Flu Experts at Packard Children’s Hospital Available to Comment on Upcoming Flu Season
Media Advisory
For Immediate ReleaseOctober 11, 2005
Overview
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has some of America’s top pediatric infectious disease experts and researchers on its staff. These specialists are available to the nation’s media to provide comment during the reporting of this season’s flu stories. Potential topics include:
- How the nation’s flu trends are tracked
- The potential for an avian flu pandemic and the challenges faced in treating this flu
- Current flu vaccine research, including studies comparing inhaled vaccines to traditional, injectable flu vaccines
- Tips and information about hand washing and other ways for families to minimize their chance of catching the flu
- Identification of children who are at high-risk for the flu, how they are screened, and why vaccines are now recommended not only for kids 6 to 24 months of age but also for their caregivers
- Ann Arvin, MD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Packard Children’s and a nationally-known infectious disease researcher.
- Charles Prober, MD, a pediatric infectious disease and antiviral drug expert at Packard Children’s who is widely-known for his leadership in the education of clinical research scientists.
- Cornelia Dekker, MD, a pediatric vaccine expert at Packard Children’s and member of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), which provides consultation to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on flu vaccine issues.
- Kathleen Gutierrez, MD, pediatric infectious disease expert and director of the integrated infectious disease program at Packard Children’s.
- Kathy Mathews, RN, CIC, infection control manager at Packard Children’s.
Ranked as one of the nation's top 10 pediatric hospitals by U.S.News & World Report, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is a 264-bed hospital devoted to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric and obstetric medical and surgical services and associated with the Stanford School of Medicine, Packard Children's Hospital offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health-care programs and services from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury. For more information, visit http://www.lpch.org.
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