Pediatric Infection: Prevention and Control

Infectious diseases can occur at any stage of life. In children, these may occur in infanthood, childhood and adolescence. The diagnosis, treatment and control of pediatric infectious diseases are under the scope of pediatrics. The timely diagnosis and treatment of acute infections are an important focus of pediatrics. Advancements in medical therapy have resulted in new diagnostics and better therapeutics that have advanced the evaluation, assessment and treatment of infectious diseases. Several diagnostic tests help to ascertain the source of the infection. These may consist of blood cultures, serologic tests, gram staining, genotyping and polymerase chain reaction. In children with chronic infections such as HIV, therapy involves long-term care and assessment. The antimicrobial therapy used to treat an infection depends on the organism that is causing the infections, and accordingly antibiotics, antifungal agents and antiviral agents may be prescribed. This book includes some of the vital pieces of work being conducted across the world, on various topics related to pediatric infections. It provides significant information on pediatric infectious diseases to help develop a good understanding of their prevention and control. The book is appropriate for students seeking detailed information in pediatrics as well as for experts.