Neisseria meningitidis: presentation, treatment, and prevention.

Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of meningitis and septicemia in children and young adults in the United States. Highly publicized outbreaks of disease caused by this organism in communities and on college campuses have resulted in a heightened public awareness of its potentially devastating effects. The rapid progression of signs and symptoms of meningococcemia necessitate early recognition and institution of appropriate therapeutic measures.

Health care issues for families traveling internationally with children.

For a variety of reasons, international travel by American families and their children is increasingly more common. Comfort and health care issues are important to these families, and they often address their questions and concerns to their health care practitioner. Traveling to foreign countries involves concerns about food, water, medications, immunizations, and supplies.

Reach Out and Read: a pediatric clinic-based approach to early literacy promotion.

Approximately 90 million adults in the United States read at a level that limits their ability to function as full members of society or limits their ability to meet their basic needs. Reading success as an adult is related to early literacy experiences. Reading aloud by parents is the single most critical factor in a child's reading success later in life.