Children and infants should be tested for hepatitis C if they may have been exposed at or around birth, according to new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A CDC advisory committee’s recent discussion about childhood immunizations could impact which new vaccines are available to which children. 

The youngest and most vulnerable victims of America’s expanding hepatitis C epidemic are newborn babies. Yet many of those exposed to the virus aren’t getting tested. 

No parent wants to see their child wince in pain or hear their baby cry. Yet enduring the undesirable for just a minute – as the child is vaccinated – can save heartache down the road.

Infants and children may soon have another line of protection against potentially life-threatening infections.

Public health officials are urging pregnant and breastfeeding moms to get the COVID-19 vaccine – and soon.

In June of this year, at age two, my daughter, Aria, was sent home from daycare with a high fever. Her pediatrician was concerned and prescribed an antibiotic for a bacterial pneumonia. A COVID-19 swab was obtained – negative. Yet after a few days, she still wasn’t getting better. In fact, she was getting worse.

Among the world’s developed countries, the United States holds the unwanted distinction of being a leader in maternal and infant deaths. In an attempt to turn the tide, the federal government last month announced a new $350 million investment.

Maternal vaccines can protect pregnant moms and vulnerable babies. So why aren’t more women getting them?

I am a neonatologist by training, a “neo-gadgetologist” by passion. I love testing out device prototypes and integrating new technologies at the hospital where I practice. I get excited by their potential to improve care for the infants we treat.