More than 60,000 gun safes have been recalled following the death of a 12-year-old boy and dozens of reports that unauthorized people can open the Fortress Safe devices. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said a programming flaw allows unauthorized people into the biometric safe. The youth died in Nevada after he opened and allegedly accessed a gun stored inside. He suffered a “lethal gunshot wound to the head” in January 2022, according to lawsuit documents obtained by the New York Times. The boy’s father bought the safe in 2021 at a Scheels store in Nevada, the news report said. The safe uses fingerprint technology. Consumers can think they’ve set the biometric lock, allowing access only by an authorized person, but the safe remains in the “default to open” mode, the CPSC said. This allows unauthorized users, including children, to access firearms in the safe. The CPSC said there have been 39 reports of safes accessed by unpaired fingerprints. People who have these safes should immediately stop using the biometric feature, remove the batteries and only use the key, the CPSC advised. You should contact Illinois-based Fortress Safe for instructions on disabling the biometric feature. The company is also offering a free replacement safe. The recalled gun safes include portable lock boxes, personal safes, pistol vaults and gun cabinets with brand names Fortress, Cabela’s, Gettysburg…  read on >  read on >

MONDAY, Oct. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Lots of vaccine disinformation spread during the pandemic, and doctors worried that may have given some parents pause about not only the risks of the COVID shot, but of childhood vaccines as well. Now, new research puts that worry to rest. “We did not see a significant increase in parents who are hesitant toward routine childhood vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before,” said study author Dr. David Higgins, a research fellow at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. For the study, his team analyzed survey data from more than 3,500 parents in Colorado from April 2018 through August 2020 on many health topics, including their attitudes about vaccines. Overall, 20% of parents were “vaccine-hesitant” toward childhood vaccines, but these feelings didn’t change from the pre-pandemic to post-pandemic periods. “The bottom line is that most parents do not hesitate to vaccinate their children to protect them from life-threatening diseases,” Higgins said. Parents who are unsure about vaccines should bring their questions and concerns to their pediatrician or health care provider. There were differences in attitudes toward childhood vaccines by race, preferred language, insurance status and education level. Black and Asian parents were more likely to be hesitant, compared to white parents. The study was published online Oct. 23 in the journal Pediatrics. Noel Brewer is a professor of health behavior at…  read on >  read on >

Not all high school injuries happen on the football field or the basketball court. Marching band is also a physically demanding activity and participants can suffer injuries, as seen in a new study that looked at emergency room visits. Injuries ranged from issues with the knees or ankles to mild head trauma. Girls were the most commonly injured. About 70% of marching band-related injuries reported to emergency departments over a nine-year period were in high school-age females. Most were knee and ankle injuries. The research was presented Sunday at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. “Like their instruments, band members must be in tune with their bodies,” Capt. Jacob Coene, a doctor in the U.S. Air Force, said in an AAP news release. “Coaches and parents should be educated on the risk of soft tissue injury and mild traumatic brain injury to help keep their band members marching to the beat of the drum.” To study the issue, researchers reviewed more than 20,000 marching band injuries reported to emergency departments between 2012 and 2021 in data provided by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. About 85% of marching band injuries occurred in those aged 14 to 18. About 6% of injuries were mild traumatic brain injury.…  read on >  read on >

As pint-size witches, ghosts and superheroes roam the streets on Halloween, it’s important for adults to keep their eyes on safety. “It’s always best for an adult to accompany young children when they trick-or-treat,” said Dr. Sadiqa Kendi, chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Often your town or park district will offer Halloween activities earlier in the day so you can avoid going out after dark. Older children should travel in groups and create a ‘buddy system’ to get each other home safely and prevent walking alone,” Kendi said in an academy news release. The pediatricians’ group suggests that homeowners keep pathways to the door well-lit and free of any obstacles like bicycles or garden hoses that could trip up kids. In addition: Drivers should use extra care on Oct. 31, especially between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. Parents should make sure shoes fit, and costumes are short enough to move around without tripping. Hats and masks should fit properly so they don’t slide over eyes and block vision. Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags. It’s safer to stay on well-lit streets. Always use the sidewalk and crosswalks. Never cross between parked cars or out of driveways. If there is no sidewalk, stay close to the edge of the road, facing traffic.…  read on >  read on >

