A Brief Provider Training Video Improves Comfort With Recommending the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 3 created a 20-minute training video targeting barriers to strong provider recommendation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The video included clinical vignettes featuring pediatricians modeling counseling techniques with vaccine-hesitant families. Ninety-six multidisciplinary providers (including pediatric residents) at 6 sites viewed the video and completed baseline and posttest questionnaires assessing their vaccine knowledge, attitudes toward vaccination, and comfort with skills needed to facilitate vaccination.

Voluntarily Reported Immunization Registry Data: Reliability and Feasibility to Predict Immunization Rates, San Diego, California, 2013.

Objectives: Accurate data on immunization coverage levels are essential to public health program planning. Reliability of coverage estimates derived from immunization information systems (IISs) in states where immunization reporting by medical providers is not mandated by the state may be compromised by low rates of participation. To overcome this problem, data on coverage rates are often acquired through random-digit-dial telephone surveys, which require substantial time and resources.

Adolescents' Self-Reported Recall of Anticipatory Guidance Provided During Well-Visits at Nine Medical Clinics in San Diego, California, 2009-2011.

Purpose: Anticipatory guidance (AG) is recommended for adolescent well care. AG recall is important in the event sequence that might lead to behavioral change, reduced health risk, and improved health. We assessed factors influencing adolescents' self-reported recall of specific AG topics.

Comparison of reminder methods in selected adolescents with records in an immunization registry.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and cost efficiency of three reminder/recall methods for improving adolescent vaccination rates using the San Diego Immunization Registry.

Methods: Parents of 5,050 adolescents whose records indicated they lacked one or more adolescent vaccines were identified from the San Diego Immunization Registry and contacted by telephone. Based on their preference, consenting participants were enrolled to receive either postal mail (n = 282), e-mail (n = 963), or text (n = 552) reminders for vaccination.

Factors Associated With Missed Opportunities for Influenza Vaccination: Review of Medical Records in a Diverse Sample of Primary Care Clinics, San Diego County, 2010-2011.

Objective: Annual influenza vaccination rates remain well below health objectives. Most primary care clinic visits present opportunities for vaccination. The purpose of this study was to quantify missed opportunities (MOs) during the entire influenza season.

The complex relationship of realspace events and messages in cyberspace: case study of influenza and pertussis using tweets.

Background: Surveillance plays a vital role in disease detection, but traditional methods of collecting patient data, reporting to health officials, and compiling reports are costly and time consuming. In recent years, syndromic surveillance tools have expanded and researchers are able to exploit the vast amount of data available in real time on the Internet at minimal cost. Many data sources for infoveillance exist, but this study focuses on status updates (tweets) from the Twitter microblogging website.

Influenza vaccination and its association with clinic use of evidence-based practices and individual patient characteristics, San Diego County, 2009.

Context: In 2008, about 40% of the US population eligible for influenza vaccine was vaccinated, which was below Healthy People 2020 goals. Little emphasis has been put on late-season vaccination efforts by medical providers.

Objective: Evaluate use of evidence-based practices (EBP) and their association with influenza vaccination for children younger than 5 years and adults aged 50 years and older.

A public health initiative to increase annual influenza immunization among hospital health care personnel: the San Diego Hospital Influenza Immunization Partnership.

Background: A public health department-supported intervention to increase influenza immunization among hospital-based health care practitioners (HCPs) in San Diego County took place between 2005 and 2008. The study included all major hospitals in the county, with a population of approximately 3.5 million.

Human metapneumovirus associated with central nervous system infection in children.

Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is an established pathogen of the respiratory tract of children and adults. hMPV is related to other paramyxoviruses known to cause encephalitis. Reports suggest that hMPV may cause disease of the central nervous system (CNS).

Undiagnosed respiratory viruses in children.

Objective: An estimated 12 to 32 million upper respiratory infections occur in young children each year. In addition, 20% to 53% of infants will have > or = 1 episode of lower respiratory infection in the first year of life. The current methods of diagnosing respiratory viruses are limited in scope and sensitivity.

Human bocavirus: prevalence and clinical spectrum at a children's hospital.

Background: Molecular methods of pathogen discovery have recently led to the description of several new respiratory viruses. Human bocavirus (HBoV), a proposed member of the family Parvoviridae, is one of the most recently described respiratory viruses. Initial reports indicate that HBoV is a common cause of respiratory tract infection in children.

Hepatitis A vaccine uptake in San Diego County: Hispanic children are better immunized.

Background: Few studies have examined compliance with hepatitis A vaccination recommendations or factors likely to predict vaccination against hepatitis A virus.

Objectives: To investigate hepatitis A coverage among 3- to 17.9-year-olds in San Diego County and examine predictors of child and adolescent hepatitis A immunization.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis associated with enteroviral infection.

A case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in 13-year-old boy associated with enterovirus is described. The patient had symptoms of severe headache and photophobia for 2 days. Diagnosis was made on the basis of diffuse high intensity white matter lesions in the left frontoparietal region seen on magnetic resonance imaging, and positive enterovirus polymerase chain reaction in cerebrospinal fluid.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in childhood: epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory features.

Background: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a central nervous system demyelinating disease that usually follows an apparently benign infection in otherwise healthy young persons. The epidemiology, infectious antecedents and pathogenesis of ADEM are poorly characterized, and some ADEM patients are subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: We retrospectively (1991-1998) and prospectively (1998-2000) studied all persons aged < 20 years diagnosed with ADEM from the 3 principal pediatric hospitals in San Diego County, CA, during 1991-2000.