Thank you for visiting the Contemporary Pediatrics® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, November 25, to Friday, November 29, 2024), and click on each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

CDC confirms H5N1 bird flu infection in California child

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed an infection of avian influenza A (H5N1; H5N1 bird flu) in a child in California, marking the first reported avian influenza H5 virus infection among a child in the United States.

The child reportedly experienced mild symptoms and received flu antivirals, consistent with previously infected human cases in the United States.

Click here for full details.

Kindergarten vaccine coverage decreased, exemptions increased in 2023-2024 school year

Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, editor in chief of Contemporary Pediatrics and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, shared her concerns regarding rising vaccine hesitancy and unwarranted exemptions, emphasizing the importance of immunization in safeguarding public health.

“The increase in vaccine exemptions, many of them are not valid,” said Tan. “Vaccine hesitancy has definitely increased because vaccines during the COVID era have become politicized. So people believe that the vaccines either aren't effective or they don't trust the new way that vaccines are developed, and that's very unfortunate."

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No unexpected reactions present in mRNA COVID-19 vaccination among kids

A new study demonstrated that there were no unexpected reactions to COVID-19 vaccination in a very young pediatric population (6 to 24 months old). These participants received at least 1 dose of either of the FDA approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).

The most common reactions reported were the following: irritability or fussiness (30.1%), local reactions (21.1%) and fever (13.8%).

Click here for full study details.

Background on whole genome sequencing and review of the GUARDIAN study

Paul Kruszka, MD, MPH, FACMG, chief medical officer at GeneDx and clinical geneticist at Children’s National Hospital, explained the role of genetic testing in improving pediatric care. Speaking on the potential of whole genome sequencing, Kruszka emphasized its value in diagnosing rare diseases earlier and more effectively.

“One out of 10 people in North America are affected by a rare disease, that’s 30 million people in the [United States],” Kruszka noted, highlighting the prevalence of rare genetic conditions. “There is a lot of genetic rare disease. So certainly, this is in the wheelhouse of a general pediatrician and all the pediatric sub-specialties, whether you’re a neonatologist, a pediatric neurologist, [or] a developmental pediatrician.”

Click here for the full video interview.

Study: Concussions slow aperiodic activity among high school football players

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 7 of 10 emergency department (ED) visits for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and concussions are among children aged 17 years and younger, with boys having approximately twice the rate of ED visits compared to girls for similar injuries.

The CDC ranks boys tackle football as No. 1 on a list of top 10 sports with the highest rates of concussions. In the sport, the federal agency notes that tackling is responsible for nearly 2 out of 3 concussions, and that almost half of concussions occur during running plays.

Click here for study details, along with comments from lead study investigators.