Colds, Cough, News
Mattel and the CPSC have announced a recall of about 7.3 million Polly Pockets playsets with magnets, sold from 2003 through 2006. They have also recalled 1 million Doggie Day Care sets, Bar... Read more
Mattel and the CPSC have announced the recall of about 250,000 “Sarge” die cast toy cars due to lead paint. They were sold from May to August, 2007. This recall follows a much la... Read more
Fisher-Price has recalled almost 1 million toys due to lead paint. The toys are popular Sesame Street, Dora, and other named toys sold from April to August 2007. A full list, with pictures,... Read more
The benefit of folic acid in reducing the risk of neural-tube birth defects has been well known for some time. Previous campaigns to educate women and healthcare providers on the benefits of... Read more
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are relatively common in children; about a third of young children with UTI have an abnormality of their urinary anatomy that may put them at higher risk of su... Read more
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurologic disorder that usually starts between the ages of 20 and 40 years; however, the disease can start in childhood. The natural history of the disease when... Read more
About 1.5 million Thomas and Friends wooden cars and parts have been recalled due to lead paint. The toys were sold from January 2005 to June 2007. The sets are made by RC2 Corporation. More... Read more
In a study of over 1,900 preschoolers, drinking sugar-sweetened drinks on a regular basis (4-6 times in a week) more than doubled the risk of being overweight. Sugar-sweetened drinks include... Read more
In the past, studies have suggested that premature babies stand a better chance of survival in neonatal intensive care units that have more experience and care for a larger number of patient... Read more
A recently published report looked at the health effects of breastfeeding on both infants and mothers in developed countries. The report was based on a massive review of scientific studies;... Read more
All bottles and lots of Listerine Agent Cool Blue plaque-detecting rinse have been recalled by the manufacturer. Johnson and Johnson is concerned that the preservative might not be completel... Read more
The FDA has asked manufacturers to stop making suppository drug products that contain trimethobenzamide hydrochloride. The suppositories are most commonly known as Tigan but are also markete... Read more
In an analysis published today by the CDC, the rotavirus vaccine does not appear to be associated with any increase in the rate of intussusception, a form of intestinal obstruction, in infan... Read more
There was an interesting story in the Wall Street Journal last week about the fact that all New York City public hospitals began implementing a plan to stop giving newborn mothers bags with... Read more
The Baltimore City Health Department and a group of pediatricians from children’s hospitals and pediatric departments in Maryland, along with pediatricians from Harvard and other insti... Read more
In an interview with the New York Times, the head of the FDA's division in charge of nonprescription medications acknowledged that the agency is investigating the use of cough and cold m... Read more
Georgia law states that the Department of Human Resources shall decide which immunizations are required for school and daycare entry in Georgia. Last week, the board approved new requirement... Read more
The FDA has notified physicians and patients that some cases of intussusception, a form of intestinal obstruction, have been reported after receiving the new rotavirus vaccine. This has been... Read more
Lots of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter with product code on the lid beginning with “2111” have been recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination. The peanut butter... Read more
A recent Associated Press article discussed the roadblocks faced by the new cervical cancer (HPV) vaccine. Specifically, many patients cannot find the vaccine because few pediatricians and e... Read more
In a surprise move, the governor of Texas has bypassed the legislature and the public health officials and signed an order making the new HPV (cervical cancer) vaccine mandatory for all girl... Read more
Macular degeneration is a common cause of blindness in older adults. Studies have suggested that smoking, obesity, alcohol use, and diet may be risk factors. Recent studies have suggested a... Read more
Several cases of breast enlargement (gynecomastia) in boys before puberty were recently reported that were linked to healing balm, hair styling gel, soap and lotion. Benign breast enlargemen... Read more
Last week, Consumer Reports published an evaluation of infant car seats in which most seats failed at impact speeds of 35-38 mph, which is faster than government car seat tests but the same... Read more
In the most recent publication this week from a landmark study, young children with middle ear fluid who received tubes promptly were compared with children who received tubes 6-9 months lat... Read more
The CDC issued a report today warning about the dangers of using over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children less than two years old. The basis of the report is a CDC review that... Read more
This report has been retracted by Consumer Reports. See this story for more information. Consumer Reports has tested major brands of infant car seats and found that most of them failed thei... Read more
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its first policy statement regarding the use of retail-based clinics by children. They state that such clinics are not an appropriate source of... Read more
Roche and FDA notified healthcare professionals of revisions to the PRECAUTIONS/Neuropsychiatric Events and Patient Information sections of the prescribing information for Tamiflu, indicated... Read more
A study published this month in Pediatrics may finally put to rest the hypothesis that MMR, and specifically measles vaccine, may be linked to autism. Starting in 1998, several laboratory re... Read more