La gripe, el COVID y el RSV se están extendiendo rápidamente en Kentucky, y los expertos en salud dicen que esto representa un problema para hospitales, escuelas y para los residentes vulnerables en el estado. Hasta ahora, más de 20 distritos escolares han interrumpido temporalmente las clases debido al R-S-V.

En el Norton Children's Hospital, el Dr. Robert Blair dice que los virus respiratorios se propagan principalmente a través de gotas de aire que se producen al toser y estornudar. Explica que los bebés prematuros y los niños pequeños con cardiopatías congénitas, enfermedades reactivas de las vías respiratorias o el asma son especialmente susceptibles al R-S-V.

Se puede terminar en el hospital con un respirador artificial, por lo que anima a las familias a hacer todo lo posible para detener la propagación del virus.


"Tenemos que prestar atención a las personas que están enfermas, aislarlas, apoyarlas, y animarlas a que usen la mascarilla para cuidar de todos, necesitan también atención médica," informa Blair. "Los bebes son de muy alto riesgo y necesitan no estar expuestos a personas con resfriados."

La Academia Americana de Pediatría y la Asociación de Hospitales Infantiles han pedido al presidente Joe Biden que declare emergencia federal para proporcionar más apoyo y combatir el aumento de hospitalizaciones pediátricas en todo el país debido al RSV y la gripe.

Blair dice que, normalmente, el sistema inmunitario de los recién nacidos entra en contacto con el RSV, pero señala que los bebés nacidos durante los cierres de pandemia no tuvieron esa exposición.

"Y aquí están," dice Blair. "Con dos a tres años de edad, y están contagiándose de estas infecciones por primera vez. Y sus sistemas inmunológicos no se han preparado bien."

Kelly Taulbee, de Kentucky Voices for Health, añade que las precauciones de COVID pueden ayudar a detener la propagación de todos los virus.

"Hacer hincapié en el lavado de manos, en el distanciamiento social y cubrirnos cuando tosemos o estornudamos. Permanecer en casa cuando se está enfermo, incluso si solo se trata de síntomas leves de resfriado," pide Taulbee. "Hemos visto que muchas de las precauciones han desaparecido -esas políticas de salud pública que se aplicaron durante la pandemia, al principio- pero estamos viendo un resurgimiento de todas estas enfermedades, y el RSV está entre ellas."

Actualmente no hay ninguna vacuna para el RSV aprobada por la F-D-A, aunque hay ensayos clínicos en curso.Taulbee dice que las vacunas contra la gripe son fácilmente accesibles en todos los condados y son eficaces para prevenir la enfermedad, especialmente entre los niños pequeños, las personas mayores de 65 años o las que tienen riesgo de sufrir complicaciones graves.

It's a week to celebrate kids, with National Daughters Day today and National Sons Day on Saturday. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is encouraging everyone to remember kids who are looking for their forever homes, and consider fostering or adopting a child.

Rita Soronen, Dave Thomas Foundation president and CEO, said the goal is to find permanent homes for as many children as possible before they age out of the system.

"Single parents can foster and adopt, non-traditional families can foster and adopt. You can live in an apartment, you don't have to own your own home, you don't have to be wealthy. If you have the interest, and the willingness to learn, and the willingness to commit to a child - and you're safe - then you meet that first level of qualification," she said.

She added that states cover medical and other costs associated with kids in foster care. The process to qualify to foster or adopt a child includes a series of classes, background checks and home studies.

The latest statistics show that more than 28,000 children are in the foster care system in Texas. Adrian and Shane Potter adopted siblings 12-year-old Isiah, 10-year-old Jordan and four-year-old Sophia in 2020 after they had been in separate foster homes for years. Adrian Potter said the foundation worked with the adoption agency to get the kids settled with the services they needed.

"Our case worker got us connected to therapists, private tutors, music private lessons, they connected us to a lot of people, " he explained

He said adopting children is life changing in many ways.

"Every day is fun, laughter, every day is a challenge, but every day is also fun because you get to see these kids who have gone through so much learn to trust and learn to love, " he said.

Nearly 360,000 children are in foster care in the United States.

A new federal report shows anti-poverty policies enacted by New Mexico are making a big difference.

This month, the U.S. Census Bureau has released a supplemental report measuring poverty at the state level for the first time.

Emily Wildau, senior research and policy analyst at New Mexico Voices for Children, said the report still ranks the state last in the nation, at 28% under the Official Poverty Measure but when newly enacted state programs are taken into account, poverty decreased dramatically from 2021 to 2023.

"When you look at that same time period, and you use the measure that counts things like refundable tax credits and noncash benefits like SNAP, New Mexico's child poverty rate drops to just 8.9%," Wildau pointed out. "Which is actually better than the national rate."

The national child poverty rate is 10.4%. Wildau noted one disappointing figure in the data: The state's rate of uninsured children rose to almost 6% in 2023, compared to about 4% in 2022, likely because of changes made to Medicaid following the pandemic.

Wildau emphasized many policy changes made by New Mexico lawmakers are not reflected in nationally-generated data looking at children's well-being, often because the policies are new and have not been incorporated into how poverty is measured.

"We're doing really good things," Wildau outlined. "Increasing our state-level Earned Income Tax Credit, adding a new state-level Child Tax Credit and expanding SNAP eligibility October 1st up to 200% of that kind-of official poverty rate."

Along with New Mexico, 13 other states boosted fully refundable Child Tax Credits in 2024, aimed at enhancing economic security for low- and middle-income families. About 43 million people, or 13% of Americans, lived in poverty last year.

The number of West Virginia children living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation, and more children are living in households struggling with hunger, according to the latest federal data.

The end of pandemic supports combined with rising inflation, rent, and the cost of living, are to blame experts say.

The expanded Child Tax Credit cut child poverty in half, said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director with Food Research & Action Center.

When it ended, he said more families dipped back into poverty. Now, the child poverty rate has hit nearly 14%.

"Had we added a few more dollars to that program, it could have cut child poverty entirely," said Bhatti. "But it was a deliberate policy choice that the government made to not do that, and then another deliberate choice to remove that expansion."

According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, child poverty in the Mountain State dipped from 25% in 2022 to around 20% in 2023.

But despite the reduced numbers, the number of kids living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation.

Nearly 14 million children live in households currently experiencing food insecurity, up by more than 3% from 2022.

Bhatti noted that nearly 35% of single parent households headed by women struggle to pay for groceries.

He said his organization wants Congress to protect the Thrifty Food Plan, which sets the standard for the maximum amount of SNAP benefits households receive.

"Some lawmakers want to cut that Thrifty Food Plan adjustment," said Bhatti, "and as a result, that would cut $30 billion from SNAP benefits over the next 10 years."

Experts say kids who eat healthy meals are less likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, dental cavities, and other health problems.

But as more kids go hungry or lack access to quality food, they're also more likely to be uninsured.

According to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of children without health coverage rose to nearly 6% in 2023.




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