Most people spend a lot of time on their feet, so it’s a good idea to take care of them. With proper care, you can minimize the stress your feet take on when holding you up and getting you around, an expert says. “Common problems that people face include hammertoes, blisters, plantar fasciitis and bunions. Some of these are easily solvable, but others may need the involvement of a specialist,” said Dr. Ronald Lepow. He is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Foot issues are most often caused by friction and pressure. Choosing the correct shoe for daily activities can help. Your shoes should have a toe box that is wide and deep so that your toes can freely move. They should be breathable for sweat and odor control. People who have low or high arches may benefit from shoes with orthotic inserts. You can find your foot’s arch — which is the area between your heel and the ball of your foot — by placing your foot on flat ground and taking a photo to look at it. “X-rays of the foot reveal what kind of foot arch you have along with the structure of the foot,” Lepow said. “If you are experiencing pain, knowing these two things will help dictate a care plan.” Bunions can form…  read on >  read on >

A potentially deadly infection carried by mosquitoes may be more prevalent than once thought, U.S. health officials report. Named the Cache Valley virus after the Utah area in which it was first found in 1956, it has caused seven serious infections nationwide. But it may have infected up to 18% of the population, according to an expert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We don’t know much about it, there’s only been seven documented cases,” said CDC research microbiologist Amanda Calvert. Of these, three died and the others have had lasting effects, she said. In all seven people, the virus caused a brain infection called encephalitis or an infection of the membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord, called meningitis. All seven patients had conditions affecting their immune system, which seems to be why they developed a serious infection. Calvert said the last known case was in a patient who got it from a transfusion of infected blood. Most people who get the virus have mild symptoms or none at all, she said. Symptoms are non-specific and can include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and rash. No specific treatment for the virus is known. Care consists of easing symptoms with painkillers. Cache Valley virus is seen mostly in sheep. It causes stillbirths and birth defects in lambs. Whether the virus…  read on >  read on >

CVS Health plans to pull cold medications that contain phenylephrine from its store shelves after federal regulators determined recently that the decongestant doesn’t work. Oral phenylephrine is an active ingredient in such well-known products as Sudafed and Dayquil. An FDA advisory committee ruled last month that the ingredient was useless in easing congestion. “We are removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy stores,” the company told CBS MoneyWatch. “Other oral cough and cold products will continue to be offered to meet consumer needs,” the company added. Another drugstore chain, Walgreens, said it “follows FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] regulations,” but did not say if it would stop selling the medications. “We are closely monitoring the situation and actively partnering with the Walgreens Office of Clinical Integrity and suppliers on appropriate next steps,” a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch. Medications that contain phenylephrine account for $1.8 billion in annual sales, according to FDA data. More information The National Library of Medicine has more on phenylephrine. SOURCE: CBS News, Oct. 19, 2023  read on >

Tens of thousands of U.S. children received burns over a decade from beauty devices found in many homes: curling irons. “Hair styling tools are a timeless piece of our everyday routine, helping to create the picture-perfect look. Yet they have the greatest propensity to create a not so picture-perfect accident when not handled with care,” said Dr. Brandon Rozanski, lead author of a new study and a pediatric resident at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. “Electric hair styling tools can reach temperatures as high as 450 degrees F in a matter of minutes, creating potential situations of unintentional burn injury for both the device user and surrounding bystanders,” Rozanski said in a news release from the American Academy of Pediatrics. His study found nearly 31,000 burns in children and young people between 2013 and 2022. Researchers used data from emergency department visits for patients 24 and younger from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. There were more than 1,050 emergency department visits. Hair curlers and curling irons were responsible for 97% of the burn injuries. About two-thirds of those who went to hospital emergency departments for burns were age 10 or younger. About 65% were girls. Roughly 72% of the injuries happened at home, and less than 2% required a hospital stay. “This study demonstrated that children have the greatest propensity to present…  read on >  read on >

Despite warnings and public education campaigns, kids continue to suffer injuries from swallowing small but strong magnets, according to a new study. Children are also inserting high-powered, rare-earth balls into their ears and noses, even in households where parents fully understand the dangers of the toys, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “High-powered, rare-earth magnetic balls or beads are often sold as fun, stress-relieving toys, but they are among the most dangerous toys when kids eat them. It doesn’t matter what the child’s socioeconomic or racial background is, whether the child is being watched, or if supervising adults know the magnets are dangerous — kids still manage to eat them and many of them need surgery to fix the internal damage caused by the magnets,” Dr. Minna Wieck said in an AAP news release. She is an assistant professor of pediatric surgery at UC Davis Children’s Hospital in Sacramento, Calif. “The only foolproof way to make sure these injuries don’t happen is to keep these types of magnets away from kids,” Wieck added. For the study, the researchers reviewed 2017 to 2019 data from patients aged 21 and younger from a study that included 25 U.S. children’s hospitals. The investigators previously found that these injuries were increasing despite age restrictions, warning labels and educational public health campaigns explaining the dangers. Among more than…  read on >  read on >