Primary Care Reports – November 1, 2011
November 1, 2011
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'Disappearing' Infectious Diseases
Vaccination has dramatically reduced the number of cases of chickenpox, measles, polio, mumps, and pertussis treated in primary care settings. Antibiotic treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis has reduced the number of cases of rheumatic fever. As a result, there are generations of physicians who have never encountered patients with these diseases. These diseases are often relegated to the historical section of general medical textbooks. However, recent isolated outbreaks in adults as well as children have brought these diseases back into the forefront for primary care providers.