Delabeling Penicillin Allergies: A Public Service Announcement from Science-Based Medicine
Is your child allergic to penicillin? Are you sure about that? Penicillin allergy is much less common than widely believed and there is a big push to delabel pediatric and adult patients who actually can tolerate these antibiotics.
Science-Based Satire: Could Spontaneous Human Combustion Become a Chronic, Treatable Disease? Maybe. Yeah, I think so.
Do humans spontaneously burst into flames? Can these mysterious cases be predicted and kept at bay by homeopathic remedies? No. They don't and they can't. I made it all up. Is it just me, or is getting really hot in here.
A Perhaps Not-So-Unexpected Spike in Pediatric Brain Abscesses
The surge in viral infections last year appears to be to blame for a significant increase in cases of brain abscesses in children. They remain rare, and panic is not warranted, but they are a life-threatening complication of common bacterial infections that should be taken seriously.
CDC Reports Fourth Death Blamed on Contaminated Eye Drops
An outbreak of deadly ocular infections, which have cost some people their vision and even their life, has been traced to contaminated eye drops.
More Marijuana More Problems for Young Children Part 2: Additional Problems for the Aforementioned Children
A recent study found that young children are increasingly being harmed by accidental ingestion of cannabis in the form of edibles.
Children and COVID-19: A Few Facts and Figures from the Pandemic’s First Three Years
After three solid years of the pandemic, here is an admittedly incomplete rundown of how it has affected children in the United States.
Lithium in Tap Water Probably Doesn’t Cause Autism
A recent study found an association between lithium in tap water and a diagnosis of autism in Danish children. Is it time to turn off the tap and grab the bottled water? Not so fast.
Was the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic to Blame for an Increase in Unexpected Infant Deaths in 2020?
New CDC data on unexpected infant deaths in 2020 show an increase, but only in Black infants. There is a good chance that this is an indirect result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Science-Based Satire: Florida Authorities Report First Case of Mosquito-Borne Fentanyl Overdose
Can a mosquito bite result in a fentanyl overdose? Will police soon be fitted with wearable naloxone pumps? Can fentanyl be detected by a handheld electronic device? The answer...is no. This is merely more nonsense cooked up in the mind of someone who probably should stick to his day job.
Pertussis Vaccine During Pregnancy Protects Vulnerable Newborns
Getting a dose of pertussis vaccine during every pregnancy is a strategy that has prevented severe disease in thousands of young infants over the past decade, and saved hundreds of sweet little baby lives. The evidence is clear, but not everyone who is eligible is receiving the recommended dose.