Boardash: Halloween safety need not scare children

Having trouble seeing this email? View the most recent issue or stories from previous issues.

	Today's Wine & Dine Daily Video
	How To Make Thai Cucumber Salad Play Now!

Free Halloween Tips!

Parents
For You
Friday October 9, 2009

1 in 5 U.S kids got seasonal flu shot
Few risks for cancer survivors' offspring
Halloween safety need not scare children
Halloween Costume Safety Tips
More News

1 in 5 U.S kids got seasonal flu shot

ATLANTA (UPI) -- For the 2008-2009 flu season, almost 21 percent of U.S. children and teens ages 5-17 got the seasonal flu shot, federal health officials estimated.

The 2008-2009 season estimate provides a baseline and indicates continuing efforts are needed to achieve high seasonal influenza vaccination coverage among school-age children and adolescents, including additional vaccination programs in schools and the community along with expanded vaccination services in provider offices, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report said Thursday.

The special telephone survey estimated seasonal influenza vaccination levels conducted primarily during January and February by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 19 states. The survey provided a state-based benchmark for assessing implementation of the new 2008 CDC influenza vaccination recommendation that all school-age children get vaccinated for seasonal flu.

"The 2009-2010 season is the first full season of this new recommendation and the keys to successful implementation may require expanded school-located vaccination programs to assist provider offices as they increase their efforts and services to address the demand," the report said.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Few risks for cancer survivors' offspring

SEATTLE (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they observed few risks to babies born to parents who underwent cancer treatment in childhood or adolescence.

Corresponding author Dr. Eric Chow of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle says the most significant finding was among women cancer survivors, who had a greater risk of giving birth to pre-term and low-birth weight infants compared to the general population.

In one paper, researchers found that among female cancer survivors, 15 percent of births were pre-term vs. 10 percent among women who never had cancer. However, a paper examining pregnancy outcomes found babies born to female cancer survivors had no increased risk of birth defects or infant death, Chow says.

In a companion paper, researchers found babies fathered by male childhood cancer survivors had a borderline risk of low-birth weight but no increased risk of prematurity, being small for gestational age, or having birth defects when compared to controls.

"The take home message overall is positive. If you had cancer as a younger person and you are able to have children then most likely your children will be fine," Chow says in a statement. "Most of the other side effects that people have the most concern about -- birth defects and more serious maternal complications during pregnancy -- we didn't find those things."

The two papers are published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Halloween safety need not scare children

NEW YORK (UPI) -- A U.S. pediatrician warns against making Halloween even scarier by overwhelming children with precautions, although precautions must be taken.

Dr. Luz Adriana Matiz of the NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York advises limiting trick-or-treating to familiar neighborhoods and neighbors.

"It's important not to create too much fear in your children when you speak to them about Halloween safety," Matiz says in a statement. "But it's also essential that they understand that precautions must be taken."

Some of the precautions Matiz recommends include:

-- Having a parent go along or, if children are older, going in groups. Children should know they can never enter a stranger's home or apartment.

-- Not eating any candy before getting home. Having a parent examine the candy. Any unwrapped foods should be thrown away.

-- Wearing costumes made of non-flammable materials that don't pose a tripping hazard and also allow for clear vision.

-- Going out at night in bright-colored costumes or wearing reflectors as well as carrying a flashlight. The children should know street-crossing safety rules.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Halloween Costume Safety Tips

When you're helping your kids pick out their Halloween costumes this year, take safety into consideration, too. Use this guide to safe colors for Halloween costumes to make sure they stay visible when they're out trick-or-treating in the evenings.

These tips and more, including pumpkin carving, how to make your own costume, and more, check out the ArcaMax Halloween guide.

Subscribe to ArcaMax Parents instantly for more parenting tips, advice, and more.

Find out more before subscribing.

-- From the ArcaMax editors

Today's Reader Submitted Photos

Click an image above to see full size and read caption.

To see more of our subscriber photos visit our full Photo Gallery.

Enter your Parents pictures so you can show them off to other readers right here in this ezine and on the ArcaMax.com Web site. Click here to submit your photo.

Sincerely,
ArcaMax Editors

You may be entitled to government funding!

No Money? No Problem!
You may be entitled to government funding!

Government money is readily available
for many reasons including:
    * Business setup / expansion
    * Bills
    * Education
    * And Much Much More!

All you have to do is know where and how to ask!
Get our complimentary information kit here!