Recently, the once-thought conquered polio virus raised its ugly head again in the world.  Polio is a highly infectious disease and affects mainly children under the age of five. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' January 27th announcement, there is reason for the renewed emphasis to continue to combat polio until it is completely eradicated.  The statistics, HHS points to, are: one in 200 polio cases leads to irreversible paralysis, and among those paralyzed, 5-10% die. 

In April 2010, a type 1 strain of the polio virus caused an outbreak in Tajikistan. There were also some cases in Russia.  In  November 2010, a large-scale immunization plan was being formalized to vaccinate approximately three million people during the year in the Democratic Republic of Congo and nearby Angola, where an outbreak also had occurred.  Between the years 2000 and 2005, there were also outbreaks of polio in the Philippines, Madagascar, China and Indonesia (Aylward 2006).

Since with polio there is always the risk of transmitting or importing the highly infectious disease to a country where it does not exist or was thought to be eradicated, even children in the U.S. can be in jeopardy unless the disease is completely eradicated. On January 27, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (USCDC), and the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development (MOHSD) entered into a partnership agreement to eradicate the disease wherever it occurs with their initial signing of the global protocol of intent to eradicate polio (PIEP).  The agreement to eradicate polio also has the support of international charity organizations, such as Rotary International, and will reach out to communities throughout the world.

Because polio is highly contagious and can move throughout communities and countries quickly--and throughout the world, it is important that it be eradicated and that even wild types of the virus are banished, as well.  This is a case of if one child is afflicted in the world, more may be also.  Currently, vaccines are not always available to countries with limited resources.  It is hoped that the renewed emphasis on eradicating the disease will encourage funding of research to develop more available and effective vaccines against all types of polio and that this disease will be eradicated in our and our children's lifetimes. ChildSafetyBlog.org supports this renewed commitment to eradicating polio worldwide.

Once a child begins to creep and then crawl, these little ones can get into trouble big time!  Parents, family members, caregivers, and babysitters can afford to take another look at what we need to do to protect children when they begin crawling.  Young children are curious and as soon as they are mobile, they begin to seek out colorful, interesting and shiny shapes and want to touch them. 

There are ways that parents and caregivers can protect children at this stage--and here are some good tips, from the Children's National Medical Center, which advises SafeKidsUSA on how to keep kids safe:

·        Watch your child! "Closely supervise" your crawling baby.

·        Place one hand on the baby when a child is sitting on furniture to prevent falls or awkward moves that could hurt baby.

·        Define a "safe space" for a child to explore--Make sure the space is safe by putting away objects which could break or endanger your child (ashtrays, vases, objets d'arts) if the objects fall or get broken. Don't just put them up--we think this encourages a child to see what is "up"!

·        Limit access to any kind of electrical hazard: electric sockets (there are plastic "stoppers" you can buy at any hardware store to prevent children from putting their fingers or anything else in the sockets); TVs, radios, computers, and peripherals--anything with an electrical cord!

·        Limit access to bookshelves and entertainment centers--climbing, falling object electrical and fall hazards.

·        Use stair gates, barriers and fences, but make sure they are safe childhood furniture products.

·        Limit access to drawers in bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms where the contents might spill or be hazardous to children.

·        Move baby furniture away from windows and do away with window blinds--note the recent CPSC recalls of window blinds and roll-up window shades.

·        Do not use baby walkers with wheels; and

·        Several brands of baby swings have been recalled and have been removed from the market place. If you use a baby swing or any other toddler furniture product, make certain it is safely constructed and not any of the brands/models that have been recalled.  Check http://www.cpsc.gov for information on recalled toddlers' toys and furniture.

Childsafetyblog.org likes: http://www.childrensnational.org/advocacy/KeyIssues/IVPrevention/

And is happy to pass along these good tips to parents!

Yes, let's talk specifically about young children's teeth!  Did you know that 50% of young children will have a cavity or filling before they reach nine years of age? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, Executive Summary (Rockville, MD, 2010), cavities in children's teeth have increased 20% since the mid-1990s. In addition, gum disease doesn't just occur in young people and adults--it is also a children's oral health problem and it can be prevented.

Childsafetyblog.org notes the increase in children's cavities seems to run parallel to figures on increased incidence of obesity in the general American population. As obesity and consumption of fast, fatty, and starchy foods has increased, it appears that so has the prevalence of cavities in children's teeth and other children's health problems, such as children's allergies and asthma.

Warnings about cavity causers, such as candy and sweets, always bear repeating, but we need to heed the warning and go beyond that. Parents, family members, and caregivers need to be watchful, not only of the foods we prepare for our children to eat at home, but the contents of the foods they eat--whether they are at home with us, in daycare, at school and while visiting friends' and relatives' homes.

