Soft Bedding Still Leading Factor In Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths
Data from nearly 5,000 unexpected infant deaths connects fatalities to "unsafe" soft bedding, despite increased messaging and guidelines since the 1990s. Burning Man's cancellation, office air filtration, and athletes with long covid are among other reports.
Fox News:
Study On Unexpected Infant Deaths Finds Soft Bedding Still A Leading Factor
A study of nearly 5,000 sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) found that soft bedding is still to blame for a majority of fatalities. In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-tracked data, which included deaths that occurred in children under age 1 from 2011-2017, 72% of cases involved "unsafe bedding." The study, which was published in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics, May edition, found that only 1-2% of SUID noted no unsafe sleep factors. The study also noted that there hasn’t been a significant decline in SUID since the 1990s, despite increased messaging and guidelines about safe sleeping habits for infants. (Hein, 4/27)
In other public health news —
AP:
Burning Man Cancels 2021 Festival In Northern Nevada Desert
Burning Man organizers announced Tuesday they are canceling this summer’s annual counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert for the second year in a row because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Francisco-based group posted a video on its website that said there are too many uncertainties to resolve in time to hold the event as scheduled Aug. 26 to Sept. 3 in the Black Rock Desert 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Reno. (Sonner, 4/27)
Bloomberg:
Heading Back To The Office? Ask For Air Filters, Not Bleach
More than a year into the pandemic, scientists are increasingly focusing on airborne transmission as the biggest culprit. For the office-bound, that raises the importance of better ventilation and air filtration, and undercuts the rationale for the ceaseless scrubbing of surfaces with disinfectants that many employers have adopted. “I don’t want to hear about your surface cleaning procedures, because that is a waste of time and money,” said Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who studies the interaction of viruses with the atmosphere. “But tell me about your ventilation. How often is the air changing out in the space? And tell me about your filtration.” (Loh, 4/28)
The Washington Post:
Athletes With Long-Haul Covid Struggle To Return From The Sidelines
Justin Foster might get the urge to pick up the pace in the grocery store and whisk from aisle to aisle, but his body will force him to slow down. The chest pains will hit. He’ll have difficulty breathing. And before he has purchased his items, Foster either will have to find a seat or leave altogether, unable to complete what was once a simple task. A little more than a year ago, Foster was a star defensive end at Clemson, terrorizing LSU in the College Football Playoff championship game. And yet 10 months after he tested positive for the coronavirus, menial activities have the potential to level him. (Lee, 4/19)
The Washington Post:
Worried Your Child Has An Eating Disorder? This Pediatrician Has Advice.
With the increase in coronavirus vaccinations, the relaxation of strict guidelines and the return to school in some communities, it’s easy to think that the worst of this pandemic is behind us. But the pandemic has given rise to a mental health crisis of monumental proportions among our youth. “The number of new referrals, along with the amount of hospitalizations for eating disorders, has doubled at the hospital over the last year,” says Lisa Tuchman, chief of adolescent medicine at Children’s National Hospital in D.C. (Abraham, 4/27)
The Washington Post:
Poll: A Quarter Of Women Say They Are Financially Worse Off A Year Into Pandemic
Women and people of color are the most likely to say they are financially worse off today than before the pandemic began, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, underscoring the struggles many Americans are still facing even as the broader economy shows signs of improvement. A quarter of women say their family’s financial situation is worse today than before the coronavirus-related shutdowns began in March 2020, compared to 18 percent of men, the poll finds. And 27 percent of non-Whites say they are worse off now vs. 18 percent of Whites. (Long and Guskin, 4/27)
