Lies, autism, and fear of the MMR vaccine. This month the Lancet retracted a twelve-year-old study proposing a link between autism and the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, following an official repudiation of its ethical and scientific standards by the British General Medical Council, which found that the researchers behind the study had brought “the medical profession into disrepute.” Harsh words that come a little late in the day given the staggering public health consequences the study helped foment. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Does your child need the ER? Mild infections are common during childhood. But parents often face a difficult decision if they suspect a more serious illness, about whether they need to get medical help. Researchers have come up with a checklist of “red flag” symptoms, and they’re the factors most likely to indicate a dangerous infection. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

3 household habits can offset childhood obesity. A new study has found that a trio of basic household routines—having dinner as a family, limiting TV time, and making sure kids get enough sleep—may substantially lower the risk of obesity for young children. The researchers found that kids were much less likely to be obese if they watched less than two hours of TV on weekdays, slept at least 10.5 hours a night, and ate family meals more than five times a week. Learn more in the full Health blog post.

Is packaged salad clean? You might think that "pre­washed" and "triple-washed" salad greens sold in plastic clamshells or bags are squeaky clean. But our recent tests found room for improvement. In our samples, we did find bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination—in some cases, at rather high levels. Whether the greens came in a clamshell or bag, included "baby" greens, or were organic made no difference. Learn more in the full article from the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.