School Health News

Tungiasis, or a parasitic skin disease caused by sand fleas, is common among children in East Africa. Research published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases suggested that up to 70% of infections could be prevented through simple prevention methods like hardening and sealing floors in the home and washing children’s feet with soap.

Even with all the complications presented by their disease, children with inflammatory bowel disease can still achieve results in school comparable to their peers. However, some subgroups might need extra attention to avoid a negative impact on their school performance.

Infectious Diseases in Children asked Janet R. Gilsdorf, MD, DSc (Hon), FPIDS, a past president of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Robert P. Kelch Research Professor Emerita at the University of Michigan Medical Center, how she saw the value of the pediatric ID specialty, why she went into the field and what it means to her.

Pediatric infectious disease specialists are the lowest paid physicians compared with all other medical specialties, according to a recent report.

Children from low-income households are more likely to have respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses but are less likely to miss school compared with children from families with higher incomes, according to a study conducted by the CDC.

Danish public school children with and without type 1 diabetes performed similarly on standardized reading and math tests, with minor score differences observed only in children with an HbA1c of at least 8.6%, according to findings published in JAMA.

Nearly 20% of Tibetan schoolchildren have latent tuberculosis, according to results of a study that included all Tibetan refugee schoolchildren residing in northern India. Researchers also observed that more than half of school staff had TB infection.

A recent study in Seattle found that later start times in high schools resulted in increased sleep duration and better performance in students.

NEW YORK — According to a presentation at the annual Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium, 61% of all children in the United States attend some type of out-of-home child care. Exclusions from school or child care are often unnecessary — especially for diarrheal illness — and they add to the burden of lost work time, the presenter said.

ORLANDO — Twenty children and six adults were killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.