Morning Medical Moment: Top Cause of Children's Injuries and Slight Fevers May Help Save Email Print
Posted: 2:36 AM May 7, 2008
Last Updated: 8:13 AM May 7, 2008


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Falling is the leading cause of injuries during the first year of life, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And perhaps the best way for parents to protect children, according to researchers, is to understand their developmental milestones during the first year.

From birth to age one, babies are learning to roll over, crawl, and often walk for the first time.

Researchers say each of those milestones increases the risk of falling, and safety measures such as gates at stairs can help prevent falls.

Half of the estimated 330,000 babies under age one who had to go to the emergency room for injuries from 2001-2004 were hurt in a fall.

In other medical news…

No parent likes to see a sick child, especially when the mercury rises into the red.

But a little fever isn't necessarily something to panic over, according to Johns Hopkins doctors.

Slight fevers may be a good thing, because experts say most viruses can't survive at temperatures higher than 101 degrees.

In general, parents had trouble recognizing what's considered normal temperature, which is anywhere from 97 to 100.3 degrees.

The only exception is in babies under 3 months old, whose immune systems often aren't equipped to fight off infections.

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