Category: Health

Ear infections (acute otitis media) occur when a virus or bacteria infects the space behind your child’s eardrum. Symptoms include ear pain that may cause your infant or toddler to be especially fussy or irritable. Often, ear infections clear on their own. Sometimes, children need antibiotics, pain-relieving medications or ear tubes.

What is an ear infection (acute otitis media)?

An ear infection, also called acute otitis media, is a sudden infection in your middle ear. The middle ear is the air-filled space between your eardrum and inner ear. It houses the delicate bones that transmit sound vibrations from your eardrum to your inner ear so you can hear.

Eustachian tubes are canals that connect your middle ear to the back of your throat. They regulate air pressure in your ear and prevent fluid from accumulating in your middle ear space.

If a eustachian tube doesn’t function well, fluid has a hard time draining from your middle ear space and can cause muffled hearing. Ear infections (from viruses and bacteria) also cause middle ear fluid. In these cases, the middle ear fluid is infected and often causes discomfort in addition to muffled hearing.

How common are ear infections?

Middle ear infections are the most common childhood illness other than colds. Ear infections occur most often in children between 6 months and 2 years. They’re common until age 8.

Older children and adults can get ear infections, too, but they don’t happen nearly as often as in young children.

Why are children more likely to get ear infections than adults?

Children get ear infections more often than adults because:

• Their eustachian tubes don’t function as well as adults, and this encourages fluid to gather behind the eardrum.
• Their immune system, the body’s infection-fighting system, is still developing.
• They’re more likely to catch illnesses from other children.

What are the symptoms of an ear infection?

Symptoms of an ear infection often begin after a cold. They include:

• Ear pain.
• Loss of appetite.
• Trouble sleeping.
• Trouble hearing in the ear that’s blocked.
• A feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear.
• Yellow, brown or white drainage from your ear. (This may mean that your eardrum has broken.)

Don’t place anything in your ear canal if you have drainage from your ear. An item touching a torn (ruptured) eardrum can cause more damage.

Infants and children

Since small children and infants can’t always communicate their symptoms, it’s important to recognize the signs. A child with an ear infection may:

• Rub or tug on their ears.
• Cry more than usual or act fussy.
• Have a fever ranging from 100.5 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (38 to 40 degrees Celsius). (Half of children have fevers with ear infections.)
• Start mouth breathing or have increased snoring. Mouth breathing may be a sign of enlarged adenoids. (Adenoids are small pads of tissue above your throat, behind your nose and near your eustachian tubes.) Adenoids may become infected/inflamed with the same viruses or bacteria that cause ear infections.
• Refuse to eat during feedings. (Pressure in the middle ear changes as your child swallows, causing more pain and less desire to eat.)

What causes an ear infection?

Bacteria and viruses cause ear infections. Often, ear infections begin after a cold or another upper respiratory infection. The germs travel into your middle ear through the eustachian tube. Once inside, the virus or bacteria can cause your eustachian tubes to swell. The swelling can cause the tube to become blocked, leading to poor eustachian tube function and infected fluid in your middle ear.

Are ear infections contagious?

Ear infections aren’t contagious, but the virus and/or bacteria causing the infection are. Multiple types of bacteria and viruses cause ear infections, including ones that cause colds and the flu.

What are the risk factors for ear infections?

Risk factors for ear infections include:

• Age: Infants and young children (between 6 months and 2 years) are at a greater risk for ear infections.
• Family history: Getting ear infections can run in the family.
• Colds: Having a cold increases your risk of developing an ear infection. Children in daycare and group settings are at a greater risk of ear infections because they’re more likely to be around children with colds or other contagious respiratory illnesses.
• Chronic illnesses: Long-term illnesses, including immune deficiency and chronic respiratory diseases (such as cystic fibrosis and asthma), can increase your risk of ear infections.
• Ethnicity: Children who are Native American, Hispanic and Alaska Natives have more ear infections than children of other ethnic groups.
• Poor air quality and smoky environments: Air pollution and exposure to secondhand smoke increase your risk of getting an ear infection.

What are the complications of ear infections?

Most ear infections don’t cause long-term issues. When complications happen, they’re usually related to repeated or ongoing ear infections. Complications include:

• Hearing loss: Temporary hearing loss or changes in your hearing (muffling or sound distortions) are common during an ear infection. Repeated or ongoing infections or damage to internal structures in your ear can cause more significant hearing loss.
• Delayed speech and language development: Children need to hear to learn language and develop speech. Muffled hearing or hearing loss for any length of time can significantly delay development.
• Torn eardrum: About 5% to 10% of children with an ear infection develop a small tear in their eardrum. Often, the tear heals on its own. If it doesn’t, your child may need surgery.
• Spread of the infection: Untreated infections or infections that don’t improve on their own can spread. Infection can spread to the bone behind your ear (mastoiditis). Occasionally, an infection can spread to the membranes surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meninges) and cause meningitis.

How is an ear infection diagnosed?

Most healthcare providers can tell if your child has an ear infection based on their symptoms, a physical exam to check for signs of a cold and an ear exam. For the ear exam, your child’s healthcare provider will view your child’s eardrum using a lighted instrument called an otoscope. An inflamed, swollen or red eardrum is a sign of an ear infection.

