States Loosen Vaccine Rules — Even as Measles Outbreak Rages
The U.S. is on track to surpass 1,000 measles cases this year as the viral illness — once so rare that most young doctors don’t recognize the telltale rash — makes an alarming comeback. The outbreak, which has spread to 29 states as of May 1 and claimed three lives, hasn’t stopped some local lawmakers from considering or implementing policies that could make it even easier for parents to opt out of school vaccination requirements for their children.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law last month an unprecedented ban on vaccine mandates for schools and businesses in the state, which already boasts the highest vaccine exemption rate for kindergarteners nationally.
On his first day in office, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order permitting religious exemptions from school and day care immunization requirements — a major shift in one of the few states that had only allowed medical exemptions previously.
And lawmakers in red states like Florida, Louisiana and Texas are weighing measures that would make it more difficult for health providers to deny care — from organ transplants to pediatric well visits — to people who aren’t vaccinated.
Milwaukee Struggles Through Growing Lead Crisis — With Federal Help Nowhere to Be Found
Kat Cisar, a mother of 6-year-old twins, found out in late February that her kids were potentially being exposed to harmful lead paint and dust at their Milwaukee school. By May, their school was on a growing list of eight others across the city, found to have degrading, chipping interiors that were putting children at risk.
Several schools have had to temporarily close for remediation efforts, including the one Cisar’s kids attend. “We put a lot of faith in our institutions, in our schools, and it’s just so disheartening when those systems fail,” Cisar said.
Milwaukee’s lead crisis began late last year, when a young student’s high blood lead levels were traced back to the student’s school.
‘This Is an Impossible Situation’: Medicaid Services Denied for Autism Therapy
In Henderson, one mother is speaking out after her son was denied Medicaid services for autism therapy. Kayla Dunn says her son Lincoln is 9-years-old and has severe autism. Lincoln was diagnosed at the age of two, and his mother says they’ve been utilizing home and community based waivers, funded through Medicaid, to provide extensive therapy for him.
“He’s been on it for about 6 years,” said Dunn. “It’s been a lifeline for him, every therapy he has, every service he has, he accesses through this waiver.” Kayla explains that Lincoln’s level of care is tremendous, with over 12 hours of speech and behavioral therapy each week. Without this waiver, there’s no way their family could afford it.
“It’s obviously very intense and obviously very expensive,” explained Dunn. “Most private insurances don’t cover it and if they do the co-pays are astronomical so these waivers gives families like ours access to that service.” Recently though, that access changed.
Kayla says, “It’s worked out great for us for 6 years and then all of a sudden this year all these families with developmental disabilities are being denied.” The family received a letter in the mail in April that said Lincoln’s Medicaid waiver had been denied.
Eating Avocados During Pregnancy Associated With Lower Food Allergy Risk in Baby
An observational study among 2,272 mother-child pairs in Finland found that infants had 44% lower odds of developing food allergies at 12 months if their mother consumed fresh avocado during pregnancy, after adjusting for other lifestyle, delivery, and maternal health factors.
Decades of research have explored the relationship between maternal diet and allergic outcomes in infants, but this is the first published study to link avocados in the maternal diet to a lower risk of infant food allergies — a growing public health concern that affects nearly one in 13 children, or roughly two in every classroom, according to Food Allergy Research and Education, or FARE.
Given food allergy has reached epidemic levels, the Avocado Nutrition Center supported this research to grow the world’s understanding of how avocado, a food with nutrients that support fetal and infant development, may further benefit children.
Marijuana Is Extremely Dangerous to the Fetus in the Womb, Study Finds
Using marijuana during pregnancy is linked to poor fetal development, low infant birth weight, dangerously early deliveries and even death, according to a new meta-analysis of research.
“The most striking finding is the increased risk of perinatal mortality — death either during the pregnancy or shortly after the pregnancy,” said obstetrician and lead study author Dr. Jamie Lo, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and urology in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
“Prior work we’ve done shows prenatal cannabis use impacts fetal lung function and development, reducing the baby’s lung volume,” Lo said. “We’ve also found that there is significantly decreased blood flow and oxygen availability in the placenta. These are the likely underlying mechanisms driving some of our findings.”
The placenta is a critical link between the mother and the developing fetus, delivering oxygen, nutrients and hormones necessary for growth. When that link is damaged, both the mother and the fetus are at risk.
Maternal Hypertension Linked to Neurodevelopment Risks in Preterm Infants
The neurodevelopment of preterm infants is influenced by maternal hypertension, according to a recent study published on April 29, by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Preeclampsia has been linked to multiple severe complications, including stroke, kidney failure, and death. Preterm birth is also more common in mothers with preeclampsia, and the new data indicate that these preterm infants are at an increased risk of brain injury after birth and worse neurodevelopment at two years.
“These reduced scores can be clinically meaningful because even slight differences can signal increased risk for later cognitive, language, or motor impairments,” said Nehal Parikh, D.O., M.S., a neonatologist with Cincinnati Children’s Perinatal Institute and senior author. “Since development is dynamic, even a small early disadvantage can compound over time.”
The study was conducted to evaluate the link between maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and neurodevelopment in infants born at 32 weeks’ gestation or sooner. Infants were recruited from level 3 and 4 neonatal intensive care units, with exclusion criteria including chromosomal or congenital anomalies and cyanotic heart disease.
Can Genetics Predict Autism Intellectual Disabilities?
A new predictive model combining genetics with developmental milestones may help forecast which autistic children are at risk of developing intellectual disabilities. In a large study of over 5,600 children, researchers were able to correctly predict 10% of such cases and differentiate between low and high-risk groups twice as well as current methods.
This marks a shift from “wait and see” approaches toward proactive, tailored support for families. Although still early in development, the model shows promise as genetic data and computational power continue to improve. Will a child who’s evaluated for autism later develop an intellectual disability? Can this be accurately predicted?
Early-childhood experts in Quebec say they’ve have come up with a way to better find out. In a study of 5,633 children drawn from three North American cohorts, clinician-researchers affiliated with Université de Montréal developed a new predictive model that combines a wide range of genetic variants with data on each stage of a young child’s development.
Published today, the study marks an important turning point in the use of genomics data: instead of being used to explain a developmental condition that was previously observed, with the new method genetic testing is used to predict future development.
