Fever in the Traveling Child: Diagnostic Challenges and Management Strategies

Sunday, April 27, 2025

10:45am – 12:15pm HST

Location: Convention Center: 319

CE: 1.5

Selected By: PIDS
Co-sponsored By: Emergency Medicine

Chair(s)

Andrea Rivera-Sepulveda, MD, MSc

Physician
Nemours Children’s Health
Orlando, Florida, United States

Disclosure(s):

Andrea Rivera-Sepulveda, MD, MSc: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

This lecture aims to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic and management complexities associated with fever in children who have recently traveled. The session will include 1) an overview of the global rise in pediatric travel, the significance of fever as a common presenting symptom in returning pediatric travelers (introduction); 2) review of common infectious causes of fever in pediatric travelers based on travel destination (e.g., malaria, dengue, typhoid fever), and discussion of less common but potentially life-threatening infections (e.g., rickettsial infections, leptospirosis) (epidemiology and etiology); 3) pre-travel counseling for pediatric patients and their families, vaccination recommendations based on travel destination, and advice on prophylactic medications and protective measures to prevent common travel-related infections (preventive measures); 4) importance of a thorough travel history, including destinations, activities, exposure risks, and vaccination history, as well as laboratory investigations that include blood tests, cultures, imaging, and other diagnostic modalities, and case-based discussion of differential diagnoses (diagnostic approach); 5) initial management in an outpatient versus inpatient setting, when to initiate empiric therapy and what options to consider, and the role of specialist consultation (e.g., infectious disease specialists) in complex cases (management strategies. 6) interactive discussion of real-life cases to illustrate key points, and application of diagnostic and management strategies in various scenarios (case studies); and 7) emphasis on the importance of vigilance, early diagnosis, and appropriate management in improving outcomes for febrile pediatric travelers (recap of key points).

Learning Objectives:

Identify critical infectious diseases associated with fever in traveling children based on the travel region.
Understand the initial management and treatment protocols for fever in traveling children, including when to initiate empiric therapy.
Discuss preventive strategies for the febrile traveling child, including vaccinations and prophylaxis.

Presentations:

10:45am – 11:00am HST

The Febrile Traveler: Infections to Consider in Febrile Children Returning from Overseas
Speaker: Andrea Rivera-Sepulveda, MD, MSc – Nemours Children’s Health
11:00am – 11:20am HST

Differential Diagnosis: Causes of Fever in the Traveling Child
Speaker: Corinne L. Bria, MD MEd (she/her/hers) – Nemours Children's Hospital
11:20am – 11:40am HST

Diagnostic Approach of the Traveling Febrile Child: Tools and Challenges
Speaker: Nicolas Erbrich, MD, FAAP (he/him/his) – Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
11:40am – 12:00pm HST

Management Strategies of the Febrile Traveling Child: Treatment and Follow-up
Speaker: Kenneth A. Alexander, MD, PhD (he/him/his) – The University of Central Florida
12:00pm – 12:15pm HST

Q & A
Speaker: Kenneth A. Alexander, MD, PhD (he/him/his) – The University of Central Florida