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Paediatrics
Pregnant women ignore experts, swayed by Trump’s autism theories
Despite the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the American Academy of Paediatrics emphasising that the science does not clearly tie Tylenol use...
Crucial that autism support reaches rural classrooms in SA
Children with autism do not struggle because they lack potential; they struggle when the world around them is not ready to understand how they communicate, play,...
Africa’s deadly legacy – one stillbirth every 30 seconds
A major report has revealed that a baby is stillborn every 30 seconds in Africa, exposing major cracks in the continent’s healthcare systems. Most...
Simple antiseptic can reduce newborn infections – Cochrane analysis
A Cochrane review finds that chlorhexidine may slash umbilical cord infection rates by about 29% in low- and middle- income countries and reduce newborn...
South Africa’s shame of child stunting and its echoes of HIV
Weeks after pledging to end child stunting by 2030, President Cyril Ramaphosa has kick-started a task team to tackle this crisis. Janet Heard from...
Baby formula recalled in South Africa
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has recalled baby formula produced by Nutricua Southern Africa, saying there is a possibility of toxin contamination within some...
Drastic action urged as child obesity set to soar to 220m by 2040
The World Obesity Federation (WOF) has said that without drastic action, half a billion children will be grossly overweight by 2040, calling on governments...
South African children face health harms from household fuels, pollutants
South Africa’s poorest children are often frequently and unfortunately exposed to numerous harmful pollutants, including from alternative energy sources like wood fires and paraffin...
Scientists optimistic as first test of gene therapy for rare autism form starts
Two years ago, a small biotech start-up got permission to test a gene therapy for a rare and disabling form of autism. The plan:...
Drug slashes Davet syndrome paediatric seizures by 90% – UK study
British scientists say an experimental drug is showing remarkable promise for children with Dravet syndrome – a severe and hard-to-treat genetic form of epilepsy...
Western Cape Health says meningitis under control
There is no meningococcal meningitis outbreak in the Western Cape, the provincial Department of Health and Wellness said last week, noting that only 11...
When will SA take the prevention of chronic HBV infection seriously?
South Africa bears a significant burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and a notable prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among pregnant...
Is autism preventable in certain cases? Some experts say yes
A number of scientists are raising tantalising questions about staving off autism, either before birth or in the early months of life, but others...
Polio resurgence fears but US healthcare ill-prepared
With a leading United States vaccines adviser saying all vaccine recommendations may be reconsidered – despite a surge in infectious diseases – experts are...
Controversial UK puberty blockers trial on hold after concerns
A clinical trial assessing the risks and benefits of puberty-blocking drugs in children questioning their gender has been paused after safety concerns were raised...
WHO slams US-funded baby vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned the proposed and now-suspended randomised controlled trial planning to withhold the hepatitis B birth dose vaccine from...
Paediatric illness outbreak in Eastern Cape
A cluster of paediatric illness cases in Aberdeen, in the Sarah Baartman District of the Eastern Cape, has prompted a warning from the provincial...
Hospital denies negligence after baby allegedly falls from incubator
Tygerberg Hospital says an internal review has found no evidence of negligence after parents claimed one of their newborn twins fell from an incubator...
UK boy first in country to have new leg-lengthening surgery
A nine-year-old British boy, who was born with a rare condition, has become the first person in the UK to have pioneering surgery to...
Australian experts dissect proposed new autism category
A group of international experts has been commissioned by The Lancet to propose a new category of “profound autism”, which would include children older...
First malpractice verdict filed against child’s gender-affirming surgeries
A New York jury has returned a verdict against two healthcare workers who provided gender-affirming care to a minor in what is believed to...
High deaths rates among starving Limpopo children – Wits study
Thousands of South African children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), say concerned experts, calling for urgent review of data quality and reporting...
Western Cape diphtheria cases on the rise
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has warned that cases of toxigenic respiratory diphtheria are increasing, particularly in the Western Cape, where booster...
Data from US study on children misused for ‘race science’
Rogue researchers managed to access genetic data from 20 000 American children, which they used to do bogus “race science” research, fuelling concerns that...
Six countries lose WHO measles-free status
A rise in measles deaths – and a decline in the number of children having the MMR jab – has resulted in Britain, with...
Leucovorin for autism not backed by evidence, say experts
American doctors have warned that despite Trump administration claims and suggestions, leucovorin (Wellcovorin), a drug used to treat cerebral folate deficiency, will be used...
World short of one million midwives, warns global report
Africa has only 40% of the midwives it needs, while globally, there’s a massive shortage of nearly 1m midwives, leaving pregnant women without the...
Russian doctors arrested after nine newborns die
The acting head of intensive care at a Siberian hospital as well as its chief physician have been arrested after the deaths of nine...
Neurology drugs linked to Alice in Wonderland syndrome – French study
Although the rare Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a neurologic condition most often associated with migraine and epileptic seizures, among others, emerging research...
SAHPRA alert on paediatric supplements
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has issued a health warning to parents about children’s supplements containing zinc picolinate and seleniumn –...
US court allows Covid jab lawsuit to continue
A US federal court has denied the government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging changes to Covid-19 vaccine recommendations, and the case will now...
Controversial study will delay life-saving vaccine for Guinea-Bissau babies
This week saw the start of a $1.6m trial in Guinea-Bissau, funded by the United States Government, on the timing of hepatitis B vaccinations,...
How ADHD drugs really work – US study
The stimulants Ritalin and Adderall have been used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for decades, but research shows they don’t act on the brain’s...
Experts flag dangers of lung float test
America’s largest organisation for medical examiners has issued a warning about a controversial, centuries-old forensic test that has contributed to cases in which pregnant...
'Scromiting’, a cannabis-linked illness, on the rise in US
Cases of a bizarre condition, linked to chronic marijuana users and described by sufferers as excruciatingly painful vomiting – accompanied by agonised screams –...
CDC ends decades-long hepatitis jab policy
Experts have expressed concern about the Centres for Disease Control's (CDC) decision to end the recommendation that all newborns should receive the hepatitis shot,...
Now US shifts focus to RSV shots despite safety, efficacy data
RSV vaccines, which have drastically lowered infant hospitalisations, have come under review by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) despite no previously published reports...
Global study flags disparities in child cancer deaths
Concerned experts are urging faster action to help reduce childhood cancer rates and boost survival, while calling for investment in registries as well as...
US to end recommendations for newborns’ hepatitis B jabs
A federal vaccine committee in the US has voted to end a decades-long recommendation that all newborns be immunised at birth against hepatitis B,...
Mothball poisoning a significant threat for children – SA study
Childhood poisoning is a significant health concern in South Africa – especially in densely populated informal housing settlements where children are frequently exposed to...