The Basics: Tropical Medicine

Dr. Ryan Maves discusses clinical medicine topics, specifically malaria and other tropical diseases. He emphasizes the importance of preventing infections when traveling in tropical and remote areas through vaccination, hand hygiene, malaria prophylaxis, insect repellents, and safer sex habits. He also provides resources for pre-deployment information. Dr. Maves shares a cautionary tale of a Marine Corps Lance Corporal with severe malaria and highlights the need for vigilance in diagnosing and treating tropical diseases. He discusses major tropical diseases, the workup of febrile travelers, and treatment options for malaria on deployment. He concludes by emphasizing the importance of improving care for infections in prolonged field care.Takeaways

• Preventing infections is crucial when traveling in tropical and remote areas, and measures such as vaccination, hand hygiene, malaria prophylaxis, insect repellents, and safer sex habits should be followed.
• Vigilance is necessary in diagnosing and treating tropical diseases, especially malaria, which can have severe consequences if not promptly addressed.
• Major tropical diseases to be aware of include malaria, dengue, zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, meningococcus, and cholera.
• The workup of febrile travelers should include a detailed chronology of illness, assessment of exposures and syndromes, and appropriate diagnostic tests.
• Treatment options for malaria on deployment include Malarone and Coartem, with Coartem being the preferred oral antimalarial therapy.

Thank you to Delta Development Team for in part, sponsoring this podcast. deltadevteam.com

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