Focus on Health: Lice Guidelines Updated, Minnesota Comes in Second

According to updated guidelines children with head lice don't necessarily have to stay home from school anymore.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says just because nits are found, it doesn't mean someone is necessarily infested with lice. Head lice do not spread infection, but their itch–inducing effects are well-known.

School nurses can recommend treatments, but parents should call their doctors if they don't know how to help their child. Federal health officials say head lice affects up to twelve million kids in the united states every year.

Children's emergency room visits for food–allergy reactions may be on the rise.

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston found the number of food–induced allergic reactions treated in their E-R more than doubled over a six year period. The reason for the increase was not known.

Findings do, however coincide with studies pointing to a general increase in food allergies among U.S. children in recent years. Some of the most common triggers of food allergies are peanuts and tree nuts, milk and eggs.

For the eighth time in the past nine years, an annual survey of children's well–being ranked New Hampshire number one.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation released its annual report on how the fifty states fared in ten categories of children's health. The data was collected between 2000 and 2008, before most U.S. families were hit by the recession.

So how did the Northland fare? Minnesota was ranked number two; Wisconsin number 10 and Michigan number 30. Last on the list: Mississippi.