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Childhood Vaccination Coverage Was Falling Across the Globe Even Before Covid
Childhood vaccination coverage has made leaps since 1980. But progress has significantly slowed in the last two decades. That is according to a study published in The Lancet Tuesday, which found stagnation and wide variation in childhood vaccination rates since 2010.
The study, which estimated childhood vaccination coverage between 1980 and 2023 in 204 countries and territories, found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly intensified existing immunization challenges.
The findings come as Americans are experiencing an unprecedented surge in vaccine skepticism. This year’s total measles case numbers will be the highest in more than three decades. Another recent study suggested that if the country maintains its current immunization levels, it will likely lose its measles elimination status.
ADHD Linked to Elevated Levels of These Common Heavy Metals
Exposure to common heavy metals has been linked to the prevalence of ADHD, according to a new study. It builds on existing research that has found that there’s a strong association between certain metals like lead and copper and increased cases of both ADHD and how serious the condition’s symptoms are.
Universittat Rovira i Virgili researchers investigated the possible association between urinary concentrations of 15 different heavy and essential metals and ADHD diagnosis and symptom severity in children (aged 6 – 15 years) from Barcelona (35.8%) and Tarragona (64.2%), Spain. Of the 190 kids studied, 124 had been diagnosed with ADHD and 66 had not.
The team focused on 15 metals: lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, copper, cobalt, antimony, zinc, selenium, magnesium, vanadium, manganese, nickel and molybdenum. The scientists collected 190 urine samples from children who had fasted for analysis, with collection guidelines lowering risk of external contamination from environmental factors.
What they found was that children with the highest amount of lead, cadmium, copper and antimony present in their urine had a higher incidence of ADHD. What’s more, elevated copper and cadmium levels were linked to more severe inattention symptoms (something common in females with ADHD), and higher amounts of copper and antimony were associated with an increase in hyperactivity-impulsivity behaviors.
Analysis Highlights Very Low Level of HPV Vaccine Uptake Globally
The World Health Organization (WHO) global target for 2030 is for 90% of girls to complete a full human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination series by age 15, but real-world data show that actual global HPV vaccine coverage is under 30%, according to a new study in eClinicalMedicine.
For the analysis, Chinese researchers performed a comprehensive search of the PubMed and Embase databases through Feb. 28, 2025; various websites; and the WHO database to assess HPV vaccine policies and coverage for all 194 WHO member sites. They found that 148 member states incorporate HPV vaccination into their national immunization programs, 132 report HPV uptake data for the first dose, and 129 report data on full doses. Full vaccine uptake is two or three doses, depending on the person’s age at first dose.
They found that 15 countries (11%) achieved 90% coverage of just the first dose. Among the nations providing data, average coverage for the first dose for girls nine to 14 years is 62%, while full vaccine coverage is 48%. Upper-middle income countries had the highest first-dose coverage, at 72%.
Nearly 20% of US Packaged Foods Contain Synthetic Dyes, Study Finds
Nearly 20% of packaged foods and drinks in the U.S. have synthetic dyes, with most marketed to children and loaded with sugar, according to a new study that examined nearly 40,000 items from popular food brands.
The study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, comes amid a federal push to rid the U.S. food supply of synthetic dyes and follows recent commitments by food giants Kraft Heinz and General Mills to remove such dyes from their products. It also adds to evidence — often cited by those opposing synthetic dyes in foods — that the chemicals disproportionately end up in sugary foods aimed at kids. Research has linked the chemicals to children’s behavioral issues, including increased risk for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Lead author Elizabeth Dunford, a professor and researcher at both the University of North Carolina and the University of New South Wales, said she approached the research as a curious mom. “I have two young kids and definitely notice behavior changes after certain foods. I got really interested in the synthetic dyes in particular and thought ‘well let’s take a look,’” Dunford said.
In Louisville, Schools Are Being Built on Contaminated Land. How Are Kids, Staff Kept Safe?
Louisville Courier Journal reported:
Cancer-causing chemicals contaminate the soil near the intersection of Dixie Highway and West Broadway in Louisville’s California neighborhood, left behind by many decades of industrial use.
Now, the land is school property.
Dr. William H. Perry Elementary School, opened in 2023, sits atop one plot. On the other side of Dixie, officials plan to build a new Dr. J. Blaine Hudson Middle School, designed to accommodate 1,000 students.
Child Awarded €20k for Being Given Wrong Covid Vaccine With a Used Needle
The HSE has apologized to and compensated a 13-year-old child who was not only injected with a wrong COVID-19 vaccination but found out afterwards that a nurse had treated her with an already used needle.
Barrister James Cross told Judge Fiona O’Sullivan in the Circuit Civil Court on Monday that Ella Mockler Mulhern, now within six weeks of her 18th birthday, had suffered significantly as a result of the HSE’s triple take on negligence and breach of duty.
Mr. Cross, who appeared with James McSweeney Solicitors, Tallaght for Ella, said not only had HSE staff administered the wrong vaccination when she attended a vaccination center in Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Dublin, in August 2021, a nurse had done so with a needle used already on one of three other people. Ella’s father Niall Mulhern, of Beech Park, Lucan, County Dublin, told the court in written evidence that the second vaccination had been administered without discussion with and the consent of either himself or his daughter.
He said the nurse involved had denied that the first syringe had been used previously, but on his further inquiry from the Clinical Lead Nurse an investigation had been carried out and it had been confirmed the syringe had been used on another person but the nursing staff had been unable to identify on which one of three other people it had been used.
