HHS Report Lays Out Health Priorities For Kids, Omits Biggest Cause Of Death
HHS Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday released the "Make Our Children Healthy Again" plan, which mentioned several dozen issues that the federal government aims to tackle, such as poor diet, chemical exposures, and excess prescription medications. But the report didn't mention gun violence, which is the leading cause of death for people younger than 18.
Stat:
RFK Jr. Releases MAHA Report On Fighting Childhood Chronic Disease
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made his chronic disease-fighting plan, a version of which was leaked last month, official on Tuesday. The final version looks markedly similar to the draft that made rounds and garnered heavy criticism in recent weeks, but with more detail. (Cueto and Todd, 9/9)
Los Angeles Times:
MAHA Child Health Report Ignores Gun Violence, The Leading Cause Of Child Death
Absent from the document was any mention of guns, the leading cause of death for people under the age of 18. Firearms have been the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17 every year since 2022. More than 2,500 kids died from gunshot wounds in 2022, the last year for which complete data is available, and guns were responsible for 30% of all deaths of 15- to 17-year-olds, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions found after analyzing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guns’ absence from the MAHA strategy raised alarm among pediatricians and public health experts. (Purtill, 9/9)
The New York Times:
Read The MAHA Strategy Report
A report from the White House outlines strategies to combat childhood chronic disease and attempts to set a MAHA agenda for the country. (9/9)
On autism —
AP:
RFK Jr.'s New Report Calls For More Scrutiny Of Vaccines And Autism
The Trump administration directed the nation’s public health and environmental agencies to prioritize investigations into vaccine injuries, prescription drug use and autism’s causes in its latest “Make America Healthy Again” report released Tuesday. The 20-page report, overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., echoes many of the talking points Kennedy and those in his wide-ranging and politically diverse “MAHA” movement have united around. (Seitz, 9/10)
MedPage Today:
RFK Jr. May Link Vax Aluminum Adjuvant And Autism, Former FDA Chief Says
Scott Gottlieb, MD, who served as FDA commissioner from 2017 to 2019 during President Donald Trump's first term, expressed concern about the future of the U.S. pediatric vaccine schedule in an interview with CNBC on Monday. Notably, Gottlieb said during the interview that he believes HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could use a forthcoming agency report to claim an association between alum -- an aluminum-based adjuvant used in some vaccines -- and autism, and that this claim could ultimately "take down the whole pediatric vaccine enterprise." (Henderson, 9/9)
Related news about children's health —
The 19th:
The EPA Ended Her Research Into How Climate Change Endangers Children
Jane Clougherty has dedicated the majority of her professional life to researching the health effects of air pollution and, more recently, extreme heat. But in May, she got an email from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that ground her potentially life-saving work to a halt. (Kutz, 9/9)
Capital & Main:
MAHA Promised Healthier Kids. But School Lunches May Deliver Less.
The rise of Make America Healthy Again arrived with big promises for kids: an end to chronic disease, a focus on nutrition and healthier school meals. For school food professionals and public health advocates, it seemed like an unexpected win that could benefit the millions of children who rely on federal school meals, often the most nutritious — and sometimes the only reliable — food they receive all day. That push to improve children’s health from a Republican administration was all the more surprising, considering the political attacks Michelle Obama endured when she campaigned to improve school nutrition. (Stukin, 9/8)
The 19th:
New Mexico Will Be The First State To Make Child Care Free
In an unprecedented move, New Mexico is making child care free. Beginning in November, it will be the first state in the nation to provide child care to all residents regardless of income, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this week. (Carrazana, 9/9)
North Carolina Health News:
Helpline Aids NC Pediatricians In Mental Health Care
In North Carolina, the odds of finding a child psychiatrist depend too often on your ZIP code. Even in urban counties such as Wake or Mecklenburg, families may wait months for an appointment. In much of rural North Carolina, the wait is indefinite: There is simply no one to see. (Chambliss, 9/9)
KFF Health News:
Lice Pose No Health Threat, Yet Some Parents Push Back On Rules To Allow Affected Kids In Class
Any evidence of lice was once a reason for immediate dismissal from school, not to return until the student’s head was lice-free. But what are known as “no-nit” policies have been dropped in favor of “nonexclusion” rules, prioritizing class time over any nuisance caused by parasites the size of sesame seeds. That leniency, of late, is coming back to bite some schools. Parents in Massachusetts, Texas, Ohio, and Georgia are petitioning for their districts to revive strict rules on nits and live lice. (Farmer, 9/10)
