Infants

The American Academy of Pediatrics changes its policy citing drugs used to treat HIV can reduce the risk of passing the virus to infants to less than 1%. About 5,000 people who have HIV give birth in the U.S. each year.

Black babies are at higher risk of infant mortality than white babies. There are also several factors behind the barriers to prenatal care in Florida.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discuss the state’s infant mortality rate, how a revamped federal form for financial aid for students is causing delays, fallout over a dubious major gift donation to Florida A&M, a deadly bus crash near Ocala and severe weather in the Panhandle. We also heard from our listeners from last week's mailbag.

A new study sheds light on the relationship between gun violence and infant health.

Despite a 2000 law aiming to prevent the abandonment of newborn babies, a dead infant was found in a dumpster in Hollywood. Critics urge lawmakers to help mothers more.

Probiotics, which supplement regular feeding and contain live organisms such as bacteria or yeast, can lead to invasive, potentially fatal infections or disease, the FDA said.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics suggests COVID-19 caused severe brain damage in two babies born in Miami.

The common respiratory virus causes mild flu-like symptoms in most people but can lead to more severe illness and even hospitalization in children under 1 year old.

Sales of formulas designed for toddlers increased in recent years, but health experts warn parents that once children reach their first birthday, they are generally fine with cow or plant milk. And doctors say toddler formula should not be given to infants.

Shortly after birth, babies are pricked in the heel so their blood can be tested for life-threatening conditions. States generally save leftover blood from those samples, and parents and privacy experts are concerned that information could be used without consent years later.

U.S. regulators have historically inspected baby formula plants at least once a year, but they did not inspect any of the three biggest manufacturers in 2020, according to federal records reviewed by AP.

The Mother’s Milk Bank of Florida has gone from receiving a dozen calls a week to a dozen calls a day.