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CATEGORIES
Infectious Diseases
Managing Patients With Suspected Vape-Related Lung Problems
Posted By: 
Debra A. Danforth, DNP, APRN | December 03, 2019
We have been hearing about more and more cases of lipoid pneumonia linked to marijuana oils in e-cigarettes. According to the CDC, as of November 2019, there have been over 2172 cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and 42 associated deaths. With so many patients coming in complaining of influenza-like symptoms, as healthcare providers we need to always consider EVALI as a possibility. EVALI remains a diagnosis of exclusion because there are no specific tests or markers. Patients may present with complaints of fever, cough, headache, myalgia, fatigue, or respiratory infection. more >
Found in: Infectious Diseases, Public Health, Pulmonary Medicine
Measles and Immunity
Posted By: 
Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD, DFAAPA | November 19, 2019
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness, currently targeted for eradication given the favorable biologic characteristic that humans are the only more >
Beware: The “Ankle-biter” Mosquitoes
Posted By: 
Susan M. Tiso, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC | September 24, 2019
It’s the end of summer and the mosquitoes are biting. Two invasive (non-native) mosquito species have been identified in California and other parts of the more >
Lyme Arthritis—From High Index of Suspicion to Diagnosis and Treatment
Posted By: 
Richard S. Pope, PA-C, MPAS | August 20, 2019
An effusion of the knee(s) is the most common manifestation of Lyme arthritis, a late stage of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the tick involved more >
Procalcitonin Levels in the Management of COPD Exacerbations
Posted By: Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD, DFAAPA | May 10, 2019
The use of procalcitonin-based protocols to guide the decision to administer antibiotics has been evaluated in infections of different origins and settings. A more >
Using Policy to Impact HPV Vaccine Rates
Posted By: Susan M. Tiso, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC | May 02, 2019
For more than 10 years we have had a safe and effective vaccine that can prevent several types of cancer. I understand the reluctance to accept a vaccine when more >
Measles Outbreak – A Public Health Concern
Posted By: 
Daniel Thibodeau, MHP, PA-C | April 26, 2019
The modern world was turned upside down in 1997 when researcher Andrew Wakefield suggested there was a direct correlation between the MMR more >
Fluoroquinolone Use and the Potential Risk for Aortic Aneurysm or Dissection
Posted By: Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD, DFAAPA | April 05, 2019
Fluoroquinolones have long been a popular class of antibiotics for use in a myriad of infections. There are even newer fluoroquinolones that have been more >
Who Should Be Responsible? Social Media and Accurate Vaccine Information
Posted By: 
Lawrence Herman, MPA, PA-C | March 08, 2019
The World Health Organization recently listed what they call “vaccine hesitancy”—the reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated despite the availability of more >
Here We Go Again: Measles in Seattle This Time
Posted By: Susan M. Tiso, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC | January 31, 2019
As of January 31, 2019, there were 42 confirmed cases of measles in the Pacific Northwest. This includes 41 cases in Clark County, the epicenter for the more >