As schools reopen in parts of the United States, a study published Thursday found that some children have high levels of virus in their airways during the first three days of infection despite having mild symptoms or none at all — suggesting their role in community spread may be larger than previously believed. One of the study’s authors, Alessio Fasano, a physician at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, said that because children tend to exhibit few if any symptoms, they were largely ignored in the early part of the outbreak and not tested. But they may have been acting as silent spreaders all along. “Some people thought that children might be protected,” Fasano said. “This is incorrect. They may be as susceptible as adults — but just not visible.” The study in the Journal of Pediatrics comes on the heels of (more…)

Source: Georgia State University News Women with a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) diagnosis were over three times more likely to die from breast cancer versus those in the general population, a retrospective study found. In over 140,000 women who underwent surgery after being diagnosed with DCIS, 1,540 died from invasive breast cancer compared with an expected 458 for cancer-free women (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] 3.36, 95% CI 3.20-3.53), reported Steven Narod, MD, and colleagues from the Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto. And this risk persisted beyond 15 years after diagnosis, according to the findings in JAMA Network Open. “The SMR was lower among women who received lumpectomy plus radiation compared with women who received lumpectomy alone,” the authors wrote. “The rate of breast cancer death was nearly 12-fold higher among women diagnosed with DCIS before age 40 years (more…)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned parents and caregivers Tuesday to watch out for an uncommon, polio-like condition that mostly strikes children, usually between August and November. Acute flaccid myelitis, which may be caused by any of several viruses, is marked by a sudden weakness or paralysis of the limbs. Since surveillance began in 2014, prevalence of the ­syndrome has spiked in even-numbered years, often afflicting children about 5 years old. The disease is very rare, but a quick response is critical once the weakness sets in; the disease can progress over hours or days and lead to permanent paralysis or respiratory failure, according to a report issued Tuesday by the CDC. Among 238 cases in 2018 reviewed by the CDC, 98 percent of patients were hospitalized, 54 percent required intensive care, and 23 percent were placed on (more…)

By Reuters The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was concerned that the novel coronavirus spread was being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, many of whom were unaware they were infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups. WHO officials said this month the proportion of younger people among those infected had risen globally, putting at risk vulnerable sectors of the population worldwide, including the elderly and sick people in densely populated areas with weak health services. Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak “The epidemic is changing,” WHO Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, told a virtual briefing. “People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread. Many are unaware they are infected.” “This increases the risk of spillovers to the more vulnerable,” he added. A surge in new cases has prompted some (more…)

  Source: CDC.gov Based on what we know at this time, pregnant people might be at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people. Additionally, there may be an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, among pregnant people with COVID-19. Therefore, if you are pregnant, be mindful about reducing your risk of getting sick. If you are caring for children, you can teach them everyday steps (such as proper handwashing) to help them stay healthy and, in turn, help protect yourself and your family. Reduce your risk of getting COVID-19. It is especially important for people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and those who live with them, to protect themselves from getting COVID-19. The best ways to protect yourself and to help reduce the spread of the virus that (more…)

Kevin B. O’Reilly Source: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/want-defeat-covid-19-you-can-do-your-part-when-you-maskup The U.S. remains “right in the middle of the first wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic, with national case counts hovering around 50,000–60,000 per day and more than 1,000 people dying daily, Anthony S. Fauci, MD, explained during a JAMA Network™ livestreamed video interview. “We’ve got to get those numbers down,” stressed Dr. Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force and director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). “If we don’t get them down, we’re going to have a really bad situation in the fall … as you get indoors and you get the complications of influenza season.” The goal is to get the daily nationwide caseload below 10,000 before September. In the interview with JAMA Editor-in-Chief Howard Bauchner, MD, Dr. Fauci detailed these five (more…)

Our lives are quickly changing. Schools are closing. Sports are being canceled. People are working from home. Disneyland is closing. Toilet paper is in short supply. We are about to hit a real struggle with our health care system. We are about to hit a real struggle with our economy. Let this be a time where we come together and support each other. Please use health care responsibly. If you have a fever or cough, please stay home. There is no cure for this virus, so coming to the hospital with mild symptoms will not help. You will expose others and clog up our system, which is already at maximum capacity. Please do not steal our masks and gloves. Our supply is not endless, is running low, and we need them more than anyone. Please. Wash. Your. Hands. And stop (more…)

Americans need to be prepared for the possibility that COVID-19 could become a seasonal disease, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Wednesday. Fauci told reporters during a White House briefing that more cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus have begun to appear in the Southern Hemisphere, which is transitioning into colder seasons. If there is an outbreak in the Southern Hemisphere, Fauci said “it will be inevitable” that the disease will make a comeback even if it is temporarily stopped. New studies show that warm, humid weather might slow the virus — which could mean the pandemic will ease in the coming summer months in North America and Europe. But Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a prominent member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, said America needs to be ready (more…)