The 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID 2023)

COVID-19 remains a global health concern, and children and adolescents are equally affected. In fact, COVID-19 hospitalization rates in children increased during the Omicron era. [MMWR 2022;71:271-278] In children aged 5–11 years who were hospitalized during the predominance of Omicron, nearly 90 percent were unvaccinated. [MMWR 2022;71:574-581]

Uncertainty weighs heavily on managing tuberculosis (TB) infection in children, with multi-level factors influencing the decision-making regarding testing and treatment.

The direct-acting antiviral (DAA) sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) was effective and safe for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in individuals aged 6–18 years, the PANDAA-PED study has shown.

Both the 2-dose and 3-dose vaccination schedules of the four-component meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB) appear to provide protection against a panel epidemiologically relevant strains in adolescents and young adults, according to a phase III study presented at ESPID 2023.

The dengue vaccine confers substantial protective benefit on children aged 10 to 15 years, reports a study in the Philippines, which was presented at the recent ESPID 2023.