Get Your Vaccination Before Summer Vacation

The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) will offer free immunizations for children, birth to age 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at the OCHD office at 832 West Central Blvd., Orlando, 32805.

Remember to bring the child’s shot record. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and a valid ID is required.

For more information on this event, call 407-836-2502, or visit : www.orchd.com

Depressed Teens Who Self-Medicate Could Develop More Serious Mental Illness

Millions of American teens report experiencing weeks of hopelessness and loss of interest in normal daily activities and many of these depressed teens are using marijuana and other drugs, making their situation worse, according to a new White House report.

The report, from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), reveals that marijuana use can worsen depression and lead to more serious mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety and even suicide.

Read the complete story on the ONDCP website.

 

Lip Products May Increase Cancer Risk

Lip glosses may be fashionable, but they don’t provide much in the way of sun protection for lips, and they may do just the opposite.

Dr. Christine Brown, of the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, says those who regularly use lip balm or lip gloss may have a greater risk of developing skin cancer because the products attract sun rays to the lips. Those who use these products should apply a layer of sun protection under lip gloss or lip balm, she said.

Click here to read the complete Medical News Today story.

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About BPA and Plastic Bottles

If you are wondering about all of the buzz surrounding plastic bottles and the dangers of the chemical BPA found in some of them, you may want to check out a new story on the KidsHealth website sponsored by the Nemours Foundation.

The story, “Behind All the Buzz on the Chemical BPA,” reviews how BPA is absorbed, where it is found and what it all means to consumers.

Click here to check it out on the KidsHealth website.

Childhood Migraines Linked to Sleep Disorders

It’s bad enough to be plagued by migraine headaches, but children who suffer from them are also likely to be troubled by sleep disorders and a lack of sleep, according to new research.

“Sleeping problems can exacerbate the problems migraine causes on a child’s health and may hinder a child’s performance at school,” study author Dr. Martina Vendrame of Temple University in Philadelphia, said in a prepared statement. “Parents and doctors need to be aware of the strong likelihood of sleep disorders in children with migraine and seek appropriate preventions and treatments.”

Read more at the Healthscout website.

It’s National Infant Immunization Week

The Orange County Health Department, in recognition of National Infant Immunization Week, is working to raise awareness of the importance of childhood immunizations.

Each year, thousands of children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented by basic childhood immunizations, and the health department wants to remind parents to check their children’s shot record to make sure it is up-to-date.

For more information, go to the Orange County Health Department website.

New Lead Alerts

The latest lead alert from the Orange County Health Department (OCHD), which includes items such as water bottles, toy robots, fake teeth and seasonal writing pens, notes lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body.

“Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized, the alert states. “Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death,” according to OCHD officials.

Click here to read more about the alert on the OCHD website.

Early Child Neglect Can Lead to Aggressive Behavior Years Later

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that child neglect “may have the most profound effect on development of aggression if it occurs before age two, according to the study ‘Importance of Early Neglect for Child Aggression.’”

An AAP summary of the study says “researchers found that physical neglect reported to child protective services before age two was a stronger predictor of later aggression than either neglect at older ages or abuse at any age.”

The authors conclude that solving the problem of early neglect has the potential for immediate and intermediate and long-term benefits in reducing youth violence.

Click here to read more on the AAP website.

EPA Issues Rules to Protect Kids From Lead-based Paint

To further protect children from exposure to lead-based paint, the EPA is issuing new rules for contractors who renovate or repair housing, child-care facilities or schools built before 1978.

“While there has been a dramatic decrease over the last two decades in the number of children affected by lead-poisoning, EPA is continuing its efforts to take on this preventable disease,” said James Gulliford, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.

Click here to read more on the EPA website.

Poll Finds Most Americans Don’t Know How to Report Bad Drug Reactions

A new “Consumer Reports” poll shows that one in six Americans who have ever taken a prescription drug experienced a side effect serious enough to send them to the doctor or hospital, but the majority of consumers don’t know how they can report them to the FDA, which is responsible for tracking drug safety problems.

To help make the public aware of the FDA’s reporting program for drug side effects–known as MedWatch–Consumers Union recently gave the FDA a petition signed by nearly 56,000 consumers asking that a toll-free number and website be included in all TV drug ads so people can easily report serious side effects to the agency.

Click here to read the complete story.