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the culprit in these deaths, has long been one of medicine's big mysteries. There may be some new answers to the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and bacterias that could play a big part.

Some new results of an autopsy study indicate that approximately 10 percent of all cases involving sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS), the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria can be found in sites that are normally sterile.

Study Finds No Link Between MMR Vaccine and Autism

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, better known as MMR, has been a controversial issue since 1998 when a study by physician Andrew Wakefield drew a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. His theory suggested that the live measles virus contained in the vaccine could gravitate to the intestines and linger there causing inflammation that could ultimately result in lifelong gastrointestinal problems and neurological damage. Since then, there have been several studies that have dismissed a link between the vaccine and autism.

Could Abuse Be Linked to Childhood Asthma?

Could children who have experienced sexual or physical abuse have a higher chance of developing asthma than those children who do not go through this? According to a new study, that will be in the first issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in September, this is a high possibility.

Can Type-One Diabetes Be Erased?

Unfortunately insulin needles, blood sugar monitors, alcohol swabs, band-aids, and a strict diet are also on many children's list of back-to-school items. Over 20 million children and adults in the United States are living with type-one diabetes and there is currently no cure or any preventative measures. Diabetes is a dangerously complex disease, robbing bodies of their ability to store and burn sugar.

National Vital Statistics Report: U.S. Infant Mortality Rates

In an effort to understand the overall differences in infant mortality rates among different ethnic, age-specific and socioeconomic groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiles information based on infant birth and death certificates for infants under one year of age in all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Asthma Prevalence Differs By Gender

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, he or she is not alone. As the most common chronic illness in children today, asthma affects an estimated 9 million children in the United States under the age of 18. It is well known that boys are more likely than girls to be affected by the illness, but that those roles reverse by adulthood. And now scientists may be closer to understanding why this change occurs.

Preparing Your Child for School with Required Immunizations

There are several new vaccine requirements that have been introduced within the past several years making the goal of keeping your child's immunizations up to date more difficult than ever. However, a child will not be allowed to attend school if they have not received the necessary immunizations mandated by state laws.