Ask the Pediatrician: Top safety tips for preventing heat, sun-related illnesses in children this summer

• July 3, 2023

As summer beckons and children head outdoors to play, it’s important to protect them from too much sun and heat as well as air pollution, especially on days when the air quality is poor.

Families are encouraged to check the local daily Air Quality Index to identify when air pollution, wildfires and heat raise the risks of asthma and other health concerns.

It’s great to see children enjoying nature and reaping the benefits of outdoor activities. But as we encounter more intense weather events, including severe heat, families can use some layers of protection that families to help their kids stay healthy.

Sunburn and UV rays are one concern. Sun and heat can also worsen local air pollution by contributing to ozone and smog.

Here are some tips to ensure a safe and fun summer for everyone:

— Babies under 6 months of age should be kept out of direct sunlight. Move your baby to the shade under a tree, umbrella or stroller canopy. Dress babies in lightweight clothing that covers the arms and legs, and use brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent sunburn.

— For older children, the first (and best) line of defense against harmful ultraviolet radiation exposure is covering up. Stay in the shade whenever possible, and limit sun exposure during the peak intensity hours: between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The sun’s damaging UV rays can bounce back from sand, water, snow or concrete, so be particularly careful of these areas.

— Select clothes made of tightly woven fabrics. Cotton clothing is both cool and protective. Try to find a wide-brimmed hat that can shade the cheeks, chin, ears and back of the neck. Sunglasses with ultraviolet (UV) protection are also a good idea for protecting your child’s eyes.

— Apply sunscreen with an SPF 15 or greater to areas of your child’s skin that aren’t covered by clothing. Put sunscreen on 15 to 30 minutes before going outdoors, as it needs time to absorb into the skin. Reapply every two hours after swimming, sweating or toweling off. The additional benefits of using sunscreen with SPF 50+ are limited. It’s OK to use sunscreen on young babies on small parts of their skin not protected by clothing or hats, but remember that babies touch their mouths a lot, and it’s best to prevent them from ingesting sunscreen in this way.

— When choosing a sunscreen, look for a water-resistant product and for the words “broad-spectrum” on the label — it means the sunscreen will protect against both ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. Try to find products that contain the mineral ingredients zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. If possible, avoid the ingredient oxybenzone, a sunscreen chemical that may have hormonal properties.

Climate change is contributing to more intense summer heat. Extreme heat and air pollution affect everyone, but especially children. Children breathe faster and breathe more air compared to their body weight than adults. They breathe lower to the ground where some pollution settles. Children and adolescents are at increased risk of heat-related illness when they play, exercise or work outside, especially during summer months. Young children, especially, depend upon their parents and caregivers to protect them from extreme heat.

High levels of air pollution can cause asthma flare-ups, breathing trouble and other illnesses in children. For decades, some communities have lived with higher levels of pollution and heat. The effects of former laws and policies that discriminated against Black communities and communities of color are still felt by many children. Redlining is one example of a policy from the 1930s that resulted in more polluting and heat-trapping industry and infrastructure in predominantly Black neighborhoods. In the summer, children in communities that were redlined are exposed to more pollution, heat-trapping asphalt and higher temperatures. Many families may not have access to resources to cope with these intensified summer challenges.

To protect children against summer pollution, pollen and heat illnesses:

— Check your local Air Quality Index. Adjust your child’s outdoor activities when needed.

— If your child has asthma, ask your pediatrician how air pollution can be added to your child’s asthma action plan.

— Find out about your school’s guidelines for heat and outdoor play and make sure the school follows these guidelines.

— On hot days, make sure your child dresses appropriately, takes breaks, drinks plenty of water and takes time to get used to the temperature.

— If your child takes medication, ask your pediatrician if it increases your child’s risk for heat illness.

— Use MERV 13 rating or higher filters in your home’s central heating and cooling system, if possible.

— Use public transportation or choose walking and biking when it is safe to do so, consider a zero-emissions vehicle when you purchase your next car, or ask your school to switch to electric school buses.

— Advocate in your community for access to green space for all children and plant trees or participate in tree-planting service events to reduce urban heat effect and clean the air.

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ABOUT THE WRITERS

Rebecca Philipsborn, MD, MPA, FAAP, is a pediatrician at Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and serves on the Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change and assistant editor of the upcoming fifth edition of Pediatric Environmental Health, the AAP handbook for pediatricians.

