Articles on infections and travel health: vaccines before a trip, food and water safety, fever after travel and how to tell when an infection needs medical treatment.
After treatment for Lyme disease, doctors follow up on joints, heart rhythm and nerves because these are the systems the infection can affect weeks…
RSV symptoms in adults usually look like a heavy cold: runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, mild fever and sometimes wheezing, building over several…
Ringworm is a common skin infection caused by fungi called dermatophytes, not by any worm. It usually appears as a red or pink, scaly,…
Meningitis vaccines protect against the bacteria behind most sudden bacterial meningitis, chiefly Neisseria meningitidis. The main types are MenACWY, MenB and newer combined MenABCWY…
Dengue is often most dangerous in the 24 to 48 hours after the fever settles, when fluid can leak out of small blood vessels…
A rapid diagnostic test can strongly suggest malaria, but it does not fully confirm it on its own. Guidelines from the CDC and WHO…
Travelers need a yellow fever vaccine when visiting parts of sub-Saharan Africa or South America where the virus circulates, or when a country requires…
Cold sores are painful blisters on or around the lips caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, usually acquired in childhood and carried for…
Typhoid vaccine before travel is recommended by the CDC for most people visiting regions where typhoid is common, especially South Asia. Two types exist:…
In hospital, suspected bacterial meningitis is treated as an emergency: intravenous antibiotics usually begin within the first hour, often before test results return, sometimes…
Most healthy adults with a salmonella infection are ill for about four to seven days, according to the CDC, with symptoms usually beginning six…
For a Lyme disease appointment, bring dated photos of any rash, a written timeline of outdoor exposure and tick bites, copies of previous Lyme…
Tuberculosis is diagnosed in two stages. A skin test or a blood test (interferon-gamma release assay) shows whether the immune system has ever met…
A cold, the flu and COVID-19 share sore throat, cough, congestion and fatigue, so symptoms alone rarely settle the question. Doctors weigh onset speed,…
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