Providing travel medicine and treatment for infectious diseases
Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by harmful agents from outside the body, including viruses, bacteria, parasites or fungi. They can sometimes be transmitted from other people, the environment, from animal contact or insect bites. Common examples are chickenpox, shingles, influenza, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, postoperative infections, and others.
Most infectious diseases have only minor complications. However, some can cause lasting damage or serious and life-threatening complications.
Infectious diseases are usually diagnosed using one or more lab tests. Some test results, like from a nose swab, come back quickly, but other results might take longer. For instance, sometimes bacteria must be grown in a lab from a sample before you can get your test result.
With treatment, most people get better after being sick with an infectious disease. These diseases are also treated differently depending on how severe they are and how much they affect your immune system. People with compromised immune systems are more at risk for serious complications, but these can happen in healthy people too.
Some diseases, like HIV and hepatitis B, can’t be cured, but medications can help prevent serious complications. Sexually transmitted diseases can cause infertility or even lead to cancer, so it’s important to take steps to protect yourself and others.
Our St. Charles Infectious Disease team of specialists offer:
- Same day consultation
- Outpatient antibiotic-treatment management
- HIV/AIDS care
- Hepatitis treatment
- STI testing and counseling
- Travel medicine and treatment of travel-acquired infections
- Pre- and post-operative infection management
- Treatment of hardware and complex bone and joint infections
- Treatment of infections in immunocompromised patients
