Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Bearded father giving piggyback to son at children's hospital.

Why choose UCLA Health for pediatric infectious disease?

At UCLA Health, our infectious disease team is specially trained to care for babies, children and adolescents. Our goal is to diagnose, treat and prevent infectious pediatric diseases. When you come to us, you’ll find:

Specialized care: Our services include dedicated clinics focusing on vaccines, traveling abroad, international adoption and caring for children with HIV/AIDS. This highly specialized care allows us to tailor preventive measures and treatments to fit your child’s unique needs.

Renowned team: At UCLA Health, all our pediatric infectious disease physicians are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in the field. Together, we provide state-of-the-art treatments and prevention for all infectious diseases in children and adolescents. In addition to delivering comprehensive care, we conduct leading-edge research and train future leaders in the field of pediatric infectious diseases.

Multispecialty expertise: We work closely with experts across UCLA Health to provide your child with the most effective treatments and well-rounded care. Our infectious disease experts partner with UCLA Health immunology specialists to create customized therapies for children who are immunocompromised (have an increased risk of infection).

Groundbreaking HIV/AIDS care and research: UCLA Health’s Care-4-Families (C4F) program is part of the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials group (IMPAACT). Formed in 2006, IMPAACT brings together a global group of investigators, institutions and community representatives to evaluate new therapies and prevention strategies for HIV in children. UCLA is one of three IMPAACT sites in California and one of just 18 nationwide.

Our areas of care

Pediatric infectious disease experts provide specialized care at several clinics and programs designed to address each child’s individual needs. Our specialties include:

Pediatric infectious diseases consultation clinic

UCLA Health pediatric specialists care for children with the full range of infectious diseases. We provide expert diagnosis, treatments and support on an outpatient basis. Our care teams also deliver comprehensive follow-up care for children who began treatments in the hospital and continue receiving treatments after going home.

Often referred to as “medical detectives,” infectious disease doctors are skilled at diagnosing even the most complex pediatric diseases. We work closely with families and specialists to prevent, manage and treat infections. Our experts have experience helping children with common childhood infections as well as severe and chronic (long-term) disease.

Care-4-Families (HIV/AIDS) Program

At UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, the Care-4-Families (C4F) team provides rapid diagnosis, comprehensive care, clinical trials, educational resources and psychological support to families affected by HIV/AIDS. We care for HIV-exposed infants and HIV-infected pregnant women, babies, children and teenagers.

The C4F Program is a recipient of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part D funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Our multispecialty team of HIV specialists includes pediatric infectious diseases physicians, high-risk obstetricians, psychiatrists, social workers, and experts in adolescent medicine. We also collaborate with nephrologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, pulmonologists and dietitians as needed. Working together, we deliver coordinated treatments, care and counseling.

Pediatric Infectious diseases we treat

UCLA Health experts are specially trained to diagnose and treat even the most complex infections, as well as those that come back after treatment. We understand the unique needs of babies, children and adolescents and deliver effective, customized care. Some of the most common conditions we treat include:

Bloodstream infections
Bone and joint infections (osteomyelitis)
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) and fevers that are persistent or recurrent (keep coming back)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Lyme disease
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other skin infections
Mononucleosis (mono), pertussis (whooping cough), pneumonia and other respiratory infections
Tuberculosis (TB)
Urinary tract infections (UTI)
Valley fever

Meet our team

Our highly skilled team includes recognized leaders in pediatric diseases. We work closely with specialists from developmental pediatrics, gastroenterology, cardiology, dermatology and immunology to deliver tailored treatments.