We need to do our homework about the sugar/starch content of everything our children consume, and pay special attention to the amount of sugar contained in breakfast cereals, cookies, carbonated beverages--and snacks of all kinds--as well as the sugar/starch content in main course pre-prepared foods, like frozen dinners, pizza, sandwiches, etc. We need to read the content information on the labels and refrain from giving children foods that are loaded with saturated fats, starch, and sugar.

We also need to watch the non-food that goes into children's mouths--fingers, hands, toys. Is the glass or bottle they are drinking from clean? Are the utensils with which they eat clean?  In our home, we use the dishwasher regularly as its hot water and steam help to reduce bacteria.  We use paper cups for water (in the bathroom) and then we pitch them.  We have also given up using plastic food dishes--as we perceived they are not easily or completely sterilized when washing.

Beyond watching what goes in small children's mouths, we need to do regular oral health care at home. Primary or "baby" teeth need just as much protection as young children's and adult's teeth. Primary teeth frequently appear when a child is almost six months old. These baby teeth aid in chewing and speaking and are placeholders for permanent teeth which are developing.

Even before a child's teeth appear, parents can gently clean a child's gums with a damp wash cloth; experts recommend this twice daily to help get the child ready for the eventual brushing of their teeth.  As soon as the first tooth appears, parents can begin brushing the tooth (or teeth) gently with water using a small, soft, nylon-bristled tooth brush. A child's teeth also may be flossed as soon as there are two teeth which touch one another. By age 3, a child may have 20 primary teeth which they will begin to lose at about age 6. 

Listerine Kids™ recommends that adding mouthwash to the tooth brushing routine helps prevent cavities. The use of mouthwash also helps to reverse early stages of tooth decay, while rinsing away food particles a child's toothbrush may miss. Getting kids to adopt a regular routine of tooth brushing is critical to their long-term oral health.  Parents can do much to encourage children to maintain good oral health and even post a calendar in the bathroom, rewarding children with a gold star for regular brushing!  Everything parents do today to help their children maintain good oral health will be paid back with big, beautiful smiles in the future.    

This week warning bells sounded throughout the child safety network about the safety of children and the use of ultrasonic humidifiers.  This time it's not just due to possible exposure to fire incidents (although on January 11, 2011, the CPSC issued a voluntary recall of 198,000 GE and Professional Series humidifiers due to a possible fire hazard in those makes and models).  It is believed that the ultrasonic humidifiers release tiny particles into the air from the water used in the humidifier. The amount and type of particles is largely dependent upon the minerals in the water.  Simply put, there have been concerns that babies may breathe in air containing minute particles and a concentration of these particles may harm a baby's lungs and/or the lining of a child's nose and airway. 

The Environmental Protection Agency, as early as 1991, issued guidelines on the "Use and Care of Home Humidifiers" noting that the moisture released into the air by the humidifiers could encourage the growth of biological organisms (including dust mites and molds) in the home. 

"Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have shown that ultrasonic and impeller (or "cool mist") humidifiers can disperse materials, such as microorganisms and minerals, from their water tanks into indoor air."  At that time, it was noted that "only limited information was available on the growth of microorganisms and the dispersal of microorganisms and minerals by home humidifiers." http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/humidif.html   

In addition, it was noted at the time that "minerals in tap water may increase the development of crusty deposits, or scale, in humidifiers. Scale can be a breeding ground for microorganisms.  One way to reduce the possibility of emitting particles is to use distilled water which already eliminates much of the mineral content in "hard" water.

It was noted that it is extremely important to keep humidifiers clean. Regular cleaning daily and once a week disinfecting were recommended to minimize dispensing biological organisms and molds into the air.

Because some humidifiers use a heating element to create steam, hot water and steam can create scalding hazards to young children.  So childsafetyblog.org  recommends keeping steam models away from small children.

The controversy over a possible connection between childhood vaccinations and autism continues.  This past week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Beat (http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2011/01/20110112a.html  ) by Ira Dreyfuss pointed out that there is evidence from additional studies that the vaccine preservative thimerosal may be safer than previously thought.

Although some parents claim thimerosal can cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD), "researchers have consistently shown no such connection," Dreyfuss says. A recent study examined mothers' exposure to immunizations containing thimerosal and data from approximately 1,000 children.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research scientist Frank DeStefano indicated the study published in Pediatrics gives "the strongest evidence to date that immunization during pregnancy with thimerosal-containing vaccines does not increase risk of ASD.''   Thimerosal is contained only in some flu vaccines.  All flu vaccines do not contain thimerosal.   Childsafetyblog.org will keep you posted on this issue as we receive additional information!

Most of America is experiencing a real winter this 2011!

Over New Year's 32 inches of snow fell in northern New Jersey alone, yet some places in the U.S. were unscathed, so we feel fortunate to be living in a more moderate climate--but it's only January and several months more of cold weather and possible snow and ice are on the way.  What can we do this season to protect our kids?

