Lipkin and colleagues searched for traces of genetic material linked to the virus in intestinal tissue taken from 25 children with autism and gastrointestinal problems. They compared the samples to those from 13 children without autism but with intestinal problems.

In 24 of the group of 25 and in 12 of the 13, there was no evidence of viral persistence, leading researchers to conclude the vaccine did not cause autism or gastrointestinal problems.

During a news briefing yesterday, Lipkin said his research showed the sole benefit of Wakefield's study - it highlighted that children with autism often have disabling gastrointestinal (GI) problems. Researchers now believe such problems afflict 25 percent of children with autism-related conditions.

"We found no relationship between the timing of the MMR vaccine and the onset of either GI complaints or autism," Dr. Mady Hornig, also of Columbia, said.

While the panel overwhelmingly said the products haven't been proven to work in children 11 and younger, the panel, by a vote of 15 to 7, stopped short of recommending the products not be used at all in older children.

Amy Celento-Stamateris, the patient representative on the panel, said if there were no children's cold and cough products on the market, "there are many people who will administer (adult) products to their children because they work for them and I'd be very concerned."

The advice has left many parents wondering what to do when their kids are suffering from stuffy noses, sniffles or hacking coughs.

"You've got to take it seriously. I want to be cautious," says Alison Schwartz, a 36-year-old mom who lives in Sacramento, Calif. "But on the other hand, it's really hard with a child - especially a kid under 6 - to watch him up all night coughing, with a cold or the flu, and not be able to give him something to give him a little relief, just so he can get some sleep."

Like many parents, Schwartz argues that the over-the-counter cold medicines have always seemed to work for her son, 3-year-old Owen.

The FDA meeting came just a week after several manufacturers pulled sales of nonprescription cold drugs targeted at children under 2. The move followed questions by the FDA and other health groups over a number of reported deaths linked to the remedies in recent years. The deaths occurred when parents gave their children accidental overdoses.

It's troubling news for many parents who now aren't sure how to best care for a child with a cold.

Santas get sneezed upon up to ten times a day, fend off children pulling their beards and mop up after children who frequently wet their laps, according to the survey of hundreds of men who work as seasonal Santa Claus characters.

A third of all Santas reported having been wet on by a child, the survey said.

More than 60 percent of Santas said they were sneezed or coughed upon up to 10 times each day, and three-quarters said they have up to 10 children cry while sitting on their laps every day, it said.

Nearly 90 percent of Santas said children pull their beard every day to see if it's real, and nearly half said children try to pull their glasses off every day as well, it said.

Santas can suffer back strain from lifting children, exposure to contagious illnesses and overheating in their heavy Santa suits, said Timothy Connaghan, head of the Santa association.

Parents of food-allergic children must be diligent in checking their kids' loot before giving them access to it. Instruct children not to eat anything until they get home. Then read labels carefully, looking for allergens. Be aware that the ingredient Mandalona is a nut substitute derived from peanut meal.

Make sure your kids have a good meal before they go out trick-or-treating, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network recommends, so they're not hungry.

Talk with neighbours in advance about having safe treats for your kids; consider supplying them. Some companies, including Nestle and Mars, for instance, produce peanut-free candy bars. Consider such non-food treats for trick-or-treaters as colouring books or pens and pencils.

If your child is old enough to go out without an adult, have him go with at least two buddies who know about his food allergies. Make sure he carries his medicine. Epinephrine, used to treat severe allergic reactions, is most effective when used as soon as possible after a severe allergic reaction. It is available by prescription, most commonly as the Epi-Pen auto-injector.

Denise Bunning of Chicago has two children with severe food allergies. Her son Bryan was rushed to the hospital one year after eating a single gummy worm, reported WMAQ-TV in Chicago.

"The bulk container had previously contained a chocolate nut, so just the residue on the gummy worm was enough to cause my child to have an anaphylactic reaction," Bunning said.

Experts say eight foods are the most common food-allergy culprits: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.

Parents of food-allergic children must read every candy label in their child's Halloween bag to ensure their child's safety.

The fact that the travelers touched down mainly in the Midwest probably explains why that region is suffering the most. (Coincidentally, the last big mumps epidemic, in the 1980s, also centered on the Midwest.) So far, Iowa has been hit the hardest; it would only see five mumps cases in a normal year, but the state accounts for more than 800 of this year's 1,100-odd victims. In Waterloo, Iowa, Buschkamp's hometown of about 70,000 people, even the mayor has the mumps. Kansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Indiana and Nebraska have all also confirmed that the same mumps strain is circulating there.

