https://medicalxpress.com/childrens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Children's Health A large population-based study led by researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Mass General Brigham suggests that genetic testing added to routine newborn screening could identify some babies at increased risk of developing cancer before symptoms appear, opening a window for cancer surveillance and early detection. The paper was published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-genomic-newborn-screening-children-early.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:20:05 EDT news705766449 Researchers and physicians at the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) and other leading cancer centers report an exceptional treatment outcome in an adolescent with an advanced, treatment-resistant kidney tumor. Using a novel, personalized T-cell therapy, they succeeded in completely reversing the disease despite multiple metastases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-personalized-cell-therapy-metastatic-kidney.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:07 EDT news705749342 Leucovorin prescriptions for children spiked after federal officials claimed the drug was an effective treatment for autism during a September 2025 press conference, according to a new Michigan Medicine-led study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-leucovorin-prescriptions-children-federal-autism.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:03 EDT news705758342 Lead contamination in soil tracked inside homes can cause dangerous indoor lead dust levels even in residences with no interior lead-based paint, according to researchers with the Rutgers Environmental, Occupational and Health Sciences Institute in collaboration with community scientists from the East Trenton Collaborative. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-contaminated-soil-tracked-indoors-hazardous.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:05 EDT news705764401 Heat waves pose a growing threat to learning, health and well-being in schools as extreme heat becomes more frequent and intense across the United States, finds a report by the American Psychological Association and the Network for Resilient PK–12 Schools. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-schools-extreme-world-urges.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:50:01 EDT news705753229 More than 3 million children enrolled in pre-K–12 schools in the U.S. attend a school located within a quarter mile of a known environmental hazard site tracked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pre-schools-environmental-hazard-sites.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:10:01 EDT news705752988 Some of medicine's smallest patients can present its biggest imaging challenges. An infant's heart can be as small as a walnut, beating rapidly inside a body that will change dramatically as the child grows. Yet much of the equipment used in MRI comes in standard sizes better suited to adult bodies, and customized versions can cost thousands of dollars and take months or even years to manufacture. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-tiniest-patients-tech-clearer-mri.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:20:02 EDT news705746641 The World Health Organization warned Wednesday that Donald Trump's bid to overhaul child vaccination in the United States went against "decades of evidence." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-trump-vaccine-evidence.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:28:32 EDT news705745674 For sleep-deprived nursing moms, artificial intelligence may feel like a lifeline. In fact, a new national survey from Orlando Health reveals if women ages 18 to 44 had an urgent breastfeeding question or concern, half (51%) of them would first turn to an AI chatbot, social media or a search engine; 29% would first ask a health care professional (doctor or lactation consultant); and 21% would first reach out to a family member or friend. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-real-world-ai-breastfeeding-advice.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:20:03 EDT news705735978 Advances in genome sequencing are giving more families access to prenatal genetic testing and new information about an unborn baby's health, including whether genetic changes may be linked to a neurodevelopmental condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-machine-approach-greater-certainty-prenatal.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news705743881 U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that recasts the country's childhood vaccination policy to "support maximal parental choice." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-vaccine-policy-shift-undermine-childhood.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:00:03 EDT news705735374 A study appearing in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics found that introducing the hexavalent (six-in-one) vaccine into India's Universal Immunization Program (UIP) could improve the efficiency of the country's childhood immunization program. The vaccine would reduce the number of injections infants receive, ease the workload of frontline health workers, lower cold-chain requirements and save caregivers' time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-hexavalent-vaccine-india-immunization-efficient.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 07:40:02 EDT news705735314 Nearly 500 children have been injured by e-scooters since 2019, with less than 2% reportedly wearing a helmet and an average age of just 12, according to a three-center study in England published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-children-scooters-england.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:30:04 EDT news705566930 A new executive order calls for American children to be routinely immunized against 11 diseases instead of the 17 now recommended by federal health officials. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-routine-childhood-vaccines-doctors.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:20:04 EDT news705678829 Restarting obesity medications, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, soon after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is associated with greater one-year weight loss than surgery alone in adolescents, according to a research letter published online July 22 in JAMA Surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-reinitiating-obesity-meds-bariatric-surgery.