Infectious Diseases

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Harry Keyserling, MD

A single vaccine is now available for immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b. As we consider offering this to our pediatric patients, what are the vaccine's unique challenges and benefits? How does this combination vaccine compare with other options for immunization? Host Dr. Jennifer Shu examines these questions and more with Dr. Harry Keyserling, professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Harry Keyserling, MD

Physicians administering rotavirus vaccines to infants now have the choice of two distinct immunizations. How do the two vaccines differ? How effective are these immunizations in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis infections? How can we decide what to offer our patients? Dr. Harry Keyserling, professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, lays out the details of the new vaccines with host Dr. Jennifer Shu.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Ian Williams, PhD

Salmonella infections transmitted by food have doubled in the past two decades. What is causing this increase? What foods are primarily to blame? How can physicians identify and treat the condition? Host Dr. Jennifer Shu speaks with Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's OutbreakNet, a network of epidemiologists and other public health officials who investigate foodborne outbreaks and other enteric illnesses.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Ian Williams, PhD

The latest Salmonella concerns mark the United States' worst foodborne outbreak in over a decade. Exactly how are outbreaks of foodborne illness identified? How are specific food products linked to specific illnesses? How can we stop the spread of these outbreaks? Host Dr. Jennifer Shu examines these questions and more with Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's OutbreakNet, a network of epidemiologists and other public health officials who investigate foodborne outbreaks and other enteric illnesses.

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD

Guest: Stanley Gall, MD

Since the 1990s, we have seen a resurgence in infant deaths related to pertussis. Once thought to be a disease of childhood, pertussis attack rates are very high among non-immunized adults. Dr. Stanley Gall, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, analyzes the risk-benefit ratio of immunizing pregnant women and other vulnerable populations with host Dr. Lisa Mazzullo.

Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP

Guest: Phyllis Kozarsky, MD

An estimated 600,000 foreign visitors and athletes are expected to join up to two and a half million domestic volunteers and visitors at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Patients will be seeking your advice on how to prepare for a safe and healthy visit to China. Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky, an expert consultant in the division of global migration and quarantine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, shares her perspective with host Dr. Jennifer Shu on talking to patients who are bound for Beijing. As a clinician, are you ready to give the right advice?

Host: John Armstrong, MD

Guest: Col. Lisa Keep, MD, MPH

As our world flattens, we're seeing a similar trend across medicine: developing nations in tropical climates are now increasingly dealing with the lifestyle behavior risks to which we, in the United States, have grown accustomed. Despite this pattern, infectious disease remains a major threat among populations native to the tropics. Host Dr. John Armstrong discusses the current trajectory of tropical medicine, from lifestyle risks, to tuberculosis, malaria and beyond, with Col. Dr. Lisa Keep, director of tropical public health and an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD

Guest: James Welker, DO

The time to first antibiotic dose in patients with community-acquired pneumonia is a core quality measure by which hospitals and physicians are evaluated. Might this time pressure have a negative effect on the accuracy of diagnosis of pneumonia? Dr. James Welker, the Director of the Franklin Square Clinical Research Center, joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss his research in this area.

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

Guest: Theo Zaoutis, MD

Guest: Talene Metjian, PharmD

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) are recognized as apt measures for effective antimicrobial use and for promoting patient safety in adult care settings. Recent research indicates these programs may be applicable in pediatrics. Theo Zaoutis, MD, and Talene Metjian, PharmD, leaders of the ASP at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, join host Dr. Charles Turck. Can ASPs optimize clinical outcomes related to antimicrobial use?

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD

Guest: Nancy Berlinger, PhD

Dr. Nancy Berlinger, deputy director and research associate at The Hastings Center, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan bioethics research institute located in Garrison, New York discusses how a pandemic will force the individual to think of him or herself as part of a larger society and the consequences of that shift. Efforts to deal with disparities in health care that already exist must be planned for in the context of public health crises and the concept of social justice may take precedence over individual rights.