Cleaning Up After Tropical Storm Fay

Tropical Storm Fay is leaving behind lots of water and the possibility of a flood of disease-carrying mosquitoes making it important for resident to clear standing water where the insects thrive, according to the Orange County Health Department (OCHD).

OCHD officials recommend that after the rain clears, residents clean out eaves, troughs and gutters, remove old tires or drill holes to drain those used in playgrounds, turn over or remove empty plastic pots and pump out bilges on boats.

Click here to read more tips on cleaning up after Tropical Storm Fay.

Obesity Risk linked to History of Chronic Ear Infections

More than five million children cope with the agonizing ache of ear infection annually, but a new discovery suggests damage to taste nerves caused by the common childhood ailment might increase the risk of obesity later in life, say University of Florida College of Dentistry researchers.

Chronic ear infections appear to trigger a preference for high-calorie food, leading to increased consumption and excessive weight gain in adulthood, said Linda Bartoshuk, Ph.D., a UF expert on the sense of taste and genetic variations in taste perception.

Bartoshuk’s preliminary study findings suggested a link between the infections and obesity. Researchers from other academic institutions confirmed the discovery with data from three independent studies.

Click here to read more about the UF study.

Measles Cases On the Rise

More measles cases have been reported in the U.S. since Jan. 1, 2008 than during the same period in any year since 1996, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Between January 1 and July 31, 2008, 131 cases were reported to CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). At least 15 patients, including four children younger than 15 months of age, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

“Measles can be a severe, life-threatening illness,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of NCIRD. “These cases and outbreaks serve as a reminder that measles can and still does occur in the United States.” Of the 131 patients, 112 were not vaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.

Click here to read more on the CDC website.

Parents Shape Their Kids’ Eating Habits

Providing fruits for snacks and serving vegetables at dinner can shape a preschooler’s eating patterns for his or her lifetime.

To combat the increasing problem of childhood obesity, researchers are studying how to get preschoolers to eat more fruits and vegetables. According to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, one way is early home interventions–teaching parents how to create an environment where children reach for a banana instead of potato chips.

“When parents eat more fruits and vegetables, so do their children,” said Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. “When parents eat and give their children high fat snacks or soft drinks, children learn these eating patterns instead.”

Click here to read more on the Washington University in St. Louis website.

County Health Department Offers Back-to-School Immunizations

It’s not too late to get your child immunized for school.

The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) is offering immunizations on a first come, first served walk-in basis through August 30, 2008 at several sites. 

To find the site closest to you, call the OCHD at 407-836-2502. (Spanish, 407-836-2545.) Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Most Restaurant Kids’ Meals Are Too Fattening

Most restaurant kids’ meals have too many calories, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which recently released the results of a study of the nutritional quality of kids’ meals at 13 top restaurant chains.

Ninety-three percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories–an amount that is one third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends that children aged four through eight should consume in a day, according to the CSPI release.

“Parents want to feed their children healthy meals but America’s chain restaurants are setting parents up to fail,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.

Click here to learn more about the healthiest options for your children.

Text Message Safety Warnings

Emergency room doctors, who have seen a rise in injuries related to text-messaging, warn that students need to be more cautious about the places and times they send them.

When young people are busy thinking about what to say in a text message and using their thumbs to type a message–at the same time they are moving around by foot, bicycle or car–they can get hurt. And so can others.

It is important for parents to provide guidelines and serve as good role models.

Click here to read the complete KidsHealth story.

Teen Smoking Linked to Access and Peer Pressure

Kids who can easily get hold of cigarettes and who have friends who smoke are more likely to start smoking than children who don’t, according to a study reported in the July/August issue of the “Annals of Family Medicine.”

The four-year study, funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) grant, focused on 1,195 students ages 11 to 14 in Massachusetts.

As a result of the study, one author noted the factors should “raise a red flag and prompt (physicians) to talk with parents and kids about how to avoid smoking.”

Click here to read the study summary on the RWJF website.