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Paediatrics
Why autism is less diagnosed in girls – and how to change that
Historically, researchers have viewed autism as a distinctly “male” neurotype, with boys being 10 times more likely to be referred for autism assessments, according...
Bara opens R26m children’s burns unit
The NPO Surgeons for Little Lives unveiled a state-of-the-art children’s burns unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital last week, with staff saying not even...
Now Trump pulls plug on childhood vaccines
The Trump administration is to halt its funding for Gavi, which helps buy vaccines for children in poor countries, and reduce its efforts to...
Unvaccinated US measles patients display vitamin A toxicity
Several children admitted to hospital with measles in Texas and New Mexico are displaying symptoms of vitamin A toxicity, doctors have said, adding that...
Call for anaemia screening in hospitalised children – Durban study
Researchers who found a high prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among hospitalised children in Durban have called for an urgent review of the...
Petition urges improved care for SA’s diabetic children
A new petition launched by SA Diabetes Advocacy, in partnership with several national diabetes organisations, is calling on the National Department of Health (NDoH)...
World-first gene therapy for London baby with rare disease
A baby boy with an extremely rare genetic disorder is making “incredible” progress after becoming the first infant to receive a new gene therapy...
Global measles cases spread among the unvaccinated
The number of measles cases linked to an outbreak in Texas has grown to more than 300, with around 40 cases reported over the...
Under-8s warned to avoid coloured ‘slushies’ – Irish study
Researchers have warned that children under eight should avoid ‘slushies’, saying the popular brightly coloured icy drinks can cause “glycerol intoxication syndrome” in youngsters,...
Mali trial finds five-strain meningitis jab shows promise in infants
An international team of researchers says the results of one of three phase 3 randomised clinical trials show promise and reinforces the use of...
Why CDC’s vaccine-autism study is raising eyebrows
Experts are concerned about the US Centres for Disease Control & Prevention's (CDC) plan to use the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) to probe an...
Waist-to-height ratio better than BMI to ID childhood obesity, study finds
A collaboration between Finnish and British researchers found that body mass index (BMI) was almost three times more likely to classify children as overweight...
Child cancer risk tied to multiple pesticide exposure – US study
In a first-of-its-kind study – undertaken in the agricultural heartland of the United States – researchers found that being exposed to multiple common pesticides...
Durban paediatric kidney specialist gets global recognition
Dialysis patients in KwaZulu-Natal are 20 years younger than the norm in America and Canada, and the reasons for this conundrum are what keeps...
Measles jab a personal choice, says Kennedy after child’s death
After an unvaccinated Texas child died from measles this week – the first US death in a decade from the disease – vaccine sceptic...
Blood donor ‘man with the golden arm’ dies
One of the world’s most prolific blood donors – whose plasma saved the lives of more than 2m babies – has died, his family...
WHO launches free cancer meds for children in low-income countries
The World Health Organisation has launched a new platform providing cost-free cancer medicines for thousands of children living in low- and middle-income countries, whose...
Gene therapy improves sight in paediatric blindness
A pioneering genetic medicine has delivered life-changing improvements in sight to four children born with severe vision impairment from a rare genetic deficiency that...
Prenatal treatment for spinal muscular atrophy shows promise
Doctors have reported that the first prenatal therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has showed promising results – that more than two years after...
Common painkiller in pregnancy tied to ADHD risk – US study
Children may have a higher risk of developing ADHD if their mothers used paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen – during pregnancy, adding weight...
SA professor scoops World Lung Health Award
A renowned paediatric pulmonologist, the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Professor Refiloe Masekela, has been named this year’s recipient of the World Lung Health Award, to...
Swedish study identifies gaps in preterm infant pain treatment
Repeated pain in newborn babies can be under-diagnosed and thus under-treated, risking long-term cognitive and other complications, say Swedish experts after a recent nation-wide...
Nasal test IDs paediatric asthma subtypes – US study
Asthma comes in different subtypes, but diagnosing those subtypes, also known as endotypes, has historically been difficult – until now. Recent research presents an...
Fluoride debate heats up as new analysis suggests IQ link
Water fluoridation is widely seen as one of the great public health achievements of the 20th century, credited with substantially reducing tooth decay. But...
Rise in kidney stones among children worries doctors
Medical professionals are noting a concerning escalation in kidney stone cases among children, with some experts implicating a familiar culprit: ultra-processed foods. Other health...
No seatbelts causing brain trauma crisis for South African children
The needless deaths of children – or traumatic injuries – caused by not wearing seatbelts is becoming a national crisis in South Africa, with...
Rare case of stubborn tonsils twice removed
In an unusual case, an American woman has just had her tonsils removed – 40 years after they were first taken out when she...
Limited batch of Panado syrup recalled
Adcock Ingram has launched a recall to SA distributors of a batch of Panado Paediatric alcohol-free grape-flavoured syrup, due to “precipitation” detected in the...
Two-decade SA study unpacks challenges in nephroblastoma treatment
A 21-year study on nephroblastoma by the University of the Free State revealed unique challenges, with the scientists noting that future research should analyse...
Time to redefine cerebral palsy as more than a childhood disorder
Cerebral palsy (CP) should be reframed as “the most common lifelong physical disability,” instead of a childhood disorder, a professor of physical medicine and...
Alarming finds from AMR study of hospital surfaces in six countries
Antimicrobial resistance – when bacteria and other microbes that can cause infections gain the ability to resist treatment by antibiotics or other antimicrobial medicines...
WHO alert as measles surge worldwide
Measles cases are escalating worldwide at an alarming rate – mainly due to a drop in vaccines – according to a report from the...
Chewing gum linked to drop in preterm births – randomised Malawi study
Results from a study in Malawi showed that chewing gum containing xylitol, a naturally occurring alcohol sugar, was associated with a 24% reduction in...
Asthmatic children may develop cognitive issues – US cohort study
American researchers have suggested that children with asthma may have memory problems – performing worse in memory tasks than their peers without the condition...
Companies partner to create secure health records from birth
Parents can now effortlessly establish a lifelong medical record for their children right from birth, thanks to a collaboration between Ajuda, a personal digital...
Babies' reduced sugar intake leads to lower later chronic disease risk – UK study
Children whose sugar consumption was restricted during their first 1 000 days after conception had up to 35% less chance of developing type 2...
Vitamin D in pregnancy helps children’s bones – UK analysis
Children whose mothers had taken extra vitamin D during pregnancy continue to have stronger bones at age seven, say researchers from University of Southampton...
Updated SA guideline on bedwetting
An updated guideline has been released on enuresis (bedwetting), intended for general practitioners, urologists, paediatricians, paediatric nephrologists and hospital administrators in South Africa, and...
Teens’ anxiety, depression, rises after four hours’ screen time, say experts
Teenagers who spend four or more hours in front of the screen each day are more likely to experience anxiety and depression, according to a new report from...
Will vaping laws lead to more smokers?
While the government’s tough new Tobacco Bill aims to curtail smoking and vaping by regulating the latter as a tobacco product, and banning public...