Top Stories

Pediatricians renew commitment to strict gun control
The AAP, in a policy statement published in Pediatrics, called for stricter gun laws to prevent firearm-related deaths among children and teens. The group recommended more counseling for parents about gun safety and storage as well as the restoration of a ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004. Reuters (10/18)

Unintentional injuries are leading cause of child deaths in U.S.
Unintentional injury claimed the lives of more than 115,000 people aged 19 and younger between 2000 and 2009, making it the leading cause of child death in the U.S., CDC researchers wrote in the Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. They noted that infants and 15- to 19-year-olds were the most affected age groups and that more than half of the deaths were due to motor vehicle accidents. DoctorsLounge.com/HealthDay News (10/18)

Pediatric Health Care

CDC: Meningitis deaths rise to 20
The latest death toll from the meningitis outbreak linked to tainted steroid injections rose to 20, CDC officials reported on Thursday. Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of a fungus called Exserohilum rostratum in unopened methylprednisolone acetate vials packed by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)/Booster Shots blog (10/18)

"Cocooning" can protect babies from whooping cough, study says
Vaccination of mothers and older siblings against pertussis can effectively protect babies from getting the infection, Dutch researchers reported in the journal Epidemiology. However, they noted that vaccinated fathers was seen as less important. Reuters (10/18)

Detergent pods are hazardous to children, officials warn
About 94% of 485 pediatric cases of poisoning from laundry detergent pods between May and June involved children aged 5 and younger, CDC officials wrote in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. They added that children who swallowed these detergent pods were more likely to experience adverse health effects than those who ingested other laundry detergent products. MyHealthNewsDaily.com (10/18) U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (10/18)

Higher obesity, diabetes risk seen in firstborn, premature children
Children who were firstborn, premature or post-term face an increased risk of obesity and diabetes onset in later years, researchers reported at the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society meeting. The results demonstrate that obesity should be prevented early on rather than being "inadequately addressed later," and that stronger education on healthy eating habits is needed for women beginning in their early teen years, researchers said. The New Zealand Herald/APNZ News Service (New Zealand) (10/18)

Upholstered toddler chairs recalled over injury hazard
An estimated 16,850 of Trend Lab's upholstered toddler chairs were recalled because staples on the back can come loose, posing laceration and choking hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. No injuries have been reported. MyHealthNewsDaily.com (10/18)

Trends & Technology

Self-stigmatization prevents doctors from coming back to work
U.K. researchers interviewed 19 doctors who were on a prolonged sick leave due to physical or mental health problems, or drug or alcohol problems, and found that self-stigmatization was a major obstacle preventing their return to work. Some respondents described themselves as failures and some feared a negative response when returning to work. The findings appear in the journal BMJ Open. DoctorsLounge.com/HealthDay News (10/18)

Health Policy & Regulations

CMS highlights progress of federal meaningful use program
The federal program to offer incentives to Medicaid and Medicare providers who demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs has made strides despite some growing pains, CMS officials said. Almost 20,000 eligible professionals and about 81% of eligible hospitals have signed up for the program, and about $7.7 billion in incentive payments has been issued as of last month, officials said. Government Health IT online (10/17)

The Last Word - News from the AAP

New guidelines for vaccine storage and handling
The CDC has issued new storage and handling guidance for vaccines. See the CDC website and this AAP News article for more information.

Visit the Friends of Children Fund Philanthropy Booth at NCE
If you are attending this year?s NCE, being held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La., be sure to visit the Friends of Children Fund booth. Located just outside the entrance to the exhibit floor, visit the FCF booth to make a donation and learn more about the programs that your donations support. Make a personal contribution and receive your donor ribbon and a free gift. The booth will also have information on the Friends of Children Fund Cause Marketing Booths on the exhibit floor. Pediatrics Insurance Consultants/AAP Insurance Program; Pfizer Consumer Healthcare; and P&G will each make a contribution to the Fund in honor of everyone who stops by their booths and has their badge swiped.

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