Infectious Diseases

Most children are not being adequately vaccinated against influenza, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also just published a new report demonstrating the efficacy of the vaccine in reducing influenza-related deaths in children.

Parents often carry misperceptions about the advantages and disadvantages of antibiotic use for pediatric acute respiratory infections, according to an Australian survey in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Recent data has revealed the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), also known as the “nasal spray” vaccine, to be grossly ineffective, leading to the ACIP’s decision not to recommend its usage. As such, healthcare providers must be judicious in their choice of influenza vaccine with their patients.

With the introduction of point-of-care (POC) molecular assays, pediatricians can diagnosis influenza A and B during the office visit with sensitivity and specificity comparable to reference assays.

Flu shots given to mothers during pregnancy provided protection for their babies against three common strains of influenza for several weeks after birth, according to a new report.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara explains the latest recommendations published in Current Opinion in Pediatrics for pediatric dermatology conditions like warts, molluscum contagiosum, and soft tissue infections.

Both mode of delivery and feeding method are significantly associated with intestinal microbial community composition, according to a study in 102 full-term infants, whose gut microbiota investigators analyzed using stool samples taken at the age of 6 weeks.

The currently recommended childhood immunization schedule put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is designed to protect infants and young children from 14 harmful and potentially deadly diseases before a child’s second birthday.

Many pediatricians believe that if they pay $30 for an immunization, as long as a payer reimburses them more than $30, they’re OK, said Chip Hart. The fact is, that’s not the case, he explained during his presentation “The Business of Immunization: Protecting Kids without Destroying Your Practice.”

Parents of a 6-year-old boy bring him to your office for urgent consultation for a rash that blossomed on his trunk and extremities 2 weeks ago following an upper respiratory infection and that shows no sign of improving. What’s the diagnosis?

Staphylococcus aureus plays an important role in the pathogenesis and course of atopic dermatitis. Compared to the normal pediatric population, atopic patients are especially susceptible to colonization and recurrent infections of S aureus.

After a poor matchup to circulating viruses in the 2014-2015 season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new vaccine for this year, along with updated administration guidelines.

If there is no link between vaccines and conditions such as autism, why do pediatricians spend so much time talking about this topic with parents?

Investigators in France reported on 9 children aged from 10 to 45 months with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) who developed Kingella kingae osteoarticular infections.

The ongoing US measles outbreak underscores the importance of childhood vaccines-opponents of vaccination notwithstanding, say experts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has announced the release of the 2015 recommended vaccination schedule for children and adolescents in a recent policy statement from the Academy’s Committee on Infectious Diseases.

Young children are more likely to get a second dose of influenza vaccine when their parents receive reminders by text message, a new study reports.

Investigators conducted a retrospective multicenter study to assess how well the standard Kocher predictive algorithm differentiates between children with Kingella kingae infection of the hip and those with transient synovitis.

Contrary to current guidelines, children born before 37 weeks’ gestation should be considered at high risk for complications of influenza, a new meta-analysis shows.

An estimated average of 6514 infants aged younger than 12 months were hospitalized for influenza infection each year between 2003 and 2012, according to an analysis of population-based influenza hospitalization surveillance data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics outlines the academy’s influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2014-2015 flu season.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has updated its influenza vaccination recommendations for the 2014-15 influenza season.

Watch to learn about the flu season and it's impact on younger adults with the H1N1 strain of the flu virus and how important the flu vaccine is for this part of the population.

A study conducted in 264 3- to 4-year-old children who were attending daycare in China found that those who drank an experimental follow-up formula (FUF) had fewer and shorter episodes of acute respiratory infection (ARI) than children who consumed an unfortified cow’s milk-based beverage.

The high cost of purchasing and administering vaccines has been a topic of discussion by pediatricians for some time. New vaccines cost much more than the older ones, and even the old vaccines have consistently increased in cost over the years. This has caused some pediatricians to consider dropping vaccines from their practices altogether.

A growing number of adolescents are smoking hookahs instead of cigarettes, and users are more likely to be of higher socioeconomic status, a new study reports.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has taken the unusual step of recommending nasal spray vaccine over flu shots for healthy children aged 2 to 8 years.

Although skin and soft tissue infections can be deadly, most heal by themselves without antibiotics, say new practice guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

To enhance understanding of the association between infection with Clostridium difficile and disease caused by this bacterium, investigators conducted population-based C difficile infection (CDI) surveillance in children aged 1 to 17 years residing in 10 US geographic areas during a 1-year period.

An elevated level of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in an infant with acute bronchiolitis should raise a clinician’s suspicions that the child may have a bacterial coinfection, a new study indicates.