Health and Safety

Sue Chantorn, laboratory supervisor in Seattle Children’s Research Services Lab, demonstrates sample aliquoting

In a major moment for combatting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), today the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended an RSV vaccine for pregnant persons that researchers have determined is safe and effective in preventing RSV disease in infants through immunization during pregnancy.

The new Pfizer RSV vaccine joins the recently approved monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab, as the first products offered broadly to provide protection against RSV for all babies.

Seattle Children’s researchers studied both the RSV vaccine and the RSV antibody.

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This story is part two of an On the Pulse series. Read part one here. 

Times of transition, especially the start of an academic year, can be stressful for many children, particularly when there is a change in routine.

Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine team specializes in caring for children and teens by providing a wide range of services — from prevention and early intervention programs to highly specialized treatments for chronic mental health and developmental challenges.

To help navigate a positive transition back to school, On the Pulse asked Dr. Kalina Babeva and Dr. Sonia Venkatraman, co-directors of the Mood and Anxiety Program, a specialty program within Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Seattle Children’s, to share some ways that parents and caregivers can best support a child or teen’s mental wellness.

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This story is part one of an On the Pulse series. Read more in part two here.

Whether you’re in the “I need school to start now!” camp or the “Summer just started” camp, the fact is that the new school year is quickly approaching.

Back-to-school time can often be met with emotions ranging from excitement to nervousness or fear.

As students head back to the classroom, Dr. Kalina Babeva and Dr. Sonia Venkatraman, co-directors of the Mood and Anxiety Program at Seattle Children’s, offer ways parents and caregivers can help reduce worries in children.

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As summer starts to cool down, parents are all too familiar with the return of back to school prep and fun fall activities.

While families are busy checking off school supply lists and spending more time indoors through the chillier months, it might be easy to overlook the preventive care to help keep children safe from illnesses in the community and the upcoming annual flu season.

Last year brought an unprecedented tripledemic– with hospitals, including Seattle Children’s, facing a tremendous number of patients diagnosed with the flu, COVID-19 and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that largely affects young children.

In October 2022 alone, Seattle Children’s emergency department saw twice as many patients than usual, sometimes running at 200% capacity.

To shed some light on current public health and safety, On The Pulse spoke with infectious disease experts Dr. Janet Englund and Dr. Sara Vora from Seattle Children’s Research Institute to learn how families can best protect themselves through the upcoming months.

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Childhood is a dynamic time of discovery and exploration. It’s important however, for parents and caregivers to ensure that children are exploring in healthy and safe ways.

When it comes to establishing positive nutrition habits for youth and teens in particular, parents often have many questions about caffeine intake, and more specifically about energy drinks.

On the Pulse spoke with Dr. Suzan Mazor, an emergency attending physician and the medical director of toxicology at Seattle Children’s, to help separate fact from fiction.

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Eight cases of locally acquired malaria have been confirmed in Florida and Texas this summer, marking the first time in 20 years locally transmitted cases have been seen, and decades since malaria was officially eradicated in the United States.

Although about 2,000 Americans are diagnosed with malaria each year, those cases are linked with travel outside the U.S.

While no one enjoys the itchy annoyance of a mosquito bite, is there a reason to be concerned? On the Pulse asked Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Dr. Alexis Kaushansky, a malaria expert in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, to weigh in.

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Warm weather provides opportunities for summer fun for families, but it also brings some safety risks that many parents and caregivers may have never considered.

On the Pulse shares reminders to help keep young children safe from window falls and illness or death from being left in a hot car.

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With temperatures on the rise, many families have begun planning for some fun, outdoor adventures.

If camping is on the agenda, it’s important to be informed and prepared before heading off to any campgrounds, especially when camping with small children.

Dr. Michelle Terry, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s, shares some key advice and tips with On the Pulse on what parents and caregivers should know to ensure kids and the whole family are healthy and safe while camping.

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Summer fun includes gathering outdoors at picnics, barbecues and cookouts. These events are a time for bonding with friends and family while sharing food and making memories.

A little preparation and attention to safety can help ensure the gatherings leave your family content and well rather than sick or injured.

While food safety is crucial all year long, the risk of food-borne illness increases when warmer temperatures allow bacteria to grow faster — and when refrigeration is trickier.

And while group gatherings are a good time for all ages, it’s easy to lose track of who’s on point for watching the kids when there’s set-up, cooking and socializing to be done.

On the Pulse offers safety tips for barbecue, cookout and picnic summer celebrations.

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The first day of summer marks a season when kids often spend more time at the homes of friends and other family members.

Before children head off for playdates or childcare in another home, parents often ask common safety questions about the house their child will be visiting like “Who else will be home?” “Are there pets in the house?” Or, “Can I install the car seat in your car before I leave?”

There’s one other important question parents should add to the list: “Is there an unlocked gun in your house?”

Gun violence, including homicide and suicide, is now the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, where 4.6 million kids live in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm.

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