A consultant in infectious disease is a medical doctor who is trained to diagnose and treat illnesses caused by micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites anywhere in the body. These conditions can be contracted by patients from other individuals, surroundings, ticks, other insects, and animals. To identify the source of infection and determine the best possible treatment plan, infectious disease specialists use a combination of clinical assessment, lab testing, and imaging tests. The treatment plan may include antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotic treatment or antiviral drugs as well as the management of disease symptoms and complications.
The infectious disease consultant services are divided into four categories:
- Infectious disease care: The specialists use the least amount of medication possible for the safest and most effective results for individuals with viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections.
- Wound care:This includes antibiotic treatment, vacuum-assisted closure of wounds, antimicrobial dressings, and topical agents. Another approach is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which entails inhaling oxygen inside a pressurised unit and letting the lungs obtain extra oxygen to aid healing.
- Infusion care:: Under this, the specialist administers treatment for multiple conditions through an intravenous route directly into the bloodstream. This type of treatment is frequently used for those suffering from severe or chronic infectious diseases that necessitate prolonged antibiotic therapy, in addition to individuals with other medical disorders that necessitate regular medication or fluid infusions.
- Travel care: This ranges from disease preventive vaccinations such as whooping cough, tetanus, and hepatitis A and B for treating illnesses contracted while travelling like malaria, tuberculosis, and dengue fever.
