November 13, 2025
3 min read
Key takeaways:
- Headlines from 2025 inspired this year’s program at the Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium.
- Registration is free for resident physicians.
The 38th annual Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium will address current events like outbreaks of measles and pertussis and changes to vaccine recommendations, among other hot topics in pediatrics.
The conference takes place Nov. 15 and 16 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. This year, Healio Live is waiving the registration fee for residents.
The program includes sessions on resurgent diseases, vaccine policy and antibiotic stewardship, many of which were inspired by the biggest headlines in 2025.
“For the people who come to the meeting — many of them come year after year — we work very hard to make sure it is relevant to that moment in time in their practice, clinic or hospital,” program director David W. Kimberlin, MD, told Healio.
There have been 1,681 confirmed measles cases in 41 states this year, according to the CDC — the highest number in the United States since 1992. Measles is also spreading in Canada, which lost its measles-free status this week.
Pertussis reached pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Compared with 2023, there were six times as many cases in 2024, according to the CDC. Preliminary data show that there were 20,939 cases between Jan. 1, 2025, and Sept. 20, 2025, which is slightly lower than the 21,391 cases in the same time period last year.
“Children have died of pertussis, just as they have died of measles within the last 12 months,” said Kimberlin, who is co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama. “I fear that it is only going to get worse. I don’t think we are at the bottom of this valley yet.”
Presentations will cover recent updates to the childhood immunization schedule, vaccine policy, vaccine coverage, and advice for health care workers.
“I received a number of emails just today from people at my university asking if they need a ‘booster’ of MMR,” Kimberlin said. “This is something that is increasingly about not just taking care of our patients but taking care of ourselves.”
In one of two keynote presentations, Paul A. Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, will speak about the future of vaccines under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Since he took office February, the HHS Secretary has pulled global vaccine funding, made changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, barred medical groups from participating in vaccine discussions and fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices, replacing them with his own picks.
“[Offit’s] talk is going to be about what can be anticipated in the next several months based upon what we have been experiencing these last several months,” Kimberlin said.
Kimberlin said he is excited to welcome back long-time IDC New York committee member Margaret C. Fisher, MD, for a presentation on pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS), which Kimberlin described as a controversial topic in medicine.
“Whether the science or data are there or not, it is enough of a topic that we need to be talking about it,” he said. “We need to be presenting the evidence-based knowledge, and we need to be honest about what we don’t know. And [Fisher] will be fantastic at that.”
Curious about what happened last year? In anticipation of the meeting, we compiled some articles and videos from the 2024 IDC symposium:
Q&A: ‘We have to be worried’ about decline in measles vaccination
As vaccination coverage declines globally, pediatricians need to prepare to encounter more measles cases in their communities, according to Yvonne “Bonnie” A. Maldonado, MD. Read more.
Q&A: How to talk to families about vaccines
Vaccine hesitancy is only one factor leading to a decrease in vaccine coverage, so pediatric providers may need to try multiple strategies to improve vaccine uptake, according to Sean O’Leary, MD, MPH, FAAP. Read more.
VIDEO: Universal screening for STIs in adolescents could avoid stigma
In this video, Jacob R. McLean, DO, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University, recaps his presentation on adolescent STI screening and treatment. Watch here.
VIDEO: How to treat common infections in athletes
In this video, C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, describes how to treat common infections in young athletes, including mononucleosis, Staphylococcus aureus and herpes simplex virus. Watch here.
VIDEO: IDSA president emphasizes critical role pediatric providers play in ID
Then-Infectious Disease Society of America President Tina Q. Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, said one of her top goals was to get people to understand the critical role pediatric providers play in caring for children. Watch here.
For more information:
David W. Kimberlin, MD, can be reached at dkimberlin@uabmc.edu.
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Healio Interviews
References:
Disclosures:
Kimberlin reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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