An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
November 30th, 2009
WHO HIV Treatment Guidelines Updated
This just in: WHO is now recommending that ART be initiated at a higher CD4 threshold of 350 cells/mm3 for all HIV-positive patients, including pregnant women, regardless of symptoms. Which makes eminent sense, of course. Because if starting HIV therapy might prolong survival in developed countries, why shouldn’t it do the same in the developing world? In fact, […]
November 28th, 2009
ICAAC-IDSA — Alone Again (Naturally)
Just received my latest copy of Infectious Disease News, that large glossy review magazine* that arrives approximately monthly in my mailbox. As usual, I turned right to Dr. Theodore C. Eickhoff’s always-thoughtful editorial, this month entitled “Reflections on the 47th IDSA Meeting.” He writes: It was a much more “user-friendly” number of attendees, in contrast to the […]
November 20th, 2009
Ties Tied to Bugs
Are doctors’ neckties causing infections? That’s the implication of this Wall Street Journal piece: The list of things to avoid during flu season includes crowded buses, hospitals and handshakes. Consider adding this: your doctor’s necktie. … A 2004 analysis of neckties worn by 42 doctors and medical staffers at the New York Hospital Medical Center of […]
November 13th, 2009
Practical H1N1 Management Question
Let’s imagine you’re seeing a case of pneumonia, and you suspect (as is quite reasonable these days) that it is precipitated by H1N1 influenza. What antibiotics do you choose for an outpatient? (If someone is sick enough to be admitted — especially to the ICU — I’m assuming the all-guns blazing approach will be adopted.) Even though some […]
November 7th, 2009
A Career in Infectious Diseases and “The Next Big Thing”
I was working with a medical intern in clinic this past week who is potentially interested in ID. After seeing our 3rd consecutive stable HIV patient, he asked me what I thought the next big challenge would be in our field — especially since HIV treatment has been “solved.” “Solved” might be stating it a bit […]