Sophie J. Balk, MD, FAAP, a general pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Bronx, New York, is a member of the AAP Executive Committee of the Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change. Dr. Balk is associate editor of the fourth edition and upcoming fifth edition of Pediatric Environmental Health.

©2023 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Musk, Zuckerberg add a combined $155 billion to their wealth in 2023

• July 3, 2023

By Annie Massa and Jack Witzig | Bloomberg

The world’s 500 richest people added $852 billion to their fortunes in the first half of 2023.

Each member of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index made an average of $14 million per day over the past six months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was the best half-year for billionaires since the back half of 2020, when the economy rebounded from a Covid-induced slump.

SEE MORE: Elon Musk and a breakdown of his global empire

The gains coincided with a broad stock market rally, as investors brushed off the effects of central bank interest rate hikes, the ongoing war in Ukraine and a crisis in regional banks. The S&P 500 rose 16% and the Nasdaq 100 surged 39% for its best-ever first half as investor mania over artificial intelligence boosted tech stocks.

While Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg flirt with scheduling a cage match, Tesla’s chief executive officer came out on top in dollar terms. Musk, the world’s richest person, added $96.6 billion to his net worth this year through June 30, while Meta Platforms CEO Zuckerberg gained $58.9 billion.

Gautam Adani’s net worth sank the most in the six-month period, losing $60.2 billion. Adani, chairman of Adani Group, also posted the biggest one-day loss of any billionaire, shedding about $20.8 billion on Jan. 27, after short-seller Hindenburg Research accused his conglomerate of accounting fraud and stock manipulation — a claim Adani denies.

RELATED: 31 billionaires have more money than US Treasury

Hindenburg, founded by Nate Anderson, also knocked down the net worth of another billionaire: Carl Icahn. His Icahn Enterprises LP had its steepest one-day drop after Hindenburg disclosed it was shorting the shares, saying the stock was significantly overvalued relative to its holdings. Icahn’s net worth fell $13.4 billion, or 57% — the largest percentage drop of any member of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in the period.

​ Orange County Register 

Dave’s Hot Chicken launches sweepstakes for Drake concert tickets

• July 3, 2023

Dave’s Hot Chicken is also dealing in hot concert tickets.

The Pasadena-based restaurant chain has launched a sweepstakes that gives members of its “Frequent Fryer” loyalty program the chance to win ticket’s to Drake’s It’s All a Blur tour with 21 Savage.

This is Drake’s first North American tour since 2018.

Concerts include Kia Forum, Inglewood, Aug. 13, 15, and 16; Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, Aug. 21-22;  Chase Center, San Francisco, Aug 18; and T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Sept. 1-2. There are several other dates throughout the United States between July 11, in Boston, and Oct. 5, in Toronto.

To enter, people need to download the Dave’s Hot Chicken app and then choose a preferred concert and date, according to a news release. They can then receive additional entries for the chosen concert by making purchases while logged into the loyalty program.

Winners will be notified about a week before each concert date, the news release said. For the Southern California dates, people have until early August to enter.

In addition to racking up 205 charted songs as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100, Drake is an investor in Dave’s Hot Chicken.

It was founded as an East Hollywood pop-up in 2017 and is now America’s fastest-growing restaurant chain, it announced in May, citing research by the firm Technomic that showed its sales  increased 156% over the past year.

An entry form and rules sheet, including entry deadlines for individual concerts, can be found on the company’s website, daveshotchicken.com.

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Traveling this summer: Is it time for a COVID booster?

• July 3, 2023

Sandy Klein looks forward to her European Cruise next month. At 78, she considers herself healthy. Still the Palm Beach resident wonders if she should get a COVID booster before her trip.

“I don’t want to spend my vacation sick — or worse, in the hospital,” she said.

This summer travel season has been forecasted to be one for the record books, and with so many people on the move, the risk of getting COVID-19 rises.

COVID still is circulating and people do seem to be picking up the virus during travel. However, for most people who get COVID now, the symptoms are more like a bad cold or flu, doctors say. Still, those symptoms — fever, aches, sore throat and cough — are enough to ruin a trip or force you to miss a family reunion.

Most people have some level of immunity, either from a shot or the virus itself. So is worth getting a COVID booster?

How to decide whether to get boosted

Let your activity over the summer months guide your strategy, along with your age and health, doctors say.

“It’s really a matter of how much risk you are willing to take because there is still COVID out there,” said Dr. Sergio Segarra, chief medical officer at Baptist Health’s Baptist Hospital in Kendall.

