Clinical Inquiries Received by CDC Regarding Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in Children--United States, July 9, 2014-January 4, 2015.

The 2014­2015 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic is the largest in history and represents the first time Ebola has been diagnosed in the United States. On July 9, 2014, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center and established an Ebola clinical consultation service to assist U.S. state and local public health officials and health care providers with the evaluation of suspected cases. CDC reviewed all 89 inquiries received by the consultation service during July 9, 2014­ January 4, 2015, about children (persons aged ≤18 years). Most (56 [63%]) children had no identifiable epidemiologic risk factors for Ebola; among the 33 (37%) who did have an epidemiologic risk factor, in every case this was travel from an Ebola-affected country. Thirty-two of these children met criteria for a person under investigation (PUI) because of clinical signs or symptoms. Fifteen PUIs had blood samples tested for Ebola virus RNA by reverse transcription­polymerase chain reaction; all tested negative. Febrile children who have recently traveled from an Ebola-affected country can be expected to have other common diagnoses, such as malaria and influenza, and in the absence of epidemiologic risk factors for Ebola, the likelihood of Ebola is extremely low. Delaying evaluation and treatment for these other more common illnesses might lead to poorer clinical outcomes. Additionally, many health care providers expressed concerns about whether and how parents should be allowed in the isolation room. While maintaining an appropriate level of vigilance for Ebola, public health officials and health care providers should ensure that pediatric PUIs receive timely triage, diagnosis, and treatment of other more common illnesses, and care reflecting best practices in supporting children's psychosocial needs.

Autism training in pediatric residency: evaluation of a case-based curriculum.

Despite recent studies indicating the high prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), there has been little focus on improving ASD education during pediatric residency training. The objective of this study was to evaluate a new curriculum developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau about ASDs. "Autism Case Training (ACT): A Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Curriculum" consists of 7 case-based teaching modules. Modules were facilitated by faculty at 26 pediatric residency programs and data were obtained on 114 residents. Pre- and post-test data revealed significant short-term improvements in residents' knowledge and self-assessed competence regarding ASDs. Findings suggest that the ACT curriculum is effective in enhancing training about ASDs in pediatric residency programs.