内容摘要：Globally, 50% of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition in children were funded by USAID, and 40% of the supplies were

Globally, 50% of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition in children were funded by USAID, and 40% of the supplies were

Though dry lips can happen year-round, they’re most common. The cold outdoors paired with the low-humidity indoors can strip moisture from soft, pillowy lips.

Lip balm can help seal moisture into the lips, said Dr. Jenna Lester.“That is a good barrier for the external forces,” like against cold wind, said Lester, a dermatologist at UCSF Health.For most, lip balm is a worthy ally in the fight against chapped lips. But some people can’t take fragrances, flavors and preservatives found in popular balms. When applied, they can sting instead of soothe.

“Those are the people who will say, ‘I tried these things. I thought my lips would get better, but they just keep getting worse and worse,’” said Dr. Caroline Mann, a dermatologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.Ingredients to look out for include flavoring additives and lanolin, a waxy substance that comes from sheep and is found in many moisturizers. A preservative called formaldehyde and an ingredient in chemical-based sunscreens called oxybenzone can also trigger allergies.

These allergic reactions are driven by our immune systems, Mann said. They can happen at any time, after any number of product uses and can last for months after using.

A fragrance-free, petroleum-based balm — commonly listed as petrolatum on the label — may be the safest bet for people with sensitive lips, dermatologists recommend.U.S. infant deaths fell to about 19,900 last year, according to CDC data, compared with about 20,150 in 2023.

The U.S. infant mortality rate has been worse than other high-income countries, which experts have attributed to poverty, inadequate prenatal care and other things. Even so, the U.S. rate generally has improved over the decades because of medical advances and public health efforts.The 2022 and 2023 levels were up from 5.44 per 1,000 in 2021 — the first statistically significant jump in the rate in about two decades. Experts attributed those years to a rebound in RSV and flu infections after two years of pandemic precautions.

In 2023, U.S. health officials begantwo new measures to prevent the toll on infants — one was a lab-made antibody shot for infants that helps the immune system fight off the virus, and the other was giving an RSV vaccine to women between 32 weeks and 36 weeks of pregnancy.