Health Report: Jan. 3, 1994

THE GOOD NEWS --Fewer youngsters worldwide are dying of childhood diseases now than at any other time in history. About 80% of children today are vaccinated against such deadly illnesses as measles and polio, compared with 20% in the early 1980s. According to the U.N., measles killed 1.1 million children in 1993, down from 2.5 million a year just a decade ago. Polio crippled 140,000 children last year, down from 500,000 in 1980. --A simple medical device that looks like a plunger may be more effective than the traditional hand-pressing technique used in cpr to save heart-attack victims. The small suction pump compresses and expands the patient's chest more vigorously, reduces the risk of broken ribs and allows more blood to flow through the body.

THE BAD NEWS --Drinking three cups of coffee a day during pregnancy more than doubled the risk of miscarriage in a study of 331 Canadian women. Although another recent study suggested that consuming moderate amounts of coffee had no effect, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises expectant mothers to cut down on the caffeine they consume. --Blood pressure is measured by a ratio of two numbers. For years, doctors thought the bottom number, which measures blood pressure between beats, was more important in determining a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke. But new research shows that even a slightly elevated top number, which measures pressure when the heart is contracting, can be just as deadly.

SOURCES: GOOD: State of the World's Children for 1994; New England Journal of Medicine. BAD: Journal of the American Medical Association; New England Journal of Medicine