Certainly dressing infants and children warmly and in layers if they are going out of doors is a good idea. And encouraging them to play indoors during periods of extremely cold temperatures works better for them too. Yesterday, I watched two young adult parents as they brought their child into a store--they had to cross a windy parking lot in 20 degree temps. The child was in an infant seat, thankfully bundled up.  But this made me wonder--wouldn't it have been better for one of the parents to remain in the warmth of their home with the baby?  We will never know the answer to that question.  But here are a few tips to cope with the winter cold:

• Thin layers of clothes consisting of thermal underwear, tee shirts, sweaters, socks, and warm pants are very good if children are going out of doors.  We recommend coats, hats, gloves, and boots over layered clothing if necessary to keep kids warm and waterproof in the cold and snow. (Oh... and keeping an eye on them is also good, so that they don't remove their clothes as they play!)
• One-piece sleep-suits or "sleepers" are great and keep baby warm best while sleeping or again thin layers and a single cover with the child's face exposed.  We caution parents to refrain from using a lot of covers in the sleeping area, to protect against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite if your child is outside for awhile.  In hypothermia, children can shiver or become lethargic or clumsy-acting if they've been out too long in the cold or worn improper clothing. Their speech can become slurred as well.  Frostbite endangers little ears, hands, faces, and toes, and parents and caregivers need to watch for the signs of grey blotchiness on their cheeks or complaints of numbness in digits or the feeling of "burning" skin.
• If you think your child may have hypothermia, bring them indoors, remove any wet or cold clothing, shoes and socks, redress them warmly and wrap them in blankets and call 911. Keep them good and warm until help comes!
• If you think your child may have frostbite, again, bring them indoors and remove any wet or cold clothing, shoes and socks, redress them warmly and apply warm (not hot) water by washcloths to the affected areas (nose, ears, lips, etc.).  Do not rub the affected areas. Give your child a warm drink.  If the feeling of numbness persists more than a few minutes, call 911, and keep your child warm until help comes.

Being a caring parent or caregiver in the cold months takes a lot of effort,  but there are things you can do to make your child's life more comfortable in cold weather.  Use sun screen on hands and faces, make sure they wear their mittens and hats, even using a humidifier to protect their sinuses from dry heat is a big help to kids. And a simple thing like making sure they wash their hands frequently (even in cold weather) to protect them from getting viruses that seem to appear more frequently during the winter season is another good way to keep them safe.

ChildSafetyBlog.org wishes you and yours a safe, healthy and happy New Year 2011 and a great winter season!

Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) tells us, is an inherited (genetic) chronic disease that affects approximately 30,000 individuals in the U.S. and 70,000 individuals worldwide.  Almost 1,000 new cases of CF are diagnosed in the U.S. annually.  According to Disabled World, "One out of every 3,500 children in the U.S. are born with it." CFF tells us 70 percent of patients are diagnosed before age 2 in the U.S.   But how does this disease present itself and how does it affect children?

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation tells us that CF is caused by "A defective gene and its protein product [which] cause the body to produce an unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

• clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
• obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food."

Parents of children need to be able to recognize the symptoms of CF which include:

• very salty-tasting skin;
• persistent coughing, at times with phlegm;
• frequent lung infections;
• wheezing or shortness of breath;
• poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; and
• frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements.

The disease affects more people of Caucasian background than those of Native American, Hispanic, or African American origin.  The disease is also found to a lesser extent in Canada and in the United Kingdom.

How would you, as a parent or caregiver, be able to tell if your child has Cystic Fibrosis?    If a child is experiencing frequent breathing problems and other symptoms noted above, a parent can take their child to the emergency room or their primary care physician in order for the child to be medically evaluated.  A doctor is able to prescribe tests that can confirm or rule out CF.

The primary test, which is the "Sweat Test," is easy and painless.  This test determines the salt level in a child's perspiration, which is one of the major determining factors in CF. Biological parents can also take a blood test which determines whether or not they are carriers of the CF gene.  Children would have to inherit one copy of the defective CF gene from each parent in order to have the disease. 

In the U.S., a tremendous advancement in identifying CF is that in all states newborns are screened for CF.  Newborns screened for CF can benefit from early diagnosis and treatment, which can:

• Improve growth;
• Maintain healthy lungs;
• Reduce the number of hospital stays; and
• Add years to an individual's life.

The prognosis for those with CF is much better today than it was in the 1950s. Airway clearance, nutrition, and drug therapies are important in controlling CF in children and adults. Today, there is hope, as many individuals with CF are living longer, healthier lives than in the recent past.

This child safety blog piece is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Jamie Maria Mick Ferber who died in January 2003, at age 27, due to complications of Cystic Fibrosis.  As a child, Jamie was a poster child for promoting awareness of Cystic Fibrosis.  Jamie grew up in Broadway, Virginia, attended Eastern Mennonite schools in Harrisonburg, graduated from Shenandoah University in Winchester, and became a respiratory therapist and advocate for Cystic Fibrosis patients.  We are grateful for her life and dedication.