Too Many U.S. Babies Still Sleep in Positions That Raise SIDS Risk

Despite decades of campaigns highlighting the "baby on back" recommendation for safe infant sleep, 12% of 4-month-old babies in the United States are still put to bed lying on their sides or tummies, a new report finds.

That number rises to 19% among infants aged 9 months and 23% among 1-year-olds.

Putting an infant to bed in a "non...

Too Much Screen Time Harms Preschoolers' Sleep, Behavior

Too much screen time can sabotage preschoolers' sleep, potentially turning them into terrors around the house, a new study warns.

Bad sleep can exacerbate children's struggles with poor attention, hyperactivity and moodiness, researchers reported Dec. 12 in the journal Early Child Development and Care.

Worse, kids can wind u...

U.S. Overdose Deaths Fell 17% in Just One Year

In news that suggest the U.S. opioid epidemic may be easing, drug overdose deaths fell 17% between July 2023 and July 2024.

Per new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 94,000 people died from drug overdoses (ODs) during that 12-month period, down from more than 113,000 deaths between July 2...

Study Warns That Cats Might Be Bird Flu Carriers

Picture this: a beloved cat, playful and healthy one day, falls mysteriously ill the next. Soon after, the shocking culprit is revealed -- bird flu, a virus that most people associate with poultry and wild birds.

Now, scientists are warning that domestic cats could potentially prompt a public health crisis.

According to a new study ...

Only a Third of U.S. Kids Have Gotten Flu Shots

Despite a record number of American children dying from the flu last year, the percentage of kids getting their flu shots keeps falling.

In new data posted this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 37% of kids had received the vaccine as of Nov. 30 -- down from 43% at the same time last year.

This decline...

Mystery Illness Outbreak in Congo May Be Malaria

There's early evidence that a mysterious flu-like illness that has sickened 416 people and left 75 dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo over recent weeks may be malaria.

Laboratory samples taken from infected people are suggestive of malaria, although more research is needed to confirm that, health officials said.

“Of the 1...