The Infectious Disease Program started when St. Jude opened its doors to patients in 1962. We specialize in managing infection in:
- Children and young adults with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Severely immunocompromised children, including those undergoing stem cell/bone marrow transplants
- Children with infectious diseases
Growing up, I thought every city had a St. Jude. How blessed am I to have been born in Memphis — in the epicenter of research for children with HIV/AIDS?
A focus on HIV
In 1987, St. Jude founder Danny Thomas declared AIDS a catastrophic disease of children. Soon after, the hospital made HIV/AIDS a research priority, and created the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trial Unit (PACTU).
Today, more than 250 patients are part PACTU. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has designated it a "Center of Excellence."
For a teenager or young adult, the words “HIV positive” can profoundly affect relationships with friends and family. Voices of HIV enables patients to share their deepest, most profound feelings in a venue that protects their identity.
St. Jude accepts most children and young adults up to 22 years of age with HIV based on eligibility for an HIV clinical trial. These trials are available regardless of a child’s or family’s race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality or ability to pay.
Infection is the single leading cause of death of children worldwide. It accounts for 30% of all childhood deaths. The Children's Infection Defense Center (CIDC) works to eliminate life-threatening childhood infectious diseases.
Infectious diseases claim 12 million child lives each year. In response, the St. Jude Department of Infectious Diseases is aggressively pursuing projects aimed at curing or preventing leading infectious causes of death worldwide.
Read stories about St. Jude patients who have been treated at St. Jude for respiratory diseases, HIV/AIDS and other serious infectious diseases of childhood.
Resources to prevent infection
When your child is sick, his or her immune system may be compromised. This means it may not be able to respond to infection the way it is supposed to. Here are some resources to help you keep your child from getting infections.
-
- About Aspergillus fungal infections
- About Candida fungal infections
- About chickenpox
- About CMV
- About Epstein-Barr virus
- About HPV
- ACU isolation precautions
- Airborne precautions
- C. diff infection
- Clean hands
- Clean wagons
- Contact precautions non-restrictive
- Contact precautions restrictive
- Controlling the spread of colds and flu
- Daily bathing with chlorhexidine wipes
- Daily cleaning of patient rooms
- Droplet precautions non-restrictive
- Droplet precautions restrictive
- Dry skin
- Fever and neutropenia
- How to prevent infection
- How to take a temperature
- How to use an N-95 mask
- Influenza (flu) vaccine
- Inpatient isolation to help prevent infection
- Isolation precautions in St. Jude housing
- Measles
- Multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO)
- Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
- Sepsis
- Special airborne precautions
- Temperature conversion
- The signs of infection
- VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci)
- Whooping cough
Clinical Trials for HIV and Infectious Diseases
As a research hospital, St. Jude doctors have access to the most up-to-date therapies and can deliver treatments designed specifically for each patient.
-
AT1026: HIV Infection Clinical Trial
View treatment information for AT1026, an HIV nontherapeutic clinical trial at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
-
COVID-19 Pediatric Vaccine Studies
St. Jude is planning to participate in clinical trials to test COVID-19 prevention vaccines in healthy children. Find out more.
-
GS1269: HIV-AIDS Clinical Trial
View eligibility and treatment information for GS1269, a pediatric clinical trial for children with HIV/AIDS at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
-
HIV Studies
HIV studies at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
-
Infectious Diseases Clinical Trials
Infectious Diseases clinical trials at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
-
P1093: HIV Infection Clinical Trial
View eligibility and treatment information for P1093, a pediatric infectious diseases clinical trial for children with HIV at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
-
PREDSEQ: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to Identify Infection Risk
Routine blood tests often miss early signs of infection in children undergoing cancer therapy. Learn about a study to help doctors detect these infections sooner.
-
PURPOSE 2: Study of Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention (GS9023)
A study to test lenacapavir, a new drug that may be able to prevent Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection before it occurs. Learn more.
-
SENDAI: Sendai Virus Vaccine Clinical Trial
View eligibility information for SENDAI, a healthy volunteer clinical trial at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital testing a prevention vaccine for croup.