It is 1957. In a tiny apartment in married student housing in Raleigh, N.C., boy cousins, six and five, sit on their bunk beds, ill and bored, quarantined with the mumps. I remember this illness vividly and the quarantine I shared with Jimmy. It was one of the UCHD of the past, “usual childhood diseases,” which we all seemed to have during our youth in the ’50s. The mumps ... Continue Reading
Destination Vaccination: A Travel Vaccine Overview
Now that COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions are beginning to ease, our patients are boarding flights and boats in record numbers. Be sure to discuss upcoming travel plans with your patients and discuss the need for routine immunizations (including COVID-19) and any potential travel-related vaccinations at least one month prior to their departure. Advising ... Continue Reading
Vaccines in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
By Varun K. Phadke, MD, and Stephanie M. Pouch, MD, MS, FAST
In the United States, more than 30,000 organ transplants are performed each year, and more than 100,000 individuals are actively waitlisted for transplantation. Owing to their underlying comorbidities and anti-rejection therapy, which is immunosuppressive, solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are uniquely vulnerable to severe illness and complications due to a wide range of ... Continue Reading
Primary Prevention: HIV and Preventative Vaccines
Vaccinations have served and continue to serve a critical role in altering many disease courses for our society. Infections that previously caused significant morbidity and mortality are now preventable through this technology. Vaccinations remain especially important for the HIV-positive population because immunosuppression increases the risk and severity of ... Continue Reading
