Travel Medicine
Latest articles on Travel Medicine
About 20,000 cases of tick-borne Lyme disease are reported every year, making it the most common illness transmitted by bugs or animals in the United States.
Dr. Deidre Faust notes that even within small countries, diseases such as malaria might be a risk in one city, but not in another, so it makes a difference to know exactly where you will be going and what you will be doing.
"The most common cause of liver cancer worldwide is chronic hepatitis B infection," says Dr. Kia Saeian, Associate Professor of Medicine and and Director of the Froedtert & Medical College Hepatitis Treatment Program.
"Acute hepatitis can cause short-term jaundice, fatigue which is severe in some people, and itching, which is very common," says Dr. Kia Saeian. "Most people with hepatitis A get a complete resolution of their symptoms."
Rodney Willoughby, MD, led the team that, for the first time, saved the life of an un-immunized rabies patient. "The sense is that we're very close to a second survivor," he says.
The growing number of cases and high death rate from H5N1 is a legitimate cause for concern, says G. Richard Olds, MD, but we might better spend our resources on preparing for the more common influenzas that strike yearly.
Although avian influenza is an obvious concern, other issues need our attention, says Dr. G. Richard Olds. "We should be focusing on health care in general, focusing on the many public health problems that impact people in our communities today."
Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is considered fatal. What happened at Children's Hospital at the end of last year is creating hope for a cure where none has existed before.
"International travel is fascinating," says G. Richard Olds, MD. "I wish everyone could see the world." But before they set out on such trips, he says, they need to understand the risks they face and how easy it is to avoid travel-related health problems.
Our perspective changes when we provide health care to residents of remote Mayan villages. They will walk miles to be seen by medical staff.
A complicated series of events led to a partnership between the government of Belize, a Chicago-based charitable foundation and the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.
A new study confirms that products containing DEET are most effective in repelling insects for long periods of time.
What kinds of things can travelers do to both keep from getting sick and interrupting the travel plans of others?
Conducting an assessment of driving habits and skills is one way to assemble some objective data regarding driving safety.
Scuba diving, by itself, does not make it any more likely to develop another blood clot.
By the year 2020 tobacco is expected to kill more people than any single disease, surpassing even the HIV epidemic.
Most diseases associated with swimming cause diarrhea and are contracted by swallowing contaminated water. Water in swimming pools, water parks, hot tubs, spas, rivers, lakes, the ocean and even the ornamental fountain in the park can be contaminated. Chlorine kills many -- but not all germs, so informed and considerate swimmers play a crucial role in preventing waterborne diseases.
West Nile encephalitis is an inflammation of the tissues around the brain caused by a mosquito-borne virus. Its first appearance in the U.S. was in New York in August 1999, where it resulted in 62 severe cases and 7 deaths.
Malaria is a serious disease caused by a microscopic parasite that infects red blood cells.
Typhoid fever is a serious illness caused by a bacteria called Salmonella typhi.
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