Why the New Coronavirus (Mostly) Spares Children

So far, very few young children seem to be falling ill. The pattern was seen in outbreaks of SARS and MERS, too. By Apoorva Mandavilli. The New York Times. Feb. 5, 2020. The new coronavirus has infected more than 28,000 people, and at least 563 have died. But relatively few children appear to have developed … Continue reading Why the New Coronavirus (Mostly) Spares Children →

Coronavirus terrifies us, but another virus has already killed 6,000 in US

By Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News Posted Jan 24, 2020 at 11:55 AM Influenza rarely gets the sort of attention that coronavirus has, even though flu has already sickened at least 13 million Americans this winter and killed 6,600 people. In a bad year, the flu kills up to 61,000 Americans. There’s a deadly virus spreading from state to state. … Continue reading Coronavirus terrifies us, but another virus has already killed 6,000 in US →

New Trump administration rule could make it more difficult for some pregnant women to get U.S. visas

By Carol Morello, Abigail Hauslohner and Maria Sacchetti The Washington Post. Jan. 22, 2020 The U.S. State Department plans to issue new guidance that could make it more difficult for some pregnant women to obtain visas to visit the United States, a department official and a congressional aide said Wednesday. The forthcoming regulations are aimed at cracking … Continue reading New Trump administration rule could make it more difficult for some pregnant women to get U.S. visas →

A MIDWIFE IN THE NORTH COUNTRY

By Emily Bobrow The New Yorker. December 22, 2019 The sun was still rising on a brisk Monday morning in October last year when Sunday Smith, a midwife in New York’s North Country, pulled into the gravel driveway of a small dairy farm, scattering some chickens. She had driven for about ninety minutes, along dark … Continue reading A MIDWIFE IN THE NORTH COUNTRY →

Another huge study of over 650,000 kids shows absolutely no link between vaccines and autism. Doctors say it’s proof we’re living in a ‘fact-resistant’ world.

Helen Branswell, STAT Mar 4, 2019, 6:38 PM Business Insider A huge new study of more than 650,000 people in Denmark shows no link between the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. A massive new study from Denmark found no association between being vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella and developing autism. In science and public … Continue reading Another huge study of over 650,000 kids shows absolutely no link between vaccines and autism. Doctors say it’s proof we’re living in a ‘fact-resistant’ world. →

As suicide rates climb among American teens, educators need to ask and listen.

‘Are You Thinking About Suicide?’ By Mary Ellen Flannery. January 2020. NEA Today Magazine http://neatoday.org/2020/01/15/teen-suicide-what-educators-need-to-know/ “In the last nine days, in just this area, we’ve lost another three students to suicide,” said Tim Warnock, a physical education teacher in the suburbs of Phoenix, after a series of student deaths in October 2019. The numbers are … Continue reading As suicide rates climb among American teens, educators need to ask and listen. →

In San Antonio, rent is rising but wages aren’t

The city already has some of the worst poverty and segregation rates in the country. Now increasing rents are leaving low-income households struggling to keep up with the cost of living. BY JUAN PABLO GARNHAM JAN. 16, 2020 The Texas Tribune In the 40-minute bus ride across San Antonio that Barbie Hammond takes to work, … Continue reading In San Antonio, rent is rising but wages aren’t →

What Schizophrenia Does to Families

A mother, a son, an unraveling mind — and a mental health system that can’t keep up By Abigail Jones The Washington Post Magazine.JANUARY 13, 2020 Alissa Dumsch flips through her high school yearbook, pausing on a photo of a hulking young man with sandy hair and a chiseled jaw. “There’s Aaron,” she says, pointing … Continue reading What Schizophrenia Does to Families →

‘I killed a lady. … I took everything she had,’ teen told friends after killing his foster mother, sources say

by Chris Palmer, Mike Newall and Allison Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 16, 2020 With a duffel bag of cash and a stolen credit card,17-year-old Xavier Johnson took friends on a shopping spree Wednesday. They drove through West Philadelphia in the car of the foster mother Johnson had allegedly stabbed to death hours before, law enforcement … Continue reading ‘I killed a lady. … I took everything she had,’ teen told friends after killing his foster mother, sources say →

There’s a mismatch in the flu shot — and it’s not good news for children

By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN. January 14, 2020 (CNN) This year's flu vaccine is "not a very good match"for a common strain of the flu that's especially tough on children, according to the nation's top infectious disease doctor. "It's not a very good match for B/Victoria," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of … Continue reading There’s a mismatch in the flu shot — and it’s not good news for children →