Written by Laura Bottom, SIU Center for Family Medicine Warm weather, barbeques and celebrating our independence is all a part of summer. One of the best parts of the 4th of July is watching the sky light up with a beautiful array of colors, sparkles and shapes. Even though the firework displays are stunning, they can be very dangerous if proper precautions are not taken. The Pyrotechnic Use Act (PUA) in Illinois bans the sale, possession, and use of all “consumer fireworks,” such as firecrackers, bottle rockets and roman candles. Violating the PUA can result in prison time and a hefty fine.
Experts caution: Sleep is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for good health. It’s no secret that the sleep debt is growing like the national debt in American adults. Studies show that our children are walking in our sleepy footsteps, and it’s causing innumerable negative consequences. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young children should get 11-12 hours of shuteye while school-aged children should sleep at least 10 hours. Though they’re notorious for staying up late, teens should be getting 9-10 hours of continuous sleep. But the statistics are waking people up. As early
SIU Medicine chair of pediatrics Doug Carlson, MD, was recently named to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Task Force on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help investigate the prevalence of this new syndrome in patients under age 21 in Illinois. Currently, IDPH is reporting cases of MIS-C in Chicago only, and Dr. Carlson says this syndrome is rare. “Right now, we only have a few cases in the state, but we want parents to watch for symptoms of prolonged fever, lethargy, or belly pain, and to call your
