Week in review: Flu recommendation importance, developmental intervention for autism

Thank you for visiting the Contemporary Pediatrics® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, February 5 to Friday, February 9, 2024), and click on each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

1.) Importance of maternal influenza vaccination recommendations

Samantha Olson, MPH, explains the important role of a strong recommendation for maternal influenza vaccination.

"We expect flu cases to remain elevated over the next couple of weeks," said Olson. "So it's not too late to get vaccinated for pregnant persons, for those considering becoming pregnant, or those who are postpartum. It's not too late to receive that flu vaccine to provide protection to both themselves and their babies."

Click here to watch the full interview.

2.) Evidence-based developmental interventions for autism

Joshua Feder, MD, explains how developmental care models for autism care can benefit children with autism, providers, parents, and other family members.

"As of March 2023, 1 in 22 children in California [has autism]. That is more than the 1 in 36 national number. These figures have risen over the past 30 years as the science of accurate diagnosis improves and finds more cases."

"How do we identify and diagnose autism? Since early intervention tends to maximize functional outcomes, pediatricians should have a low threshold for recommending assessment and intervention for any child with communication delays in infancy and early childhood."

Click here for the full interview transcript.

3.) Clinician poll: Can you diagnose this child with itchy, red, and painful hands?

Welcome to this Contemporary Pediatrics clinician poll. This poll goes hand-in-hand with our newest dermatology case study, that has been published in the dermatology section of our January/February issue of Contemporary Pediatrics.

Click here to read the case and take the poll.

4.) What determines a healthy weight for a child?

Weight can mean a lot of things. Context is important, and different measurements are used for specific goals.

“Because the formulas are designed to be applicable to a wide range of persons, they cannot be highly accurate for every single individual,” says Michelle H. Loy, MD, assistant professor, Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, New York. “There is no single IBW for all individuals, and these calculators all have limitations. Factors such as fat-free body mass (muscle and bone) and level of sexual maturity for height can affect the IBW number.”

Click here for the full article.

5.) Reducing HIV reservoirs in neonates with very early antiretroviral therapy

Deborah Persaud, MD, details results from her study that aimed to reduce HIV reservoirs in neonates with very early antiretroviral therapy.

"We were planning analytical treatment interruption around age 2 [years]," Persaud told Contemporary Pediatrics, "but it got delayed because of COVID... This part of the study is on-going to detect if we are able to replicate the case of the Mississippi baby."

"I think what this is telling us, at least for newborns that maintained suppression," continued Persaud, "1 in 5 got to a biomarker profile to assess whether they're in remission."

Click here to watch the full interview.

Be sure to read the January/February issue of Contemporary Pediatrics, here.