Health Highlights: Oct. 7, 2021

Over 140,000 U.S. children have lost a caregiver to COVID-19. New CDC data shows that between April 2020 and July 2021, 1 in 4 fatal cases of COVID-19 left a child without a parent or other caregiver. Overall, about 1 in 500 U.S. kids have been affected in this way. Read more

Kids with food allergies often face bullying. As if navigating a potentially lethal food allergy isn't tough enough, new research shows that having allergies can also leave children more apt to become targets for bullies. Read more

Los Angeles approves tough new vaccine mandates. America's second largest city issued some of the strictest vaccine mandates in the nation on Wednesday, requiring everyone who enters public spaces like bars, restaurants, gyms and sports events to show proof of immunization against COVID-19. Read more

Western wildfires are making Easterners sick. While fires ravaging the western United States pose immediate harm to local residents, an even greater number of people with asthma in the East may be sickened as the resulting smoke clouds their skies, new research shows. Read more