"This blog was developed to provide medical updates that are important and have my perspective as additional insight."
A pediatric research group in England has developed a balloon that you blow up with your nose…to help reduce ear infections in children. By having children blow up the ballow with their nose, the child clears & opens the Eustachian tube, thus reducing pressure in the middle ear and allowing improved clearance of infection. When …
Stories can be a great teaching tool…they can also entertain. THE MOTH is a radio program that is on the web, and it celebrates wonderful stories and the storytellers. I enjoyed this wonderful reminiscence by this Infectious Diseases doctor….take a listen and see what you think Listen >>>>HERE<<<<
IT IS A MYTH! Although there are people in Arizona who have Lyme’s Disease, there are ZERO DOCUMENTED CASES of Lyme Disease contracted in Arizona. Lyme Disease is a tick-borne infection caused by a spirochete germ (similar to the same germ that causes Syphyllis….a cousin. The germ (spirochete bacterium) is called Borrelia Bergdorferi. It is …
Read More “MYTH OR FACT….A PATIENT CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH LYME DISEASE IN ARIZONA”
A new blood test has been developed at Harvard Medical School that will tell you a list of all of the viral infections you have had in the past, among the several thousands of possibilities. This means we will know every type of common cold virus (there are approximately 200 of those), as well as …
MYTH: Valley Fever, also known as Coccidiomycosis, is a fungal infection found commonly in the Southwestern US. Named after the San Joaquin Valley in California, not our Valley of the Sun, it is caught by inhaling infectious spores from aerosolized dust and the fungus is ubiquitous in Phoenix dust. Dogs are more susceptible to Valley …
Read More “MYTH OR FACT: YOU CAN CATCH VALLEY FEVER FROM YOUR INFECTED DOG”
When the flu season is high and viruses are all around us, it’s time to be careful of fomites. Fomites are objects that have germs on them and that allow the germs to transfer from one person to another; So…..a doorknob is a fomite; A shopping-cart handle is a fomite. The handles on your favorite …
Read More “DID YOU TOUCH THAT FOMITE???? WONDER WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT….READ ON”
What do I do about the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland? Does it affect me in any way? I’m concerned as the news continues to report about it…..BSL MY RESPONSE: Measles is a highly contagious virus characterized by fever, rash, and often pneumonia. It has been virtually eliminated from the United States through widespread vaccination …
This photo from China, taken by a friend of mine who lives there, is a universal precaution we can all follow during the flu season and beyond. Notice that even in China, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control in the U.S.) has great credibility…..NOW GO TO IT!
The current outbreak of the EBOLA VIRUS in Nigeria & West Africa is an important health concern globally, due to the 90% fatality rate from this type of infection. Fortunately, despite it’s virulence, the virus is not easily transmitted, requiring contact with body fluids to result in infection. This means that only people who have …
A recent article in the New Yorker Magazine on Valley Fever had several patients talking. They mentioned this article as both fascinating and enlightening about a condition we have all heard about. Although Valley Fever is actually meant to indicated the San Jaoquin Valley, where this fungal infection was first identified in the U.S., Phoenecians …
The NIH (National Institutes of Health) Hospitals have reported the seventh case of a patient death from a superbug. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nih-superbug-claims-7th-victim/2012/09/14/09b3742e-fe9b-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_story.html This infectious germ, a highly resistant form of Klebsiella pneumonia, has been an ongoing issue for the NIH hospitals for the past year or two, but they had thought they eradicated it. Now, another case …
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection of childhood and adolesence, affecting children from 3 months to the teen years. It causes a severe cough and fever and can be very persistent and aggressive in the very young. In adults, it tends to cause milder infection with the hallmark of a persistent …
A recent data review has demonstrated that the Shingles Vaccine can be safely given to patients with immune suppression (either from medications like steroids or from their underlying medical condition). This is good news and makes the data for the Shingles Vaccine more an more encouraging. The Shingles Vaccine has been available for the past …
Sepsis is the medical term for overwhelming bloodstream infection. This is a dangerous condition that can occur in a variety of situations including pneumonia, kidney infections, gallbladder infection, and colon infection (among others). The bacterial germs that cause these infections are variable resulting in a ‘best guess’ approach by the treating physician. Usually, this selection …
Read More “RAPID DETECTION OF BLOODSTREAM INFECTION IS ON THE WAY”
West Nile Virus is an infection we seen now every summer her in Phoenix. It is an uncommon viral infection transmitted by misquitos and can cause meningitis and encephalitis (brain infection) Although only 60-70 cases are seen in Phoenix each year, there are many more cases that fortunately remain minimally symptomatic, and thus are not …