Published on April 24, 2024

Infectious Disease in Nebraska

microscopic image of disease

Infectious disease is an illness caused by harmful agents that enter the body. Specialists spend hours conducting research on how organisms affect various parts of your body and how these organisms can affect our society.

Infectious disease is an illness caused by harmful agents that enter the body. The most common causes are viruses like the common cold and flu, bacterial infections, fungi, and parasitic infections. Infectious diseases usually are spread by other people, bug bites and animal bites, contaminated food, water, or soil and can affect your skin, urinary tract, lungs, blood, and every area of your body.

What do Infectious Disease Doctors Treat?

While your family doctor can diagnose and treat the flu or common colds, other infectious diseases can be more challenging to diagnose and treat. Luckily, there are infectious disease specialists that specialize in treating these types of infectious diseases, along with several other infections including:

  • Fevers
  • Hepatitis
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
  • Influenza
  • COVID-19
  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
  • Stomach flu (gastroenteritis)
  • Leukocytosis (high white blood cell count)
  • Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses
  • Measles
  • Meningococcal disease
  • Mpox
  • Salmonella
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
  • E. coli
  • Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)
  • Recurrent skin or tissue infections

An infectious disease doctor is an expert in diagnosing, managing, and treating acute (sudden) and chronic (present for some time) diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. They work closely along with other specialists to diagnose and treat conditions or determine the cause of a specific symptom. They spend many hours conducting research on how organisms affect various parts of your body and how these organisms can affect our society.

Am I at Risk?

Infectious diseases can affect anyone. You may be at an increased risk if you have a weakened immune system. People at a higher risk of infectious disease include, but are not limited to:

  • Those with suppressed or compromised immune systems, such as those receiving cancer treatments, living with HIV or on certain medications
  • Young children, pregnant women, and adults over the age of 60
  • Those who are unvaccinated against common infectious diseases
  • Healthcare workers
  • People traveling to areas where they may be exposed to mosquitoes that carry disease, such as malaria, dengue virus, and Zika virus

If you are experiencing any symptoms of infectious disease, it is important to reach out to your primary care physician to see if a referral to an infectious disease doctor is necessary. People might be referred to an infectious disease doctor if they:

  • Have a difficult diagnosis
  • Need long-term care for chronic infections like HIV/AIDS or hepatitis
  • Pinpointing reasons for symptoms like unexplained high fevers or high white blood cell count
  • Treating an infection due to antibiotic resistance (antibiotics are not working)

Sources: Dr. Afua Ntem-Mensah, mayoclinic.org, dhhs.ne.gov