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Supporters Praise Ohio Bill to Change Vaccine Requirements, Emphasize Exemptions
Ohio Capital Journal reported:
Supporters of a bill that would eliminate the requirement for some children to receive the hepatitis B vaccine and modify other vaccine regulations argued to an Ohio House committee last week that the bill is really about parental choice. Ohio House Bill 561 is a Republican-sponsored bill that would repeal hepatitis B vaccine requirements for daycares and preschools, something that matches up with federal moves to also remove that requirement.
Not only would it remove hep B from the required list of vaccinations, but it would also compel public schools to allow unvaccinated students to continue going to school in the case of a disease outbreak, along with other provisions about when and why a child can be denied admission to a school based on health or vaccination status.
Much like the sponsors of the bill did in a previous hearing, supporters of the bill emphasized that Ohio law already allows for medical, religious, and conscientious exemptions when it comes to vaccines, however the supporters told the Ohio House Health Committee that reports have come about that some workers in schools aren’t following the law.
Parents Warned After Unsafe Levels of Toxic Lead Found in Kids’ Clothing
Parents may want to take a closer look at what their children are wearing after new research found unsafe levels of toxic lead in some items kids’ clothing — particularly those linked to fast fashion. Preliminary findings from the study conducted by undergraduate researchers show that several children’s shirts sold by popular retailers contained lead levels exceeding U.S. federal safety limits.
Fast fashion has become a go-to option for families looking to keep up with rapidly growing children at a low cost, but according to the researchers, affordability may come with hidden health risks.
After testing 11 children’s shirts in a range of bright and muted colors — including red, yellow, pink, blue and gray — the team found that every item exceeded the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s limit of 100 parts per million (ppm) of lead for children’s products.
Not Just Vaccines: Parents Are Refusing Other Routine Preventive Care for Newborns
One day at an Idaho hospital, half the newborns Tom Patterson, MD, saw didn’t get the vitamin K shots that have been given to babies for decades to prevent potentially deadly bleeding. On another recent day, more than a quarter didn’t get the shot. Their parents wouldn’t allow it. “When you look at a child who’s innocent and vulnerable — and a simple intervention that’s been done since 1961 is refused — knowing that baby’s going out into the world is super worrisome to me,” said Patterson, who’s been a pediatrician for nearly three decades.
Doctors across the nation are alarmed that skepticism fueled by rising anti-science sentiment and medical mistrust is increasingly reaching beyond vaccines to other proven, routine preventive care for babies. A recent study in JAMA, which analyzed more than 5 million births nationwide, found that refusals of vitamin K shots nearly doubled between 2017 and 2024, from 2.9% to 5.2%.
Other research suggests that parents who decline vitamin K shots are much more likely to refuse getting their newborns the hepatitis B vaccine and an eye ointment to prevent potentially blinding infections. Rates for hepatitis B vaccination at birth dropped in recent years, and doctors confirm that more parents are refusing the eye medication.
“I do think these families care deeply about their infants,” said Kelly Wade, MD, PhD, a Philadelphia neonatologist. “But I hear from families that it’s hard to make decisions right now because they’re hearing conflicting information.”
Sepsis Is Linked to Nearly One in Five Pediatric Hospital Deaths in the US
Nearly one in five pediatric hospital deaths in the United States involve sepsis, according to a new national study published in JAMA. The study also found that sepsis occurs in about one in every 75 pediatric hospitalizations and that more than one in 10 children with sepsis die during hospitalization.
Based on these findings, the authors estimate that more than 18,000 hospitalized children in the United States have sepsis each year, including more than 1,800 who do not survive to discharge.
The study, titled “National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical Data,” was led by investigators from the SEPSIS Center at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, with contributions from multiple collaborating health systems across the country.
Landmark Trial in New Mexico to Decide Whether Meta Misled Users About Children’s Safety Risks
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Closing arguments began Monday in a landmark trial in New Mexico where social media conglomerate Meta is accused of misleading its users about how safe its platforms are for children. Jurors will take up the case after the arguments and six weeks of testimony from scores of witnesses that included teachers, psychiatric experts, state investigators, top Meta officials and whistleblowers that left the company.
The case in New Mexico state court is among the first to reach trial in a wave of litigation involving social media platforms and their impacts on children. New Mexico prosecutors have accused Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — of prioritizing profits over safety in violation of state consumer protection laws. They have raised concerns about the safety of complex algorithms, and a variety of messaging features and settings.
“It’s clear that young people are spending too much time on Meta, they’ve lost control,” prosecution attorney Linda Singer told the jury in closing statements. “Meta knew that and it didn’t disclose that.” At the same time, Singer said testimony and evidence at trial showed Meta’s algorithms had been recommending sensational and harmful content to teenagers, and failing to truly enforce its minimum user age of 13.
Study Links Children’s Social Media Use With Anxiety and Depression in Teenage Years
Children who are on social media for more than three hours a day are more likely to develop depression and anxiety as teenagers, according to research. Experts said the impact was likely to be linked to a lack of sleep caused by using social media late at night, and that the link to depression was more pronounced in girls.
Researchers at Imperial College London analysed data from a study of cognition, adolescents and mobile phones, set up in 2014, based on responses from 2,350 children at 31 schools across London. The schoolchildren twice took cognitive tests and completed a questionnaire on digital behaviours, mental health and lifestyles: first when they were between 11 and 12, and again when they were between 13 and 15.
The analysis found children who spent more than three hours a day on social media were more likely to have symptoms of anxiety and depression as teenagers, compared with those who spent 30 minutes online each day. The researchers suggested this could be down to those who used social media more going to sleep later and having less sleep overall, particularly on school nights.
