Who is an infectious disease specialist?
Infectious disease (ID) is a subspecialty of internal medicine that focuses on diagnosing, managing, and treating infections caused by certain bacteria, pathogens, viruses, and fungi. These include bloodstream infections and diseases caused by emerging viruses and multi-drug-resistant microbes. ID also treats diseases that one may contract from other people, parasites, insects, animals, and contaminated food.
While internal medicine doctors and general physicians can treat most infectious illnesses, internists specializing in infectious diseases can assist in managing challenging, unusual, or complex cases. Infectious disease specialists are medical doctors who can order diagnostic tests and prescribe medications such as antibiotics. Further, these specialists can treat patients of all ages, from children to older adults.
ID specialists can also be helpful in major public health crises or epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. During an outbreak, their role involves educating the public, defining treatment, and aiding other healthcare professionals in halting the spread of rapidly communicable diseases.
Infectious disease specialist: training and education
Infectious disease specialists are doctors of medicine (MDs) who possess nearly ten years of specialized training. They must complete their undergraduate studies, graduate medical school, and a three-year internal medicine residency program. After completing residency training, they must complete two additional years of fellowship training before receiving certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine.
What are some common infectious diseases?
ID specialists treat a wide range of contagious as well as non-communicable infections. Some common conditions treated include:
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) occur through sexual contact. Bacteria, viruses, or parasites may pass from one person to another through the blood, semen, or vaginal and bodily fluids. STDs can also be passed nonsexually from a mother to an infant through blood transfusion or shared needles. Common STIs include gonorrhea, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Gonorrhea, HIV/AIDS, Chlamydia, and genital herpes. Pain during intercourse, sores or bumps on the genitals, odorous vaginal discharge, and lower abdominal pain are some signs of an STI.
- COVID-19 is evolved by a strain of coronavirus called the “SARS-CoV-2” virus. These viruses generally live in animals but do not infect them. The virus can transmit from one species to another and spread to other humans through the mouth, nose, and eyes.
- Mpox, earlier known as "monkeypox," is a rare illness caused by the mpox virus. The virus generally affects non-human primates such as monkeys and rodents such as mice or rats, but it can also infect humans. Fever, skin rashes, chills, tiredness, and swollen lymph nodes are some of the symptoms of pox. Most symptoms show up 5 to 21 days after exposure.
- Measles, or rubeola, is a severe condition that may be fatal in children. However, vaccinations are easily preventable. Common measles signs include- fever, dry cough, conjunctivitis or inflamed eyes, and tiny white spots on the inner lining of the cheek. Most of these symptoms will appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure.
Reasons to consult an infectious disease specialist near you
Your primary care doctor might recommend visiting an infectious disease specialist for several reasons, including:
Various infections can present with overlapping symptoms, making them hard to distinguish. Specialists in infectious diseases have extensive training in conducting and interpreting specific tests. These advanced diagnostic methods allow them to pinpoint the exact cause of an illness with greater accuracy than general practitioners.
- Expert treatment and recovery
Infectious disease specialists are qualified to manage cases involving antibiotic-resistant infections. This problem can significantly complicate the recovery process and requires specialized knowledge.
- Persistent or unexplained high temperature
An unusually high body temperature often signals a severe infection. When a fever is exceptionally high or lasts for an extended period, it may indicate a disease linked to a weaker immune system, necessitating specialized treatment methods.
- Long-term infectious conditions
Infectious disease experts provide ongoing care for individuals with infections that persist for over a year or are lifelong. Without consistent, specialized medical attention, these chronic conditions can be life-threatening or severely impact daily functioning.
When should you see an infectious disease specialist?
You can see an infectious disease specialist near you when you experience any symptoms of an infection. These symptoms vary depending on the type of illness. Some common symptoms of infectious diseases include:
- Rashes
- Persistent itching
- Cold or flu symptoms, including sneezing and a stuffy nose
- Vomiting and nausea
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Cough
- Congestion
- Very high or unexplained fever
- Muscle pain
- Headaches
What to expect during your visit to an infectious disease specialist?
During your visit to an infectious disease specialist near you, expect them to conduct a thorough physical exam and review your entire medical history. They will ask extensive questions about your symptoms, medications, and environmental factors. These questions may cover topics such as your pets, recent international travel, or exposure to outdoor environments or chemical substances.
