The Pediatric infectious disease journal
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Oct 2008
Benefits of early hepatitis B immunization programs for newborns and infants.
Despite the availability of safe and effective hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines for >20 years, strategies targeting risk groups failed to sufficiently control hepatitis B disease at the population level; this is mainly because of difficulties in risk identification and in program implementation. Hence, the global burden of disease of HBV still is substantial. The World Health Organization recommends universal vaccination against hepatitis B to ultimately eliminate HBV; this recommendation had been progressively implemented to reach 168 countries with a universal program by the end of 2006. ⋯ The benefits of universal HBV vaccination for newborns and infants are: higher impact on chronic carrier rate and transmission; established potential of high vaccine coverage in this age group; opportunities to combine HBV vaccination with existing universal vaccination programs for newborns and infants; and impact on perinatal transmission, if vaccination is started shortly after birth. Moreover, the safety, immunogenicity, and long-term efficacy of newborn and infant HBV vaccination have been proven extensively. In summary, newborn and infant HBV vaccination programs should be considered the preferred strategy, capable of providing important and sustained impact on global HBV incidence, even if they have a delayed impact on sexual transmission of HBV.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Oct 2008
The role of respiratory viral infections among children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia in a developing country.
We report an investigation for 16 bacteria and viruses among 184 children hospitalized with pneumonia in Salvador, Brazil. Etiology was established in 144 (78%) cases. ⋯ Rhinovirus (21%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (21%) were the most common pathogens. Our results demonstrate the importance of viral and pneumococcal infections among those patients.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Oct 2008
Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children with tuberculosis.
We examined the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children attending our tuberculosis (TB) clinic during a 2-year period. Sixty-four patients were included with active TB (n = 26) or latent TB infection (n = 38). Eighty-six percent (n = 55) were either vitamin D deficient (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 nmol/L) or insufficient (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D <75 nmol/L). Only 1 child with active TB was vitamin D replete.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Sep 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyMicafungin versus liposomal amphotericin B for pediatric patients with invasive candidiasis: substudy of a randomized double-blind trial.
Invasive candidiasis is increasingly prevalent in premature infants and seriously ill children, and pediatric data on available antifungal therapies are lacking. ⋯ Micafungin seems to be similarly effective and as safe as liposomal amphotericin B for the treatment of invasive candidiasis in pediatric patients. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00106288).