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Not All Children Respond to Vaccinations the Same
Children do not respond equally to vaccines, nor do adults. Eight years ago, my group introduced the concept of low vaccine responder — and normal vaccine responder children. We tested 499 infants for antibody levels to multiple routine vaccines given in a 2-4-6 month series. Surprisingly, we found that 11% were what we termed “low responders” because the children developed subprotective antibody levels to at least four of six vaccine antigens (ingredients in diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines).
We tested to seven other vaccines (polio serotypes 1, 2, 3, hepatitis B, and three pneumococcal conjugate vaccine components) and 50% developed subprotective antibody levels, which we termed “low responders.” When we studied the immunity of the low responder infants, we found that they had problems with all three types of immunity cells: B cells that make antibody, T cells that help B cells and kill viruses, and antigen-presenting cells that take the vaccine ingredients to the lymph nodes and spleen, where the immune processing occurs.
Taken together, the immunity profile of the infants suggested delayed immunologic maturation compared with normal vaccine responders, and we introduced the term “prolonged neonatal-like immune profile.” Since we had identified the immune problem in 11% of all the infants we studied, we realized that we had discovered the most common immune problem ever described, with the closest second being selective IgA deficiency, occurring in 1 in 600 children.
Measles Outbreak Mounts Among Children in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties
A measles outbreak is growing in a Texas county with dangerously low vaccination rates. In late January, two school-age children from Gaines County were hospitalized with measles. Since an estimated 1 in 5 people with the disease end up in the hospital, the two cases suggested a larger outbreak.
As of Feb. 7, there were nine confirmed and three probable cases, said Zach Holbrooks, executive director of the South Plains Public Health District, which includes Gaines. The department is investigating many other potential cases among close contacts, he said, in hopes of treating people quickly and curbing the spread of the virus.
Public health practitioners warn such outbreaks will become more common because of scores of laws around the U.S. — pending and passed — that ultimately lower vaccine rates. Many of the measures allow parents to more easily exempt their children from school vaccine requirements, and a swell of vaccine misinformation has led to record rates of exemptions.
Social Media Ban for Kids Under 13 Advances Through Us Senate Committee
U.S. kids under 13 could soon be banned from accessing social media platforms, as an age assurance law makes its way through the Senate. According to Law360.com, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has advanced the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSA), which would restrict social media to those over 13 and bar platforms from pushing targeted content to users under 17.
The bill has bipartisan support, as political foes find common ground in noting the negative impacts social media has had on youth. Both Texas Republican Ted Cruz and Hawaii Democrat Brian Schatz are sponsors.
A statement from Schatz says “the growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed, more anxious, and more suicidal. Yet tech companies refuse to do anything about it because it would hurt their bottom line.” Cruz agrees that “the youth mental health crisis is correlated with the rise of the phone-based childhood.”
Maternal Deaths Drop — Except for Black Women
The mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S. has not improved, per data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Why it matters: The pregnancy-related death rate for Black women is more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups.
By the numbers: The maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women rose from 49.5 to 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to 2023 data from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System, the most recent available.
The fine print: The rate for Black women dying from pregnancy-related causes from 2022 to 2023 did not increase a statistically significant amount, the CDC says, but it’s the only rate for a race or ethnic group tracked in the report that didn’t appear to decline.
Health Care Access and Economic Insecurity Top a List of Challenges for Texas Children
Gaps in access to health care, economic insecurity and mental health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to top the list of challenges currently facing Texas children today, according to a new study released by the nonprofit Every Texan on Thursday.
The 2024 Texas Kids Count Data Book follows-up on a similar survey published in June by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that compares data focused on children from each of the 50 states — plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Compared to all U.S. states, the June study ranked Texas 43rd in child well-being indicators — which include economic security, health and education.
Driving many of these factors is the state’s poverty rate, which at 18% continues to exceed the national average, and is among several other areas that Texas trails behind the nation. The child poverty rate has exceeded the national average at least every year since 2010. According to the Every Texan study, about 2.9 million Texas children live in households that are above the poverty line but earn below what would be considered a living wage.
Autism in Mice Affects Oxytocin-Secreting Neurons More Than Other Neurons, Research Reveals
Specific neurons that secrete the neuropeptide oxytocin in the brain are disproportionately disrupted in a mouse model of autism, a RIKEN neuroscience study found. Artificially stimulating neurons restored social behaviors in these mice. These findings could help to develop new ways to treat autism.
The research is published in the journal Nature Communications. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder have been widely studied, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie them remain largely unknown.
Now, Kazunari Miyamichi of the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research and his colleagues have found that oxytocin-secreting neurons — known for their key role in establishing and maintaining social bonds — are selectively disrupted in a neurodevelopmental disorder model associated with atypical social traits.
