[Immigrant children in a pediatric department: what social problems?].

Background: Hospital Fernando Fonseca is located in a suburban area that houses a great number of immigrants from developing countries.

Aims: To characterize and compare the immigrant and portuguese pediatric populations which have been admitted and referred to Social Service department.

Material And Methods: Prospective study, from November 2004 to March 2005; demographic and socioeconomic data, diagnosis and social problems were analysed.

[Echovirus type 13 meningitis: admissions to a paediatric ward at a Lisbon hospital].

Infections by echovirus 13 are rare. In our country, it had not been previously reported any infection of this sort until 2000, when eleven echovirus 13 meningitis were observed in the Department of Pediatrics of the Hospital Fernando Fonseca. In England and Spain outbreaks of echovirus 13 meningitis during 2000 was also reported.