Study Finds Children Have Stronger Immune Response To Covid
Researchers in Italy find that in families that have had mild infections from the virus, children showed higher levels of antibodies than did the adults. A possible link between covid and Type 1 diabetes, slow demand for vaccines for kids, and teen sports betting are also in the news.
CIDRAP:
Study: Kids Have Stronger COVID-19 Antibody Response Than Adults
A new prospective study of 252 families with members diagnosed as having mild COVID-19 in Italy finds that, while all age-groups had detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies up to 1 year after infection, children—especially those younger than 3 years—had higher antibody levels than adults at all intervals tested. (Van Beusekom, 7/13)
Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah Doctors Studying Why Kids Are Getting Diabetes After COVID
The first thing Mallory Rogers noticed was that she couldn’t keep a dry diaper on her daughter. She would change Addie and then 10 minutes later, she’d have to do it again. Six diapers for her 2-year-old every hour, which felt like some kind of Guinness World Record for moms. (Tanner, 7/12)
In related news about pediatric vaccines —
Politico:
Low Demand For Young Kids’ Covid Vaccines Is Alarming Doctors
States where parents have hesitated to inoculate their children against Covid-19 are now ordering fewer doses of the vaccines for children under 5 than others, underscoring the challenge facing the Biden administration as a highly transmissible variant sweeps the nation. (Mahr and Gardner, 7/14)
CIDRAP:
Routine US Childhood Vaccines Confer Profound Health, Economic Benefits
Two studies today in Pediatrics detail the health and economic benefits of routine childhood immunization in the United States. Both studies were led by scientists from RTI Health Solutions and Merck. One study examined the incidence of 14 vaccine-preventable illnesses with and without universally recommended vaccines for children 10 years and younger over 5 recent years. Routine immunization lowered the incidence of all studied diseases, from 17% for flu to 100% for diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles, mumps, polio, and rubella. These decreases correspond to more than 24 million averted cases of vaccine-targeted illnesses for the 2019 US population of 328 million people. (7/13)
On parechovirus, birth asphyxia, and heart health in children —
CIDRAP:
CDC Urges Clinicians To Be On Alert For Parechovirus In Babies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday sent a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory to health providers warning that parechovirus (PeV), a childhood pathogen with infections ranging from asymptomatic to severe, is circulating in the United States. Since May, multiple states have reported PeV infections in newborns and young infants. (7/13)
Stat:
Study: Treatment For Fatal Condition In Newborns Fails To Improve Outcomes
For babies born with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, commonly called birth asphyxia, doctors have limited options. And a treatment that many had hoped would be effective turns out not to be. (Chen, 7/13)
Bay Area News Group:
Campbell School District Becomes First In California To Screen All Student Athletes For Heart Conditions
Student athletes in the Campbell Union High School District will now be screened for heart conditions this school year through a partnership with a Los Gatos-based nonprofit. The district’s board of trustees partnered with the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation to screen its student athletes in grades 9 and 11 for heart abnormalities or conditions to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. (Kanik, 7/13)
On teenage mental health —
Stateline:
As Sports Betting Grows, States Tackle Teenage Problem Gambling
Although the legal age for gambling ranges from 18 to 21 depending on the state, between 60% and 80% of high school students report having gambled for money in the past year, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. The group says the pandemic and easy access to online gambling have heightened risks for young adults. And 4% to 6% of high schoolers are considered addicted to gambling, the group says. (Mercer, 7/12)
KHN:
Kids Want To Put Montana On Trial For Unhealthy Climate Policies
For her birthday every October, Grace Gibson-Snyder and her family explore the Lamar Valley just inside the northern border of Yellowstone National Park. Carved long ago by meandering glaciers, the valley is home to bison and bald eagles, grizzly bears and gray wolves. Gibson-Snyder has seen them all. She calls it “my favorite place.” “I know how special it is to have this in my life,” said Gibson-Snyder, an 18-year-old from Missoula, Montana, “and I don’t want it to go away.” (Ehli, 7/14)