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:40:06 EDT news705678812 Melbourne researchers have created human heart valve tissues from stem cells, providing a powerful new platform to advance treatments for childhood heart diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stem-cells-humanlike-heart-valve.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:20:06 EDT news705680461 An innovative youth mental health service model can improve care and ease pressure on Canada's health care system, a new study led by researchers at McGill University demonstrates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-youth-mental-health-dollar-invested.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:20:05 EDT news705666541 In a study conducted at the Universities of Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland, more screen time since childhood was associated with better cognitive processing in adolescence. According to one of the researchers, we should not regard screen time solely as harmful. The most important thing is to find a balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-screen-childhood-cognitive-adolescence.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705665472 Almost half of Finnish parents feel that their infants' sleep is abnormal. However, measuring sleep disturbances is complicated. In her doctoral thesis, University of Helsinki researcher Sofie de Sena investigated infant sleep using a smart wearable system called NAPPA (NAPping PAnts). It measures infant sleep at home and provides information on body position, respiration and activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-wearable-tech-babies-night-awakenings.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:40:03 EDT news705665422 For more than 30 years, one piece of pregnancy advice has been remarkably consistent: Take folic acid. The reason is clear. Folic acid, or vitamin B9, can lower the risk of neural tube defects, serious birth defects that happen when the early structure that becomes the brain and spinal cord does not close properly. What has been much less clear is how folic acid works. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-folic-acid-baby-brain-spinal.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:20:05 EDT news705667022 Maternal vaping is emerging as a potential risk factor for sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), according to New Zealand researchers who say their findings highlight the need to reassess public health messaging around vaping in pregnancy and bed sharing. The work is published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-maternal-vaping-linked-sudi-cases.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:07 EDT news705659101 Stress or trauma during childhood may leave people more vulnerable to mental health struggles and stress later in life. Scientists think one reason could be that early-life stress leaves lasting molecular bookmarks on DNA, without changing the genetic sequence itself. A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience digs deeper into the biology of chemical marks left behind by stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-adulthood-chemical-quietly-brain-stress.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:20:07 EDT news705658566 Sugar restriction in the first 1,000 days from conception is associated with a lower risk of dementia, according to a study published online July 29 in Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-sugar-restriction-days-conception-linked.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 03:06:43 EDT news705636376 Researchers from the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases updated recommendations for the use of influenza vaccines and antiviral medications in the prevention and treatment of influenza in children during the 2026–2027 influenza season. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-aap-influenza-vaccine-children-months.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:40:05 EDT news705585732 Every year, an estimated 6,000 to 24,000 people are killed by lightning around the world, and many more are injured. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-lightning-thousands-globally-year-survive.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:00:04 EDT news705586363 A new nationwide study finds antiviral treatment is linked to fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and shorter hospital stays for children hospitalized with influenza. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-largest-real-world-early-flu.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:20:08 EDT news705582301 Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood and is more likely to occur in babies born very preterm. The condition can affect movement, posture and coordination, with impacts that can last throughout life. New research led by SAHMRI has added to the growing evidence that giving a magnesium sulfate infusion to women at risk of very preterm birth helps more babies survive without cerebral palsy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-magnesium-sulfate-infusion-preterm-delivery.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:20:02 EDT news705570122 Declining use of folic acid supplements before pregnancy is undermining progress in preventing serious birth defects, health experts say. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-falling-folic-acid-supplement-uptake.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:20:01 EDT news705565202 The secret ingredient for treating a rare nervous system disease could be hiding in the fridge, Swinburne researchers have discovered. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-broccoli-untreatable-rare-nerve-disease.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705562862 Every year, more than 120,000 newborns worldwide contract HIV, creating a global health burden that requires lifelong treatment for millions of people—assuming they have access and can afford it. New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests another possibility: a one-time regimen of therapies given to newborns within three days of birth to permanently clear the virus. The research is published today in the journal Nature Microbiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-triple-dose-regimen-permanently-hiv.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:00:03 EDT news705246781