Summary of Major Changes in the <i>1997 Red Book: Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases</i> (1997)

The key words relevant to this article are: acellular pertussis vaccines, adolescent immunization, AIDS, anaphylaxis, antibacterial drugs, antibiotics, antifungal drugs, antimicrobial drugs, antimicrobial resistance, antiparasitic drugs, antiviral drugs, bacterial meningitis, bacterial vaccines, bite wounds,Candida albicans, chancroid, chemoprophylaxis, corticosteroids, DTaP vaccine, DTP vaccine, ehrlichiosis,Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Escherichia colidiarrhea, fluoroquinolones, foodborne disease, foreign travel, group A streptococcal infections, group A streptococcal pharyngitis, group B streptococcal infections, hemolytic uremic syndrome, hepatitis A, hepatitis A vaccine, hepatitis B, hepatitis B vaccine, hepatitis C, HIV infection, immune globulins, immunization of preterm infants, immunization recommendations, immunizations, immunoprophylaxis, infection control, intravenous immune globulin (IGIV), Lyme disease, malaria, measles, measles vaccine, MEDWATCH, meningococcal infections, meningococcal vaccination, MMR vaccine, Mycobacterium aviumcomplex, needlestick injuries, nontuberculous mycobacteria, opportunistic infections, pertussis, pertussis vaccines, pneumococcal infections, pneumococcal meningitis, pneumococcal vaccine,Pneumocystis carinii, poliovirus vaccines, rabies, rabies immunoprophylaxis, respiratory syncytial virus infection, respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin (RSV-IGIV), ribavirin, Salmonella infections, school health, sexually transmitted diseases,Streptococcus pneumoniae, sporotrichosis, tetracyclines, tinea, toxoplasmosis, tuberculin skin testing, tuberculosis, tuberculosis drug therapy, typhoid vaccines, vaccine adverse events, vaccine precautions, vaccine contraindications, vaccine injury compensation, vaccines, varicella vaccine, varicella-zoster infections, viral vaccines, bite wounds. The 1997 Red Book: The Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases was recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and gives current recommendations and guidelines for prevention, control, and management of infectious diseases in infants and children.1 These recommendations and guidelines are based on information available through December 1996 and replace those given in the 1994 Red Book.2 To aid physicians and other health care professionals in assimilating these recommendations and information in the care of patients, a summary of major changes is given in the Red Book and also published inPediatrics. Subsequent AAP recommendations from the Committee on Infectious Diseases are published in AAP Newsand Pediatrics. In keeping with the current 3-year interval between the editions of the Red Book, the next edition is anticipated no later than the year 2000.Major changes in recommendations and related information concerning pediatric infectious diseases are summarized as follows:Every effort has been made to identify major changes to aid in adapting new guidelines and recommendations in the 1997 Red Book to the care of patients. However, because no list is likely to be complete and designating a change as major can be arbitrary, physicians and other health care providers are urged to review relevant chapters, tables, and sections in the Red Book. In addition, because preparation of each edition involves review of the entire book, considerable new information is included that also should be helpful in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of infectious diseases in infants, children, and adolescents.In the case of major recommendations issued by the AAP in the past 3 years, more extensive information than that given in the 1997 Red Book can be obtained from statements prepared by the Committee on Infectious Diseases and published or in press in Pediatrics. Physicians and other health care professionals involved in the care of children are encouraged to review these statements.