| News for pediatricians and other child health professionals |  |
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- WHO: Give antivirals early to groups vulnerable to H1N1 flu
The World Health Organization urged doctors to give antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, to at-risk groups, including pregnant women and young children, at the first sign that they have H1N1 flu to avoid serious complications. WHO said doctors need not wait for laboratory results to confirm the disease. The organization also said the advice applies to "otherwise healthy people who show progressive symptoms." Google/The Associated Press
(11/12)     
- Deciding if flu symptoms merit trip to ED is tough call
Children under age 2 are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for H1N1 flu than children ages 2 to 4, and quickly escalating respiratory symptoms signal that urgent medical attention is needed, Dr. Howard Zucker writes in a New York Times column. He said deciding to go to the emergency department is a difficult call, but children who develop symptoms including confusion, a bluish tinge to the skin, inconsolable irritability and increasing shortness of breath need urgent care. NYTimes.com
(11/12)
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- Food-borne illness can lead to life-long health ills
Food-borne illnesses, especially for children, can cause long-term health problems, according to a report from the Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention in Pennsylvania. Researchers said the effects can reach well beyond any immediate gastrointestinal illness and leave patients with kidney failure, paralysis, seizures, hearing or visual impairments and mental retardation. Reuters
(11/12)
- Canadian study links child abuse to osteoarthritis
Adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis were nearly two times more likely to report they were physically abused as children, University of Toronto researchers said. The data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey adds to earlier research that linked osteoarthritis to the stress of living with abuse as a child, subsequent unhealthy behaviors as adults and depression. Reuters
(11/12)
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- Texas teen leaves hospital with heart assist device
A Texas teenager with dilated cardiomyopathy is the first patient to be discharged from a pediatric hospital with the mechanical heart assist device called HeartMate II. Frank De Santiago, 16, is on a waiting list for a new heart, but his pediatrician said in the meantime the device gives him a higher quality of life and helps him grow stronger. FoxNews.com
(11/12)
- Hospital triggers emergency plan after surge in flu patients
A surge of pediatric flu patients led Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., to trigger its emergency preparedness plan for the first time. Hospitals often report a bump in patients with flu symptoms on Mondays, but when Maimonides officials saw an increase again on Tuesday, usually the slowest day, they became concerned. ABC News
(11/12)
| Health Policy & Regulations | | |
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- Pediatric hospitals lobby for changes in reform bill
Children's hospitals are lobbying Congress to change language in pending health reform legislation that could reduce their federal funding by $876 million. Officials said because pediatric hospitals see more Medicaid patients than general hospitals, the $155 billion in cuts agreed to by the hospital industry last summer would have a bigger impact on their facilities and could cause reductions in services. USA TODAY
(11/12)
- Group warns of health reform's impact on doctor shortage
The health reform bill threatens to worsen the shortage of primary-care doctors and lead to longer waits in the emergency rooms and for office consultations, the American College of Physicians said in a report. Proposals to increase family doctors' fees and ease rules on school debt of medical students would not make a difference for years, and the country would need another 35,000 to 46,000 primary-care practitioners within 15 years to meet the aging population's demand, the group said. Bloomberg
(11/13)
- Economy leads to fewer insured children in California
The national recession and California's own budget crisis have led to a lower rate of increase in children's health coverage in the state, a report said. The California HealthCare Foundation said slightly more than 12% of California children are uninsured, higher than the national average, and enrollment in the Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and Healthy Kids programs declined in 2008. Healthcare Finance News
(11/12)
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