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Local health department costs in response to pertussis outbreaks exceed $2,000 per case, according to a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The FDA has approved Natroba Topical Suspension 0.9% for treating head lice in patients 4 years of age and older. This prescription product should be used in conjunction with an overall lice management program.

As many as 1 in 10 children can be considered a pathologic video gamer, and in many cases the addiction lasts for at least 2 years.

Children with severe, frequent symptoms of asthma experience progressive loss of lung function through adolescence into adulthood, even with high doses of controller medications.

Half of all children who survive bacterial meningitis may experience long-term complications from the infection in their lifetimes, including seizure disorders, other neurologic deficits, hearing and vision loss, behavior problems, motor delay, and impaired cognitive functioning, according to a study published in Pediatrics. These new findings may bolster the recommendation for vaccination of children against the disease.

Two new studies provide solid evidence that antibiotic treatment produces faster resolution of otitis media (OM) symptoms than watchful waiting in children up to 35 months old.

Second-hand smoke in the home increases arterial hypertension in children as young as 4 and 5 years, according to new evidence from a screening project of preschool children in Germany. Results of the study appeared online in the journal Circulation.

Parents of preverbal children with acute otitis media (AOM) look at their child?s observable behaviors to determine their pain level. Although no specific symptom dictates parental assessment of pain, ear tugging and fussiness appear to be the symptoms that most influence parental perception of pain. However, interpretation of these behaviors is influenced by other factors, like socioeconomic status, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain.

The recent murders in Arizona are horrific. That a 9-year-old girl was one of the victims magnifies the horror even more. Of course, it is natural to seek explanations for why someone would lash out like this. However, when rationalizing random acts of violence, it is important to consider the path leading up to the tragic event and be wary of current opinions propagated in the media.

A 10-year-old boy presents to your office with sharp right-sided flank pain. The pain began the night before, and the child could produce only a few drops of urine the next morning.

A 4-year-old boy who is new to your practice presents for a well-child visit. His parents report that he has had brownish patches on his torso and back since early infancy. The lesions have decreased in size and number as he has aged. The rash is intermittently pruritic, especially when anyone touches the individual lesions.

Warning: this is a column about political correctness. If you find it impossible to be judgmental in any situation, or are incapable of offering decisive opinions about anything, you are advised to go no further-your feelings will be hurt.

A 3-year-old boy with chest pain and trouble breathing that had developed over the past 24 hours was brought to the emergency department. The parents reported that his most prominent symptom was a cough. The chest pain appeared to worsen with coughing. He had undergone open atrial septal defect repair about 3 weeks before presentation.

Even more information has emerged about the 1998 Andrew Wakefield measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) study that is important for you to communicate to parents, especially those who are concerned about their perceived risk of autism. Here are highlights of the latest reports in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) discrediting Wakefield,s work (originally published in the Lancet), which make the case that Wakefield purposely set out to skew data and present fraudulent information to support an association between vaccination and the onset of developmental and behavioral problems in British children.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a potential risk of death for persons treated with recombinant human growth hormone. The FDA is reviewing information and will publish new recommendations when its investigation is complete.

Childhood obesity : Challenging pediatricians with averting this epidemic even in their littlest patients Catalyst for change : Motivational interviewing can help parents to help their kids Dermcase : Navel battles! Puzzler : An odd case of pallor and splenomegaly Updates : Varicella vaccine, AEs with CAM use, Food allergies, Meningococcal vaccination

The mother of a 7-month old boy was worried about a nontender, firm, irreducible lump that appeared on his navel 2 months ago.

Five national groups came together in December to call attention to their assertion that little media attention is given to child abuse deaths, despite the numbers being far higher than many other issues that do make the national news.

Clinicians can foster a working partnership with patients through the use of motivational interviewing.

Childhood obesity is one of the most challenging problems facing pediatricians today.

You are completing rounds as an intern one morning on the general pediatric ward when your colleague from the emergency department signs out a patient to you. She describes an 11-month-old black male who presented with a 4-day history of low-grade fever, nasal congestion, and decreased appetite, without vomiting or diarrhea.

During my medical school pediatric clerkship, I was assigned to spend one half-day per week at the office of a private pediatrician. Over time, it became clear that pediatricians must be active partners with parents in decisions regarding infant feeding and other activities if the disturbing trends of obesity are to be reversed.

Succimer, a drug used to treat lead poisoning in children, has limited efficacy in removing mercury from the body, according ot new research.

Complementary and alternative medicine - either medicinal CAM or the substitution of an unproven therapy for a conventional therapy - can lead to serious and fatal adverse events, especially when used in children, according to surveillance of one database.

An action plan to manage food allergy in schools should emphasize allergen avoidance, recognition of allergic reactions, and identification of situations that require injections of epinephrine.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the CDC recommended a booster dose of vaccine for bacterial meningitis after reviewing recent evidence showing that a single dose of vaccine provides immunity for fewer than 5 years, a much shorter duration than previously believed.

Prominent posting of calorie information on fast-food menu boards greatly increases customers' awareness of calorie information and makes it more likely that they will make calorie-informed choices, a survey showed.