WEDNESDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- A new vaccine for rotavirus -- a leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in infants and children -- may account for this year's less severe season, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

The highly contagious virus is shed in the stools of infected people and is transmitted by contaminated hands and objects. Children can transmit the virus before and after they become sick with diarrhea.

WEDNESDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Infants who have a certain genetic mutation are more likely to develop eczema if there is a cat in the home, a new study suggests.

The idea that genetic mutations associated with a disease can be triggered by environmental exposures is not a new one, the researchers from Denmark and Great Britain noted.

Studies are showing that increasing Vitamin D, either supplements in diet or through sun exposure, may help lower the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.

Would you give your baby or infant a Vitamin D dietary supplement, or increase their sun exposure (with sunscreen, of course!), in order to decrease their risk of developing diabetes?

MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- When infants in low-income families are watching television or videos, their mothers seldom speak to them, a U.S. study finds.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Children who were breast-fed exclusively for the first three months of life or longer scored nearly six points higher on IQ tests at the age of 6 than children who weren't breast-fed exclusively, a new study has found.

More than three-quarters of new mothers (77 percent) are breast-feeding their infants, the highest rate in at least 20 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in report issued Wednesday.

THURSDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- About one-third of children in pediatric intensive care units experience delusions, and those delusional memories put youngsters at a higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress syndrome after their hospital stay.

Delusions were more common in children who had to be sedated for more than two days, and in youngsters who were admitted on an emergency basis, according to a study in the first May issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

As part of National Infant Immunization Week (April 19-26), parents, caregivers and health providers are being reminded of the benefits of vaccination and the importance of routine childhood vaccination.

FRIDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a second oral vaccine for the prevention of rotavirus, an infection that causes vomiting and diarrhea in infants and children.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- An estimated 91,000 babies in the United States were victims of maltreatment in 2006 during their first year of life, including 29,181 infants who suffered abuse or neglect during their first week of life, federal officials reported Thursday.