Segarra says only about 4% to 8% of patients in his hospital are there for COVID, but none are in the intensive care. He says the immunity gained from vaccination and prior infection seems to have lessened the severity of the disease for most people.

“But if you have health issues or are over 50 you might want to get the booster,” he said. “Also, it depends on where you are going. Airports are congested and cruise ships are close quarters. If you are going to a remote place, that’s different. For most people who are traveling, if you don’t want to spend a few days feeling miserable, I would recommend it.”

Immunity wears off

Booster uptake has been low in Florida — only 11.7% of all ages have received one, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you already had COVID or a vaccine, research has shown that immunity wears off over time and becomes less effective against new strains.

This fall, most likely the end of September, vaccine manufacturers will be releasing updated COVID booster shots to target  XBB 1.5, the predominant coronavirus strain in the United States that first arrived in late 2022. The new booster formulation will drop the original coronavirus strain, which no longer is in circulation. Some doctors believe that will optimize the immune response.

Along with mRNA vaccines, a third vaccine maker, Novavax, likely also will be an option for an updated booster that targets XBB.1.5. Novavax’s COVID shots are a protein-based vaccine.

Some scientists are hoping for a nasal spray option as well, although that could take until 2024. In September, India approved a nasal COVID-19 vaccine, and in October, China began administering an inhalable version.

Waiting for fall can be tricky, though, particularly when there’s currently a booster available even if it’s not targeted at the most current strain.

Who is eligible for a booster

At this time, the only COVID shots available to adults are the mRNA bivalent booster. Anyone 6 and older can get one. The bivalent booster blends an antigen aimed at the original strain of the virus with another designed for the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, which had been circulating when the shot became available. The latest data shows the effectiveness against symptomatic XBB infection, which isn’t a strain it was made to target, is about 43% for people 50 and older

“If you expect perfection from vaccines, you will be disappointed,” said Vanderbilt University infectious disease professor Dr. William Schaffner. “Just like with influenza, they need to keep updating them. They will never be perfectly up to date because it takes time to develop vaccines, package them, and get them into arms.”

Sometimes it can feel as if vaccines are pointless in avoiding infections, Schaffner acknowledges. However, research shows vaccines reduce severe outcomes from COVID, and the latest CDC data indicates they still offer some protection against mild infections.

When considering timing, the CDC recommends waiting four months between shots. That also applies to people 65 and older who are eligible for a second bivalent booster.

“If it has been more than four months since you had COVID or a shot, your immunity is not down to zero,” Schaffner said. “You still have some protection but it’s a matter of who you are, how robust your immune system is, how old you are, and do you have any underlying issues. The older you are, your risk goes up.”

Timing your booster

If you believe you are at risk, don’t wait for the fall, he says.

“If you are going to travel you should get the booster available now,” he says. “Come October you will be eligible for the new booster.”

If you decide get boosted before travel or a special event, you may want to time it for optimal protection.

The booster is most effective roughly two weeks to a month after getting the shot, according to Dr. Leanna Wen a professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. After a month, protection against infection begins to drop, she said. “Still, some people would value even a small, temporary reduction in infection risk,” she wrote in a column published in The Washington Post.

If you decide not to get boosted, Wen advises masking in crowded places. And making preparations can be important when traveling. Anyone older than 65 should travel with Paxlovid, says Segarra at Baptist Health South Florida. “It’s still recommended for mild to moderate symptoms and a good tool to have.”

Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Twitter’s viewing limits: Will users and advertisers go elsewhere?

• July 3, 2023

By Matt O’Brien | The Associated Press

TikTok and Instagram users can scroll with abandon. But Twitter owner Elon Musk has put new curfews on his digital town square, the latest drastic change to the social media platform that could further drive away advertisers and undermine its cultural influence as a trendsetter.

Keeping up with a sports game, extreme weather conditions or a major news event is getting harder under Musk’s new rules, which cap the number of tweets you can view as part of an apparent attempt to relieve the company’s overloaded web infrastructure.

“The joke on Twitter is that people are going to go outside instead, but the reality is that they’re going to go to another app,” said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with Insider Intelligence. “By sending users elsewhere, Musk is killing the main proposition Twitter has had for advertisers — a highly engaged user base, especially around news and events.”