The outbreak started with older victims and can target people of any age--Sharon Watson of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says her state has seen cases "from age 5 to age 90"--but it has largely hit young, otherwise healthy college students. Almost 35 percent of the early cases occurred in 19-year-olds. Mumps is spread by coughing and sneezing, and victims also are contagious for three days before they develop symptoms, so the close quarters of college are a naturally vulnerable site for the virus to spread. "This happened on spring break, and it's very easy to unwittingly spread it," Watson says. If the disease hasn't retreated by summer, kids leaving school could cause another wave of infection in parts of the country that thus far remain unaffected.

Once a rite of passage in childhood, mumps was largely tamped down in the 1960s with the advent of a vaccine, and it hasn't been a major public health problem for two decades. Epidemiologists think several factors may have caused its return. On is that the measles, mumps and rubella shot needs to be given twice in order to be most effective, and some parents are neglecting to take their child in for the second treatment. Another is that some parents, responding to fears that the vacines could be linked to autism, are simply not getting the shots at all for their children. "Lots of pediatricians have bemoaned the fact that parents are either not paying attention or [are] actually opposed to vaccination," says Dr. John Baldwin, president of the CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, a Harvard-affiliated immunology center. Many states require full double vaccination for entry into any state school, but a significant number of students in Iowa started college before that requirement took effect in the early 1990s. And even double vaccination doesn't take care of everything; about 10 percent of kids who go through it still end up getting mumps.

The inspiration for the site came from the experiences of a girl with cancer.

She had heard about the Dipex - the Database of Individual Patient Experience - site for adults which colleagues of her father ran, and wanted something similar for people her own age.

Sadly, she died before the site was completed, but staff have dedicated the cancer section to her.

Vishal, now aged 19, from Leicester, said knowing there were other teenagers going through the same problems as him would have made it easier.

"It is a really hard place to be," he explained.

The number of overweight children worldwide will increase significantly by the end of the decade, and scientists expect profound impacts on everything from public health care to economies, a study published Monday said.

Nearly half of the children in North and South America will be overweight by 2010, up from what recent studies say is about one-third, according to a report published by the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.

In the European Union, about 38 percent of all children will be overweight if present trends continue — up from about 25 percent in recent surveys, the study said.

The school project starts with the state's 64,880 middle school students and then calls for an expansion into high schools. By year three, state officials hope to have the project set up in the state’s elementary schools.

Overall, the game is expected to be available to 279,788 public school students statewide.

The statewide project is expected to cost $500,000, with part of the funding coming from PEIA and Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield. Game manufacturer Konami Digital Entertainment in Redwood City, Calif., has agreed to provide $75,000. The state is seeking private funding for the remainder.

Each school is to receive a game console, at least two dance pads and software at a cost of about $740.

Dubbed 'iPod Finger' the problem affects the fingers of "music-mad consumers who are constantly using the scroll-wheel or buttons on their MP3 players to organise their song library, update playlists and adjust the volume of their favourite artists".

BCA spokesman Dr Carl Irwin said: "Hand-held music machines are extremely popular and users are constantly using small, difficult buttons with the same finger in a repetitive motion.

"The nature of modern technology means that these devices are only going to get smaller and I would not be surprised if hand and finger related injuries become one of the most common repetitive strain injuries that chiropractors treat."

Parents might also consider sending their children out with some fruits or nuts as snacks.

"Discuss with children what constitutes a reasonable number of treats to consume when they get home and be cautious with homemade treats -- if you are unclear about the source of the treat, throw it away," Elisabetta Politi, nutrition manager at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, said in a prepared statement.

Falls are among the most common Halloween-related injuries, noted Claudia McCormick, program director of the Duke Trauma Center. Parents need to make sure that costumes won't cause children to trip. Children should wear well-fitting shoes. Don't send them out in floppy shoes or shoes with high heels. And they should walk in well-lit areas.

The researchers cited other studies that showed that at age 11, 25% of boys and 14% of girls report bullying others. And at least 22% of boys and 26% of girls report being bullied.

"While bullying once was seen as an activity of boys, there has been a burgeoning increase in the number of girls who bully," Wright says. "Girls now threaten, use innuendos, and tease others about their clothes as ways to interact together. They are joining in. Many are bullying through the format of 'cyber bullying' through emails, instant and text messaging, and camera phones."

Styles of bullying range from the direct of pushing, punching, spitting, and tripping to the more indirect of threats of teasing, spreading rumors, and shunning, he says.

Bullying is associated with higher rates of frequent fighting and injuries and weapon carrying, with the associations being stronger for bullies than targets, he told those attending the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition.

Clinton said lawmakers should take a greater involvement in the fight -- setting higher standards for school lunches and eliminating junk food in school vending machines.

He called on the fast-food industry to shape up.

"You get good bulk, and it tastes good for the money ... but we cannot sustain it from a health care point of view," he said.

Clinton has made changes since his health scare. He said he has cut down on french fries, eats more fruits and vegetables and incorporates exercise into his mornings. He said he wants to teach that lesson to American children.

"The bottom line is we've got too many kids too overweight," he said, "and they're walking time bombs."