Archive for coronavirus
Lingering health problems in children and youth after COVID-19 and MIS-C
More than one in four children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) had persisting health problems two to four months later, finds a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the largest of its kind to date. Just published in the journal Pediatrics, the study tracked 358 patients ... Read More
Making a difference in children’s lives: A guide to the 2022 election season
Voting is your right and your way to make a difference in children’s lives. When you cast your vote, you’re letting elected officials know where you stand on issues such as access to health care, behavioral health, and child nutrition programs. In this spirit of civic engagement, Boston Children’s Hospital encourages all eligible citizens to make their voices ... Read More
Escaping the fire: How mental health care providers can fight burnout
It might feel like an occupational buzzword lately, but “burnout” is nothing new. It has plagued clinicians and other medical professionals for decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic and intensely spotlighted behavioral health crisis have only fueled the inferno. And maybe no one knows this better than the mental health professionals who have been on the frontline of both battles. ... Read More
COVID-19 vaccines are now available for kids under 5. Here’s what parents should know.
Children under age 5 can now be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently approved the use of vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in children ages 6 months and older. We spoke with Dr. Kristin Moffitt, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s, to get answers to your questions. ... Read More
Pregnant mothers who get COVID-19 vaccines are also protecting their babies
Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccination is safe for expectant mothers and can protect them against infection, severe illness, and death from COVID-19. We also know that mothers vaccinated during pregnancy pass coronavirus antibodies to their babies. The latest research — drawing on 30 children’s hospitals in 22 states — now confirms that vaccinating ... Read More
Previous COVID-19 or MIS-C does not protect kids from Omicron
You would think that having had COVID-19 once, you’d have antibodies that would protect you against repeat infections. But studies of adults have shown that Omicron doesn’t go by that logic. A new study, led by Dr. Adrienne Randolph of Boston Children’s Hospital and Dr. Surender Khurana of the Food and Drug Administration, confirms that ... Read More
COVID-19’s devastating toll: An increase in adolescent suicides and mental health crises
The past decade has seen worrisome increases in self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among adolescents. Two new studies from Boston Children’s Hospital show that the situation became even more acute with the onset of COVID-19. Epidemiologist Maimuna Majumder, PhD, and colleagues at the Computational Health Informatics Program (CHIP) at Boston Children’s partnered with public health ... Read More
Nurses Week 2022: Leading an enterprise-wide response to COVID-19
The Infection Prevention Control (IPC) team at Boston Children’s Hospital plays an important role in the management of all infectious disease events. Its focus is to maintain a safe environment for patients, families, and staff. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPC department responded to a novel influenza pandemic and prepared extensively for patients with ... Read More
How COVID-19 triggers massive inflammation
Why do some people with COVID-19 develop severe inflammation, leading to respiratory distress and damage to multiple organs? A new study in the journal Nature provides an explanation: the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects and kills critical immune cells in the blood and lungs, which set off powerful alarm bells as they die. Judy Lieberman, MD, PhD, ... Read More
COVID vaccination in 5- to 11-year-olds: What does the science say?
The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was approved for children ages 5 to 11 in October, but many parents have been hesitant to get them vaccinated. A national study in The New England Journal of Medicine provides reassuring data, showing that the vaccine strongly protected this age group against severe COVID-19. Dr. Adrienne Randolph at Boston Children’s ... Read More