SEE MORE: Twitter worst social media for LGBTQ+ safety, GLAAD says

Musk recently hired longtime NBC Universal executive Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s CEO to try to win back advertisers annoyed by a host of changes since Musk bought the platform for $44 billion last year. But she’s been silent about the new restrictions that lock users out if they view too many tweets in a day, leaving Musk to announce and explain them.

The moves are “remarkably bad for Twitter’s users and advertisers,” decimating the reach and engagement that advertisers depend on, according to a statement from Forrester analyst Mike Proulx.

“The advertiser trust deficit that Linda Yaccarino needs to reverse just got even bigger. And it cannot be reversed based on her industry credibility alone,” Proulx said.

An Associated Press inquiry on Monday about how long the limits will last triggered a crude automated reply that Twitter sends to most media queries without addressing the question.

Musk had tried on Saturday to describe how the limits work, saying accounts that don’t pay for a monthly subscription will temporarily be restricted to reading 600 posts per day, while verified accounts will be able to scroll through up to 6,000.

After facing backlash, he tweeted that the thresholds would be raised to 800 posts for unverified accounts and 8,000 for verified accounts before later settling on 1,000 and 10,000 tweets, respectively.

Many unverified users are “going to hit that limit fast,” said Enberg, because most Twitter users are consuming, not creating posts, and “typically scroll through an enormous number of tweets in a short period of time.”

Enberg said Musk should be doing whatever he can to encourage engagement to show Twitter is still viable as it faces growing competition from upstart rivals, as well as a new Twitter-like service coming from Facebook and Instagram parent Meta. “Instead, he’s throttling it,” she said.

Proulx, of Forrester, said the “real reason behind Musk’s temporary rate limits” is still unclear.

Musk over the weekend explained the new restrictions as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the social media platform. He said it was a temporary measure that was taken because “we were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!”

The site is now requiring people to log on to view tweets and profiles — a change in its longtime practice to allow everyone to peruse the chatter on what Musk has frequently touted as the world’s digital town square.

Musk has pushed back on what he calls misuse of Twitter data to train popular artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT. They scour reams of information online to generate human-like text, photos, video and other content.

The higher tweet-viewing threshold allowed on verified accounts is part of an $8-per-month subscription service that Musk rolled out earlier this year in an effort to boost Twitter revenue. It has fallen sharply since the billionaire Tesla CEO took over the company and laid off roughly three-fourths of the workforce to cut costs and stave off bankruptcy.

Advertisers have since curbed their spending on Twitter, partly because of changes that have allowed more hateful or prickly content that offends a wider part of the service’s audience.

​ Orange County Register 

Seal Beach ends animal services contract with Long Beach, launches own program

• July 3, 2023

Seal Beach has officially implemented its own animal control services program — ending its nearly 20-year contract with Long Beach’s agency.

The Long Beach Animal Care Services Department previously provided shelter, rescue operations, and animal licensing and enforcement to neighboring Seal Beach — until the agency moved to increase the costs of those services. Seal Beach’s new local program went into effect on Saturday, July 1, less than a week after the City Council OK’d it.

The program, though, had been under development for more than a year, Seal Beach officials said.

“Approximately 18 months ago, Long Beach notified the city of Seal Beach of impending cost increases to provide animal control cervices,” Seal Beach police Capt. Nick Nicholas said at the June 26 council meeting. “Cost increases prompted review of the Long Beach animal control contract.”

Seal Beach spent the next year or so weighing its options, including sticking with the Long Beach contract and absorbing the cost increase; entering into an agreement with Westminster; or establishing its own animal control program within the Seal Beach Police Department from the ground up.

Seal Beach chose the last option.

The city enrolled SBPD’s senior community officer and police aides in animal control training programs, and secured contracts with organizations to provide sheltering and wildlife services. The city also worked to obtain the equipment necessary to launch an animal control program and formalized its procedures for licensing and enforcement.

“We’re confident that our personnel are trained, equipped and ready to go into service immediately,” Nicholas said. “With any program, we know that there will be growing pains and bugs to work through. But we know that based on the assistance we’ve received from other agencies and the large amount of research that we’ve done, we’ll be able to tackle any issues that arise.”

It’s a big change for both the Long Beach and Seal Beach communities. Seal Beach had contracted with the Long Beach Animal Care Services Department since 2004.

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Now, Seal Beach residents who need assistance with animal care — be it a lost pet or an issue with wildlife — should contact the SBPD at its non-emergency number, 562-594-7232, rather than Long Beach.

