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Loss of Bats to Lethal Fungus Linked to 1,300 Child Deaths in US, Study Says
In 2006, a deadly fungus started killing bat colonies across the United States. Now, an environmental economist has linked their loss to the deaths of more than 1,300 children.
The study, published in Science on Thursday, found that farmers dramatically increased pesticide use after the bat die-offs, which was in turn linked to an average infant mortality increase of nearly 8%.
Unusually, the research suggests a causative link between human and bat wellbeing.
“That’s just quite rare — to get good, empirical, grounded estimates of how much value the species is providing,” said environmental economist Charles Taylor from the Harvard Kennedy School, who was not involved in the study.
A number of recent studies have shown how collapsing populations of wildlife can have unexpected knock-on effects for people.
Lead in PA School Drinking Water
For our children to stay healthy, they need access to safe, clean drinking water.
Every parent should be able to expect that their child’s school district and school board are doing everything in their power to meet that need. And this includes protecting them from exposure to toxic substances that may be found in the drinking water supplied on school premises.
Recent research in Pennsylvania and across the country has indicated that children are ingesting lead via the drinking water provided in schools.
A 2021 review of statewide data for Pennsylvania by the non-profit Women for a Healthy Environment, for example, showed that more than 90% of school districts in the commonwealth that tested for lead in their schools’ drinking water were reporting lead contamination.
Lead is a powerful neurotoxin, and especially harmful to children.
Study Links Environmental Pollutants to Increased Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder
In a recent review article published in BMC Public Health, researchers discussed the association between environmental pollutants and the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
They concluded that specific pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, copper, and certain phthalates, are significantly linked to ASD, highlighting the need to identify factors that increase risk to develop effective prevention strategies.
A systematic review estimates that globally, 1 in 100 children are affected, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 1 out of every 36 children in the U.S. will receive an ASD diagnosis.
Environmental pollutants can disrupt cellular metabolism, cause oxidative stress, and trigger brain inflammation, all of which may contribute to ASD.
Pollutants can also cause genetic damage and epigenetic changes that affect brain development. The timing of exposure to these pollutants is crucial, as early exposure during prenatal and early postnatal periods can significantly impact neurodevelopment.
Map Shows US States With Worst Childhood Death Rates
Childhood death rates are on the rise across the United States, new research has found.
Between 2018 and 2022, child and adolescent mortality increased by 18.8%, more than twice the increase seen between 2013 and 2017.
These increases were primarily driven by an increase in injury-related deaths, mainly due to firearms and overdoses. However, death rates vary significantly across the country.
“There are reasons for concern,” Eugenio Vargas, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, told Newsweek.
Almost 1 in 4 U.S. Adults Under 40 Have High Blood Pressure
An epidemic of high blood pressure is occurring in young adults and children in the United States, a pair of new studies show.
Nearly a quarter of people ages 18 to 39 have high blood pressure, with readings above the healthy level of 130/80, the first study found.
Blood pressure is even a problem for school-age children, according to the second study. Nearly 14% of children ages eight to 19 have elevated or high blood pressure, researchers found.
Both studies were presented Friday at the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific sessions in Chicago. Such research should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
“The prevalence of hypertension in young adults is stark, and social determinants of health amplify the risk for hypertension and subsequent premature cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Bonita Falkner, chair of the writing committee for the AHA’s 2023 scientific statement on pediatric hypertension.
Saltwater Drops in Nose Could Shorten Kids’ Colds
Saltwater nose drops can reduce the length of a kid’s cold by two days, a new study demonstrates.
“We found that children using saltwater nose drops had cold symptoms for an average of six days, where those with usual care had symptoms for eight days,” said researcher Dr. Steve Cunningham, a professor of pediatric respiratory medicine with the University of Edinburgh in the U.K.
“The children receiving salt water nose drops also needed fewer medicines during their illness,” he added.
Over-the-counter remedies containing drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can treat symptoms, but until now no treatments have been identified that could speed up recovery from a cold, Cunningham said.
YouTube Extends Limits to Body Weight and Fitness Videos for Teens in Europe and UK
In an effort to curb teens from watching potentially harmful videos on YouTube, the streaming platform announced Thursday it will expand its limitation of repeated recommendations of videos that idealize specific body weights, types, and fitness levels for teenagers in Europe and the U.K.
It’s an extension of the same move by YouTube in 2023 for U.S. teens, with the company’s latest blog post using identical language as its first announcement, just extending the geographical reach.
As it has done for U.S. teens, YouTube said it will limit repeated recommendations of videos in particular categories including “content that compares physical features and idealizes some types over others, idealizes specific fitness levels or body weights, or displays social aggression in the form of non-contact fights and intimidation.”
YouTube has identified these content categories as the type “that may be innocuous as a single video, but could be problematic for some teens if viewed repetitively.”
“One insight [of the advisory committee] is that teens are more likely than adults to form negative beliefs about themselves when seeing repeated messages about ideal standards in content they consume online,” Graham and Beser wrote.
US Is Beefing up Mpox Testing, Vaccine Access Against New Strain, Officials Say
The U.S. has beefed up testing and surveillance for a new strain of mpox and has ensured that vaccines are readily available at local pharmacies and community health centers, senior administration officials said in a briefing on Friday.
No cases of the more transmissible strain of the virus have been confirmed in the United States, but experts are preparing for that possibility following a World Health Organization declaration last month of a global public health emergency, the second such declaration in two years.
In a briefing on Friday, senior U.S. administration officials said any American doctor can now order an mpox test, which can be processed through national laboratory chains. Positive tests that are not the older strain of mpox will be sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
Health officials in Wayne County, Michigan, last month had reported a new case of mpox, but additional testing showed that it was from the older strain known as clade II, a county health official told Reuters on Thursday.