Following this, the specialist is likely to recommend several diagnostic tests, which may include:
- Blood samples
- Urine tests
- Stool samples
- Throat cultures
- Tissue biopsies
- Various imaging studies (e.g., X-rays, MRIs, CT scans)
- Spinal fluid collection via lumbar puncture
These tests are crucial for accurately identifying your condition and determining the best treatment approach.
How to practice preventive care for infectious diseases?
General and primary care doctors can diagnose and treat most infectious diseases. However, they may suggest you visit an infectious disease doctor near you if you contract signs of a chronic, severe, complex, or rare infection.
Pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and prions cause such infections. These diseases spread via physical contact from person to person, insect and animal bites, and contaminated food, water, and soil.
Infectious diseases can affect any body part, including the blood, lungs, urinary tract, and skin. People have a high risk of contracting infectious diseases in a poor environment with exposure to dangerous chemicals, contamination, or poor hygiene. You can protect yourself from such diseases by practicing preventive care such as:
- Washing hands before preparing or eating food, using the toilet, coughing or sneezing, and changing a diaper is the easiest way to protect yourself from harmful pathogens. Remember to use soap and water or a sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- When working in an environment with high exposure to infectious material, wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, gowns, safety glasses, and masks.
- Ensure you are up-to-date with the necessary vaccinations for major infectious diseases. It is the best preventive care against various preventable diseases. Most vaccinations are provided during early childhood. However, adults may also require rabies, tetanus, and COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Medications can also offer short-term protection from a few infectious diseases. Some examples include antibiotics or anti-parasitic medications. However, it would help if you did not take antibiotics without the doctor's prescription as they can cause the opposite effect, and you can contract infections. Therefore, you should consult an infectious disease doctor near you for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Find an infectious disease specialist in the Bronx, New York
If you suspect that you or a family member has an infection, you may want to consider seeing an infectious disease specialist. They can help you understand what is causing the symptoms in depth and how to avoid spreading it. Further, they can also help to manage chronic infections.
If you are looking for an infectious disease specialist in your area, your search ends with Zocdoc. On Zocdoc, you can easily find top-rated infectious disease doctors near you from the comfort of your home. It only takes a few minutes and clicks to book an online or in-person consultation with a specialist. Book an appointment on the same day, 24 hours in advance, after 5 p.m., or on the weekends (subject to provider availability).
First, create a free account and enter your condition or symptoms, date, location, and insurance plan. Select a doctor based on gender, spoken languages, hospital affiliation, distance, office location, and whether a provider sees children. You can also view a provider's profile, which mentions waiting time, bedside manner, and verified patient reviews. You can also read the FAQs listed on each profile.
You can have multiple insurance plans linked to your Zocdoc account, but you must select one to use for each appointment booking. You can provide information about any additional insurance you have during the booking process or on the provider's intake forms. If you have any questions about your health insurance, reach out to Zocdoc's patient help center.
Further, to help you make a better decision, Zocdoc details each healthcare provider's educational background, including their clinical experience, specialties, certifications, and licensures earned.
Zocdoc makes booking appointments with the best infectious disease doctors near you easy, secure, and completely free.
Prevalence of infectious diseases in Bronx, New York
A 2020 New York City STD surveillance report revealed that the primary and secondary syphilis rate in NYC increased by 12.9% from 2019 to 2020, with a 30.7% increase among females and an 11.6% increase in male cases. During the same period, the citywide chlamydia rate decreased by roughly 25.9%, and the gonorrhea rate among males reduced by 18.9%. The gonorrhea rate among females increased by nearly 5.8%.
Another NYC Department of Health report showed that in 2021, nearly 1,594 people in New York City were diagnosed with HIV. Of these cases, approximately 1,250 were men, and 282 were women. Most patients (539) belonged to the age group of 20-29. An estimated 371 or 23.3% of cases were reported in the Bronx. Of the total cases reported, nearly 270 were men (including transgender men), and roughly 101 were women.
According to data collated by the NYC Department of Health, the Bronx has reported nearly 38,942 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in 2020.
A recent study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) stated that between September 30, 2018, and July 15, 2019, nearly 649 measles cases were confirmed in New York City. The median age of patients was three years, and roughly 81.2% were 18 or younger. Around 85.8% of the patients with a known vaccination history were unvaccinated.
Sources
American College of Physicians
WebMD
Mayo Clinic[1]
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FREIDA American Medical Association
Cleveland Clinic[1]
Cleveland Clinic[2]
Infectious Diseases Society of America
NYC Health[1]
NYC Health[2]
NYC Health[3]
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Cleveland Clinic[3]
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mayo Clinic[5]
