Stressed-out parents should reach out to others for support during the coronavirus pandemic, child health experts say. As the number of coronavirus cases rise and families spend long periods in isolation, parents face unique financial and emotional stresses. Research shows that family stress puts kids at increased risk of abuse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The academy advises parents and other child caregivers to take time to look after themselves, including eating a healthy diet, exercising and getting enough sleep. It’s also important to maintain connections via phone or video to friends, family and others who can provide support, the AAP said in a news release. “During this time of understandable anxiety, give back and reach out to other parents when they need support,” AAP president Dr. Sara Goza advised. “If someone calls you frustrated about a crying baby or screaming toddler, offer to help.” Kids may display signs of increased stress if they’re isolated at home with their families for a long time, which can increase frustration for the entire family. Dr. Robert Sege, a member of the AAP Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, said, “Sadly, about five children die every day in America from abuse and neglect. No doubt, we are worried about the financial and emotional stress this pandemic is placing on families, especially the most vulnerable.” His…  read on >

Smokers and vapers who get COVID-19 can probably expect a more severe infection, health experts warn. Many advisories have focused on the risk facing older people, those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, and people with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients. But doctors also caution that users of electronic cigarettes and tobacco are more in danger from the new coronavirus than the average healthy person. If you vape, “you’re going to make lungs more vulnerable to severe infection,” said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, an American Lung Association spokesman who is also director of the tobacco treatment clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore. Vaping introduces toxic chemicals that harm lung cells and change their metabolism, Galiatsatos said, and it also curbs the body’s immune system. Data from China’s coronavirus outbreak showed infected smokers and residents of cities with high levels of air pollution had more severe symptoms, he said. Galiatsatos predicted use of e-cigarettes will have the same effect. A study of 78 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Wuhan, China, published recently in the Chinese Medical Journal, listed history of smoking as one factor contributing to poorer patient outcomes. Stanton Glantz, director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, cited that study in a recent online UCSF commentary. “The odds of disease progression (including to death)…  read on >

Social distancing has become the new normal, with one-third of Americans now under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, but experts say that level of isolation can be hard on your health. “We don’t know for sure what the long-term health outcomes of widespread forced social isolation will be, but given what we know about the effects of social isolation and stress on physical and mental health, there is reason to be concerned,” said Tess Thompson, a research assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The author of a recent study on social isolation and health, Thompson offered some coping tips. Maintain social connection as much as possible during this time through technology and social media. There are various ways to connect online with friends, and some gym coaches and music teachers are offering online sessions. Thompson said there’s some evidence that active social media use — such as sharing content or commenting on social media posts — may be better for mental health than passive social media use, such as scrolling through newsfeeds. If you’re housebound with others, do fun activities together instead of all retreating behind separate electronic screens. Play board games, read books aloud, play music together, go for walks, eat dinner together or cuddle your pets, Thompson suggested in a university news release. If you’re separated from older loved…  read on >

Fostering a shelter animal during the coronavirus pandemic could benefit both of you, an animal welfare group says. “Shelters are swamped in the best of times, and with more and more staff in every sector of American life self-quarantining and falling ill, animals already abandoned and without homes are going to be increasingly vulnerable,” said Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “At the same time, so many of us, especially the elderly, are coping with the loneliness, stress and anxiety that comes with isolation and the sheltering in place so necessary during a pandemic,” she said in an organization news release. “Why be home alone when you can snuggle up with a loving new buddy? You might save a life, improve your own during these trying times, and end up with a new best friend.” Each year, 4 million to 6 million animals end up in U.S. shelters and more than 1.5 million are euthanized. As shelter workers are hit by the coronavirus and false rumors spread about its transmission from pets to people, shelter animals will need help more than ever, according to American Humane. The benefits of fostering a shelter animal go both ways, the association said. Engaging with animals has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and to lower blood pressure, according to the U.S. National…  read on >

The novel coronavirus appears to be seasonal in nature, with major outbreaks occurring mainly in regions that match a specific set of climate conditions, a new study argues. All areas experiencing significant outbreaks of COVID-19 fall within a northern corridor that has an average temperature of 41 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit and an average humidity of 47% to 79%, according to virology researchers. These affected regions — China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Northern Italy, Seattle and Northern California — all fall within a band between 30 to 50 degrees Northern latitude. There’s been a lack of significant spread of COVID-19 into countries farther South. “To us, this suggests temperature and also low absolute and specific humidity could hold a key role in transmission,” said lead researcher Dr. Mohammad Sajadi, an associate professor of medicine with the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore. “Putting all this together, we think the distribution of significant community outbreaks along restricted latitude, temperature and humidity are consistent with the behavior of a seasonal respiratory virus,” Sajadi continued. This doesn’t mean that COVID-19 infection rates can be expected to fall with the coming of summer, however. Infectious disease experts note that the novel coronavirus has proven particularly infectious, given that humans have no established immunity against it. The coronavirus has an estimated transmission…  read on >

If you have asthma, you are among those at greatest risk in the coronavirus pandemic and must take precautions, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) says. It’s important to keep your asthma well-controlled, so continue your medications. No asthma medications — including inhaled corticosteroids and biologics — have been shown to increase the risk of getting COVID-19, according to the ACAAI. And, the group added, if you do get the virus, there’s no information that asthma medications will make your infection worse. The ACAAI recommends contacting your allergist if you have any questions, have trouble breathing or your asthma symptoms become more severe. Other people at higher risk from the coronavirus include the elderly, and people with immunodeficiency or other chronic conditions that weaken the immune system. For now, the ACAAI is advising those with asthma or who may have immunodeficiency to continue with treatments. Nebulizers should be used and cleaned properly. It’s important that your asthma remains well-controlled. So far, 80% of coronavirus cases are mild and last for a limited time. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The ACAAI is advising people to follow these U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations: Stay at least 6 feet away from people who are sick. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash your hands often with soap and…  read on >