Vaccine coverage for children by 2 years of age was lower for those born during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the two previous years, according to a new report. The declines “could lead to a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, varicella, and rotavirus and their associated morbidity and mortality,” researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote in a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Children are recommended to receive vaccinations against 15 diseases by 24 months of age. Read more in AAP News.

MedPage Today (10/7) reports, “Cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood was linked to lower academic performance, a systematic review and meta-analysis suggested.” Researchers found that “among 63 studies that comprised 438,329 participants, moderate-certainty evidence indicated that cannabis use among individuals ages 24 years and younger was likely associated with lower school grades…as well as less likelihood of high school completion…university enrollment…and postsecondary degree attainment.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Endocrinology Advisor (10/8) reports, “A longer nighttime sleep duration, but not total sleep duration, is positively associated with taller stature among young children, according to study findings.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study…a large nationwide birth cohort designed to assess the effects of environmental, lifestyle, and medical factors on child health and development.” The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

With the H5N1 bird flu now confirmed in three humans who worked on dairy farms in Texas and Michigan, families can learn about the virus and how to prevent its spread in this article from HealthyChildren.org.

Podcast debut: ‘Healthy Children’

The “Healthy Children” podcast, hosted by Edith Bracho-Sánchez, M.D., FAAP, debuts this week and offers parents a “judgment-free space where all questions are good questions, and the answers will hopefully be even better.” Dr. Bracho-Sánchez will host weekly chats with experts on child health, beginning with Rachel Moon, M.D., FAAP, who talks safe sleep and sleep training. Listen to the podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music/Audible, Spotify and other major podcast platforms; read more from Dr. Bracho-Sánchez in an AAP News article here.

New research shows that pregnant women enrolled in the federal WIC program have better outcomes than those who are not enrolled but eligible. The enrolled women had a lower risk of poor pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, the need for blook transfusions, preterm birth and ICU care needed for moms and babies.  This study was published in the journal “Obstetrics and Gynecology” – https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/abstract/9900/special_supplemental_nutrition_program_for_women,.1102.aspx .

Dr. David Schonfeld and Dr. Arwa Nasir explain how children understand death, based on their age and stage of development, and how to talk with them about the loss of a loved one at HealthyChildren.org. Also, see the information from Wild Grief – www.wildgrief.org. They provide guided programs in nature, free of charge to grieving youth, families and people of all ages, based in Olympia, WA and serving people from around the region.