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Breastfeeding leads to fewer ear, throat and sinus infections. But it doesn’t lead to fewer colds, lung or urinary infections. And it doesn’t necessarily protect children from developing food allergies. So says a series of studies in the journal Pediatrics. They were done as a follow-up to the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The original study examined infant feeding practices, from birth through 12 months. The new studies followed up with the same moms and children 6 years later. Other interesting findings include: Although breast-fed babies have slightly healthier diets later in childhood, they are just as likely to eat sweets and snacks as babies who were bottle-fed; if babies don’t eat many fruits and vegetables, they are less likely to do so at age 6.

Doctors in the United States need to be on the lookout for patients with chikungunya virus, a commentary in a major medical journal says. The virus originated in Africa. It spread to the Caribbean in 2013. Cases also have become widespread in parts of Central and South America. More than 8,000 confirmed cases have been seen in the current outbreak. More than 751 cases have been reported within the United States, the commentary notes. Most had traveled to affected regions. But several cases in Florida are thought to have received the infection locally. Two species of mosquito that can spread chikungunya are found in the southeastern United States. One of them is found farther north as well. So the virus “may spread further within the United States,” the authors say.