Families nationwide breathed a sigh of relief when the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5-11, The Washington Post reports. As the holiday season approaches, however, many remain uncertain about get togethers and general safety for children under 5. A vaccine for this youngest age group is expected early next year. Clinical trials…
I think many of us enter 2022 with a sense of optimism and anticipation for brighter days as it relates to the pandemic. One source of that optimism for me stems from the indispensable work you are doing: conducting clinical trials of COVID-19 related vaccines and therapeutics, studying the epidemiology of COVID-19 and its complications,…
Healthline looked at how kids’ antibody response affects re-infection and the spread of COVID-19. Emerging research cited by the story that first appeared in Nature explains that when children get COVID-19 they do not make as many types of antibodies against the virus as adults do. Further, preprint research from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh…
A 2016 U.K. report forecasted drug-resistant infections may kill up to 10 million people a year by 2050, which makes containing antimicrobial resistance a critical area of need. Public health experts are raising alarms over the pharmaceutical industry’s abilities to address challenges and inequities evident in accessing antibiotic treatments in low- and middle-income countries. An…
Alice Sato, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She also serves as the Hospital Epidemiologist for Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Sato received her MD and PhD in Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, trained in general…
Well, it’s happening. Two years ago, I began my term as President-Elect and I have spent the last 24 months learning from Drs. Kris Bryant and Paul Spearman. PIDS has enjoyed tremendous success under their leadership, along with the outstanding work of Dr. Susan Coffin as Secretary-Treasurer, and we owe them all a debt of…
“The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the world’s largest organization of pediatric infectious diseases specialists, strongly supports a universal recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination of children 5-11 years of age, as authorized by the FDA. PIDS also strongly encourages efforts to ensure equitable access to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. “More than 28 million children will be eligible for…
Dear friends, As my two-year term as the PIDS president, draws to a close I have to tell you how in awe I am of what PIDS members have accomplished as individuals and as a team over the course of the pandemic. Your scientific contributions have been exceptional, your compassion for your patients heartening, and…
Dr. William Otto is the recipient of the 2021 JPIDS-Ralph D. Feigin Apprenticeship Award. The award is aimed at fostering talented young pediatric infectious diseases physicians who are interested in playing a role in the publications that help to inform the field. Congratulations to Dr. Otto!
The goal of the PIDS Fellowship and Research Awards program is to increase the pool of highly trained pediatric infectious diseases clinical scientists and to stimulate scholarly basic, translational, and clinical research in areas pertinent to Pediatric Infectious Diseases including innovative research to improve or develop new vaccines and immunotherapeutics for children, and to support…
The quest for a malaria vaccine has been underway for a hundred years. Many candidates never made it past clinical trials. On October 6th, however, the World Health Organization endorsed the first ever vaccine to prevent the infectious disease that kills about a half a million people each year, most of them children in sub-Saharan…
Data increasingly suggest that a causal link exists between COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and myocarditis in adolescents and young adult males. The risk of myocarditis appears highest after the second dose of mRNA vaccine, which has led officials in Hong Kong, Norway, Great Britain and other countries with lower rates of new infection than the United…