Essay: What is an Infectious Disease Specialist?

It is a doctor for internal medicine who is an expert in diagnosing, and treating infectious diseases. Infectious Disease Specialists have a big knowledge of infectious of the sinuses, heart, brain, lungs, urinary tract, bowel, bones and pelvic organs. They have a whole lot of extra long training, which focuses on different kinds of infections, including ones that are caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and by parasites too. Many infectious disease specialists are good at testing patients with infections from human immodeficiency virus (HIV), which goes with AIDS. With their special knowledge and a lot of training, they also use antibiotics and see the adverse effects on it. Infectious Disease Specialists also have training in Immunology (how the body fights off infection), epidemiology, (how the infection spreads) and infection control. After seven or more years of medical school and going to post graduate training, infectious disease specialists have to complete two to three years of additional training in infectious disease.
What does an Infectious Disease Specialist do?
The Infectious Disease Specialist first reviews the patient’s medical data, records, x-rays, and reports. The doctor then performs a physical examination, it also depends on the issue the patient is having. The specialist also counsels healthy people who are planning to travel to foreign countries where there are many infections. The laboratory studies most often are necessary because they include blood and wound cultures with body fluids too. The specialist may order blood serum studies so they can study it to see if there are any unusual or uncommon diseases at all. When it is done the cultures from, the tests will help explain what the specialist might have already done. To work in the infectious disease it is very limited to diagnose and medical treatments too. Infectious Disease Specialists do not do any kinds of surgery at all.
When you need an Infectious Disease Specialist?
Not everyone that does have an infectious disease needs an Infectious Disease Specialist at all. Your general doctor can generally take care of all the infections. When you get a fever that is a common effect of an infection. If it worsens then you can consult an Infectious Disease Specialist. The specialist can give you information and different tests to diagnose the right infection. They would tell you if you need any antibiotics at all. Sometimes you will not need any treatment at all. If you ever were admitted to the hospital for any kind of infection, the infectious disease specialist would follow up and help you with your care.
What is travel medicine?
Travel medicine has to do with people who travel to different ethnic countries and third-world countries. The traveler’s medicine specialists address and respond to the traveler’s disease, epidemic, vaccination issues, and monitor the governmental agencies. For vaccines, they will consult you and explain which vaccines are required, recommended and optional. The physician will review your itinerary to know what vaccines to give. They go by your age, destination, length of trip, time of year, urban vs. rural setting, business trip vs. vacation, education, missionary, disaster relief, and adventure travel. When the person consults you, they also discuss any pre-existing medical conditions. The vaccines that are available are: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A&B combo, polio, tetanus/diphtheria, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, typhoid injectable, typhoid oral, yellow fever, meningitis, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, influenza, pneumococcal, tuberculin skin test, MMR ( measles, mumps, rubella), shingles, HPV.
Prevention
Travel medicine is to primarily help people protect themselves against 1) diseases that will mess up their trip, 2) less common diseases that may be fatal; everybody needs to be up to date with all of their vaccines before even going on any trips outside of the United States. No vaccines are required to get back into the United States after you travel. Anybody traveling can get infections from contaminated food or even water, insect bites, animal bites, or even other people. That is why you need to get vaccinations, medications, and make simple precautionary actions so that none of these horrible diseases can get into your system or any other contractible diseases that there are. So make sure to always read up on the precautions so that you are safe and ok.