Infectious Diseases

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’ve read that there will be new options for getting the flu vaccine this year, including one for people who have egg allergies. How are these new vaccines different, and how do I know which one to pick? How do researchers know they will be safe? ANSWER: You’re right. Beginning this year, several new vaccine options will be offered to help protect you against influenza, or the flu. Rather than just two options, you now will have a range of vaccines from which to choose. At first having so many choices may be confusing. But by doing a little research and having a conversation with your health care provider, you will be able to decide which one is best for your situation. As always, each of the new vaccines has gone through rigorous safety testing before being made available to the public.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed in the United States each year. That's roughly 10 times more cases than are generally reported to the CDC through routine surveillance. It also makes Lyme disease the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S. The CDC says this new estimate confirms that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem in the United States and clearly highlights an urgent need for prevention. Mayo Clinic infectious disease expert Abinash Virk, M.D., says a few basic precautions will reduce the chances of contracting not just Lyme, but all tick-borne diseases. Dr. Virk's top tick-bite prevention tips are:  Use a suitable insect repellent. Check yourself, children and pets after being outdoors. To reduce your risk on hikes, stay on trails. If you leave the path, wear long pants tucked into your socks. If you find ticks, remove them right away. Use force and pinch the tick near its mouth parts, pulling the tick out slowly in a continuous motion. Don’t twist it, which may leave mouth parts embedded in the skin. Keep grass short in yards and avoid ungroomed areas. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Abinash (AH-bih- nosh) Virk (Verk), and b-roll of ticks in the Mayo Clinic parasitology lab are available in the downloads. 

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed last year, at the age of 38, with shingles. What causes someone who is relatively young to get shingles? Does this mean I am more likely to get it again? Should I get the vaccine at this point or wait until the recommended age of 60? ANSWER: Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you have had chickenpox, varicella-zoster stays in your body for the rest of your life. When the virus is reactivated, the result is shingles. [Watch this animation: stages of shingles] Shingles typically involves a band-like rash on one side of the chest, abdomen or face. The rash is usually quite painful. Most people recover from shingles over several weeks. A small number have lingering severe pain, called post-herpetic neuralgia, along the nerve that was irritated when the virus came back. 

With a new school year about to get underway, moms and dads have no doubt been going down their preparations list: school supplies, car pools, bus schedules - ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKSE1YmbAiw Vaccinations are an important part of the annual back-to-school routine. The Centers for Disease Control provides a state-by-state online registry of school admission vaccination requirements. Pediatric infectious disease specialist with the Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Robert Jacobson, M.D., says now is the time to make sure your kids are up to date on their shots. Some regions of the country with whooping cough, or pertussis, outbreaks are vaccinating at younger ages to protect more children. Dr. Jacobson says there's another change to the immunization schedule to be aware of, as well. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Jacobson are available in the downloads. File b-roll of children receiving the flu mist vaccine is also available.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says mysterious stomach infections have been reported in at least 14 states: Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio. It's thought to be a Cyclospora infection, linked to package lettuce.  Cyclospora infection causes watery, and sometimes explosive, diarrhea. The one-celled parasite that causes cyclospora infection can enter the body through ingesting contaminated food or water. Fresh produce is the culprit in many cases of Cyclospora infection. Because diarrhea can be caused by many things, it can be difficult to diagnose Cyclospora infection. A specialized test is required to identify the Cyclospora parasite in stool samples. Treatment for Cyclospora infection is antibiotics. Food safety precautions may help to prevent the disease. Read more: Symptoms, Treatments, Prevention  

Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., reports seeing an increase in patients being treated, and even hospitalized, for tick-borne illnesses. The clear message from Mother Nature - tick season is in full swing. In fact, 40 percent of tick bites in the upper Midwest occur in July. However, even avid fans of the great outdoors can fully enjoy all their favorite activities without fear if they take the proper steps to protect themselves. Tick Tips: Use a suitable insect repellent. Check yourself, your children and your pets after spending time outdoors. To reduce risk on hikes, stay on trails. If you leave the path, wear long pants tucked into your socks. If you find ticks, remove them right away. Use force and pinch the tick near its mouth parts, pulling the tick out slowly in a continuous motion. Don’t twist it, which may leave mouth parts embedded in the skin. Keep grass short in yards and avoid ungroomed areas. Mayo Clinic infectious disease expert  Abinash Virk, M.D., says among the top tick-borne diseases of concern right now are Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYPBRnxyTjc Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Abinash (AH-bih- nosh) Virk (Verk), tick b-roll video in a Mayo Clinic laboratory and Mayo-produced still photos of ticks are available in the downloads.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-IqdPch9t0 Clostridium difficile, or C. diff as it's often referred to, has reached an epidemic state. It's the most common infectious cause of diarrhea in hospitals and can lead to life-threatening complications. Now, Mayo Clinic is opening a C. difficile clinic at its Rochester, Minn., campus and gastroenterologist Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S. (sah-Heel Kahn'-ah), says the new facility will be able to offer patient care by experts experienced in dealing with the infection. Journalists: B-roll, animation and sound bites with Dr. Khanna are available in the downloads.  Click here for news release

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A 65-year-old man is France's first casualty from a SARS-like coronavirus. The man's hospital roommate has also become very ill from the virus, which has now claimed 24 lives.  The latest victim had been traveling in the Middle East, which is where the majority of cases originated. The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the virus Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, and has called it a global threat. Mayo Clinic vaccine research specialist Gregory Poland, M.D., (PO lund) says right now very little is known about this novel, or new, virus other than it is distantly related to the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, which eventually killed  more than 750 people.  Dr. Poland says a lot of detective work is underway to analyze and treat this new virus. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Poland are available in the downloads. 

The Centers for Disease Control is calling for all baby boomers to be checked out for hepatitis C. For reasons not entirely clear, Americans born between 1945 and 1965 are five times more likely to be infected. Hepatitis can linger in the body and cause damage to the liver as we age. Click here for news release

Using advanced genetic sequencing technology and analysis, Mayo Clinic vaccine researchers have identified 27 genes that respond in very different ways to the standard rubella ...