The risk of exposure to Ebola virus and Andes virus — a type of hantavirus — remains low in the United States. As of this update, no cases have been identified domestically. While global surveillance continues and outbreaks in other regions may generate patient questions or clinical concern, there is currently no elevated threat to…
Reviewed by Anupama Raghuram, M.D., and Julio A. Ramirez, M.D. Norton Infectious Diseases Institute researchers are challenging the traditional view of pneumonia as a self- limited acute lung infection, revealing that the disease may be associated with chronic complications affecting multiple organ systems for years after initial diagnosis. Julio A. Ramirez, M.D., and Anupama Raghuram,…
Common childhood respiratory illnesses such as influenza (flu), COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continue to pose significant health risks in children. Kristina K. Bryant, M.D., epidemiologist and pediatric infectious diseases physician with Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, outlines strategies to help prevent the most common respiratory viruses and…
The following guidance to health care providers has been issued by Norton Healthcare’s infection prevention and employee health department. Current situation in Kentucky On Jan. 16, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory to encourage rapid subtyping for patients hospitalized with influenza A. The Kentucky Department for Public Health…
The following measles guidance for providers has been issued by Norton Healthcare’s department of infection prevention and employee health. When should children receive MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine? Do we need to vaccinate children early because of measles cases in the United States? All children are recommended to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, starting with…
Daniel B. Blatt, M.D., Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, presented “Hot Topics in Global Health” at the 2024 “Just for Kids” symposium. The twenty-first century has seen a wave of severe infectious disease outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These outbreaks have an enormous impact on morbidity, mortality and the livelihoods of people around the…
The Norton Healthcare Antimicrobial Stewardship Program was recognized this year as the first and only antimicrobial stewardship center of excellence in the United States by the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The international collaboration is part of the society’s new Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Accreditation Scheme. The accreditation process, developed by BSAC and led by experts…
Norton Children’s Research Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, is involved in a study to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (authorized as Paxlovid in older children and adults) in symptomatic pediatric outpatients with COVID-19 who are at risk of progression to severe illness. All participants will receive the study medication,…
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) flu vaccine recommendations for the 2022-23 season will mirror the previous season, and pediatricians should begin to plan their flu immunization campaigns. “Kids experience really substantial morbidity from flu, including hospitalization and death,” said Kristina K. Bryant, M.D., physician with Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, affiliated with the UofL School…
The patient A young adolescent male who participates in competitive football and basketball and with history of recent COVID-19 infection was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Norton Children’s Hospital. The initial workup was consistent with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and clinical presentation was consistent with severe MIS-C with respiratory, liver…
Norton Infectious Diseases Institute has been selected by Pfizer as the only site in United States to study how to effectively detect respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults. “For the most part, RSV attention has been focused on children,” said Julio A. Ramirez, M.D., FACP, chief scientific officer, Norton Infectious Diseases Institute. “But some studies…
Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, has opened a new clinic that will serve the pediatric community by addressing a wide variety of vaccination needs, including special immunization circumstances, catch-up, evaluation for contraindications and precautions, and vaccine hesitancy. The referral-based clinic will have a Vaccines for Children (VFC) designation. VFC…