The SBPD will handle all matters relating to animal care, such as investigating violations of animal welfare, licensing pets, issuing citations, treating animals, and conducting community outreach and education.

“We wish to thank the city of Long Beach, their animal care program, staff and volunteers for the service they provided to Seal Beach for many years,” SBPD Chief Michael Henderson said in a recent press release. “Without their assistance and guidance, we would not have been able to bring animal control services back in-house.”

Seal Beach has yet to update their animal care website with information about the new program. Tthat additional information, Nicholas said, will be shared with the public via social media and other communications in the coming weeks as the department works to implement the new program.

​ Orange County Register 

Fullerton College student receives scholarship in honor of late journalist John Westcott

• July 3, 2023

Fullerton College journalist Pedro Saravia was selected to receive the fourth annual John Westcott Memorial Journalism Scholarship.

The $350 scholarship is named in honor of Westcott, an Orange County Register staff member from 1981 to 2001 and an adjunct journalism professor at Fullerton and Saddleback community colleges. Westcott died in 2019 from brain cancer.

Saravia, 19, will be the news editor for Fullerton College’s newspaper, The Hornet, in the fall semester.

“Pedro is a hardworking journalist who wants to work in the field and has already amassed a body of work in sports, news, culture and multimedia production at Fullerton College,” Fullerton College journalism instructor Jessica Langlois said in a release.

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When TV game shows needs talent, they tune in to the radio

• July 3, 2023

Radio has a long history of sending its top personalities to host television game shows. Among the most famous include Wink Martindale, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Gene Rayburn, and Pat Sajak, among many more.

To that list, add KIIS (102.7 FM) morning man Ryan Seacrest, who will replace Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune” at the end of the 2024 season. When Sajak leaves, he will end more than four decades with the show, after taking over for original host Chuck Woolery who left the show in a salary dispute in 1981.

Seacrest started in Los Angeles radio in 2004 at Star 98.7 FM (now known as Alt 98.7, KYSR). But he was only 16 when he started in the profession after winning an internship at his hometown radio station WSTR/Atlanta where he learned all aspects of radio … including filling in for ill or vacationing air personalities and eventually getting a regular weekend shift … while still in high school.

His show on Star was during the afternoon drive, and he was definitely a star (pardon the pun) on the station paired with Lisa Fox. He left for San Francisco’s K-101 in 2003, returning to Los Angeles less than a year later to replace Rick Dees in February 2004, a position he still holds and has held all the while taking on numerous other radio and television gigs, including hosting syndicated radio program “American Top 40” and television shows such as “American Idol,” “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” and the legendary “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which he inherited from another radio personality, Dick Clark.

Many have compared Seacrest with Clark, primarily due to his boyish looks and on-air charm. He has always been able to engage his audiences, and Seacrest has often said that he idolized Clark growing up.

There was some pushback on the internet boards and social media over the announcement of the “Wheel” replacement. One comment on Twitter asked, “How many jobs do you need?” with another pleading with him to reconsider, writing “We don’t want you! Go away lol! You’re just going to ruin this amazing show.”

“Wheel” producers obviously feel differently, and are paying Seacrest a reported $28 million per season, $13 million more than Sajak reportedly earned from the show. Sajak, by the way, will stay on as a consultant for three years. For historical reference, Woolery was let go when he was asking $500,000 per season.

Salary issues aside, I do think Seacrest will be a good host. His radio duties including hosting KIIS mornings will continue at least through 2025, the end of his current contract. My hunch is that he will remain at KIIS for far longer. Radio stations often benefit from television exposure of their personalities, and you can’t get much more exposure than Seacrest.

Cardinal Rule

A wise programmer and consultant once told me that a general interest morning show should shun discussion or presentation of political viewpoints in order to avoid ticking off half of your potential audience.

Which is why I was surprised when I tuned in to KROQ’s (106.7 FM) morning Klein and Ally show last Friday. During a segment presented as news, co-host Ally Johnson launched into a short rant condemning a recent Supreme Court decision and lamenting the state of the country.

Remember, this was supposedly news, though the segment also devolved to include conjecture as to how couples can “hook up” behind the rows of port-a-potties at festival concerts. KROQ does not run editorials.

Personally, I don’t care what her opinion is, on any subject. She can think whatever she wants. But if I was the program director of KROQ, trying to build an audience for a dying station against competition that has been killing the morning show in the ratings for years, I’d be livid.

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