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Paediatrics
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...
Prenatal stress tied to faster biological ageing in babies – US study
In what is thought to be the first study to directly link prenatal stress hormones with primary tooth eruption, US researchers have said that,...
Growing concern over drop in infant immunisations
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness recently flagged a concerning decline in infant immunisation rates, and is intensifying its campaign to step...
Experts flag rise in premature infant blindness – SA study
Local experts have sounded the alarm after their recent study showed a spike in premature infant blindness, detracting from the progress made in the...
Award allows South Africa to lead in paediatric brain trauma research
A recent valuable Fellowship Award will enable a team of neurological experts at the University of Cape Town to not only advance science and...
Nestlé urged to ban sugar in baby foods
A group of 20 African civil society organisations, including three from South Africa, have written an open letter to Nestlé, demanding the company stop...
Measles outbreaks escalate in Western Cape
The Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness has escalated its vaccination campaigns, warning of an increase in measles outbreaks in areas like Khayelitsha,...
Pesticides damaging Western Cape children’s brains – SA-Swiss study
Routine exposure to agricultural pesticides may be affecting the brains of children living in South Africa’s farming regions, and affecting their cognitive abilities.
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High BP in children climbing
The global prevalence of childhood hypertension has escalated in recent years, but with considerable variation by diagnostic approach, an updated systematic review and meta-analysis...
Child Gauge flags maternal violence and neglect in SA
The country’s maternal health system is in crisis, and domestic violence is making it worse, experts say, warning that with just 11 maternal and...
No link between Tylenol and autism in children – UK review
A wide-ranging review into paracetamol use by pregnant women has found no convincing link between the common painkiller and the chances of children being...