Millions Of Lost Years: Study Shines Light On Impact Of Childhood Cancers When They Go Undiagnosed, Untreated

The study published in Lancet focused on the disease burden of pediatric cancers and stressed the importance of adequate care around the world. “If you don’t have access to care and treatment of childhood cancer, you die,” said Lisa Force, a pediatric oncologist who led the study. “There are years that a child could have contributed to their society that they have now lost.” News on children's health also looks at traumatic brain injuries, underserved communities and environmental hazards.

PBS NewsHour: Childhood Cancer Wipes Out 11 Million Years Of Human Potential Each Year
Childhood cancer’s toll amounts to a total of more than 11 million lost healthy years each year — a sum that could be lower if kids got adequate care around the globe. According to a study published Monday in the journal Lancet, underdiagnosis of cancer and lack of access to treatment facilities contributed to death and disability, wiping out those millions of healthy years when children and their families could have instead been spending their resources, time and energies in other ways. And that’s not just bad for them — it’s bad for their communities and beyond. (Santhanam, 7/30)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Causes Of Traumatic Brain Injuries, Concussions In Children And Youth
A new study recently published in the journal Brain Injury points out that 72% of TBI-related emergency department visits among children and adolescents are attributable to specific consumer products and activities. Using 2010-2013 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP), researchers found that between those years, children aged 1-19 years accounted for 4.1 million non-fatal TBI-related emergency department visits. (Pirani, 7/31)

The CT Mirror: New Data Shows More Black, Latino Children Live In Poverty Than Whites
Despite improvements in teen birth rates and child health insurance rates, more Connecticut children are living in single parent families and households that pay more than 30% of their income for housing, according to the 2019 Kids Count Data Book, an annual report on children’s wellbeing throughout the country. (Lyons, 7/30)

The New York Times: Living Near Oil And Gas Wells Tied To Heart Defects In Babies
Living near oil and gas wells may increase a woman’s risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect. Researchers writing in Environment International reported on 3,324 infants born in Colorado from 2005 to 2011, comparing 536 babies with heart defects to 2,860 controls matched for sex, maternal smoking, race and ethnicity. (Bakalar, 7/30)

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