Your child’s provider may use a pneumatic otoscope to check for fluid in your child’s middle ear. A pneumatic otoscope blows a puff of air at the eardrum, which should cause it to move back and forth. It won’t move easily if there’s fluid inside your child’s ear.

Are there additional tests my child may need?

Your child may need other tests, including:

• Tympanometry: This test uses air pressure to check for fluid in your child’s middle ear.
• Acoustic reflectometry: This test uses sound waves to check for fluid in your child’s middle ear.
• Tympanocentesis: This procedure allows your child’s provider to remove fluid from your child’s middle ear and test it for viruses and bacteria. Their provider may recommend tympanocentesis if other treatments haven’t cleared the infection.
• Hearing tests: A provider called an audiologist might perform hearing tests to determine if your child has hearing loss. Hearing loss is more common in children with long-lasting or frequent ear infections or fluid in the middle ear that doesn’t drain.

How is an ear infection treated?

Treatment depends on many factors, including:

• Your child’s age.
• The severity of the infection.
• The nature of the infection (first-time, ongoing or repeat infection).
• Whether fluid remains in the middle ear for a long time.

Often, ear infections heal without treatment. Your provider may monitor your child’s condition to see if it improves before prescribing treatments. Your child may need antibiotics or surgery for infections that don’t go away. In the meantime, pain medicines can help with symptoms like ear pain.

Antibiotics

Your child may need antibiotics if bacteria are causing the ear infection. Healthcare providers may wait up to three days before prescribing antibiotics to see if a mild infection clears on its own. If an infection is severe, your child may need to start antibiotics immediately.

The American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidelines on when a child should receive antibiotics and when it’s better to observe. Factors include your child’s age, the severity of their infection and their temperature. The table below summarizes the recommendations.

American Academy of Pediatrics Treatment Guide for Acute Otitis Media (AOM)

Child’s Age	Severity of AOM / Temperature	Treatment
6 months and older; in one or both ears.	Moderate to severe for at least 48 hours or temp of 102.2 degrees F (39 degrees C) or higher.	Treat with antibiotics.
6 months through 23 months; in both ears.	Mild for less than 48 hours and temp less than 102.2 degrees F (39 degrees C).	Treat with antibiotics.
6 months to 23 months; in one ear.	Mild for less than 48 hours and temp less than 102.2 degrees F (39 degrees C).	Treat with antibiotics OR observe. If observe, start antibiotics if the child’s condition worsens or doesn’t improve within 48 to 72 hours of start of symptoms.
24 months or older; in one or both ears.	Mild for less than 48 hours and temp less than 102.2 degrees F (39 degrees C).	Treat with antibiotics OR observe. If observe, start antibiotics if the child’s condition worsens or doesn’t improve within 48 to 72 hours of start of symptoms.

Even if symptoms improve, don’t stop taking the medicine until your provider tells you to stop. The infection can return if your child doesn’t take all antibiotics as prescribed.

Pain-relieving medications

Your healthcare provider may recommend over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), to relieve pain and reduce fever. They may prescribe pain-relieving ear drops. Follow your provider’s instructions about what medicines are safe for your child.

Never give aspirin to children. Aspirin can cause a life-threatening condition called Reye’s syndrome.

Ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes)

Your child may need ear tubes if they experience frequent ear infections, infections that don’t improve with antibiotics or hearing loss related to fluid buildup. An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist places the tubes during a tympanostomy. It’s a short (approximately 10-minute) procedure. Your child can go home that same day.

During a tympanostomy, a provider inserts a small metal or plastic tube into a tiny incision (cut) in your child’s eardrum. The procedure to perforate (pierce a hole into) and drain the eardrum is called a myringotomy. Once the tubes are in place, they let air into the middle ear and allow fluid to drain.

The tube usually stays in place for 12 to 18 months. It may fall out on its own, or your child may need surgery to remove it. Once the tubes are gone, the hole in your child’s eardrum will heal and close.

What can I do to prevent ear infections?

Here are some ways to reduce your or your child’s risk of ear infections:

• Prevent colds and other respiratory illnesses. Be proactive in preventing colds, especially during your child’s first year. Teach them about frequent handwashing and coughing or sneezing into their elbow. Don’t allow them to share food, cups or utensils. If it’s an option, avoid large daycare centers until they’re older.
• Avoid secondhand smoke. Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke, and don’t allow others to smoke around your child.
• Breastfeed (chestfeed) your baby. If possible, breastfeed your baby during the first six to 12 months. Antibodies in breast milk (chest milk) fight viruses and bacteria that cause infections.
• Bottle-feed your baby in an upright position. If you bottle-feed, hold your baby upright so their head is higher than their stomach. This position can prevent formula or other fluids from flowing backward and collecting in their eustachian tubes.
• Stay up to date on vaccinations. Ensure your child’s immunizations are current, including yearly flu shots for children 6 months and older. Ask your child’s pediatrician about vaccines for pneumococcal disease and meningitis.

Can an ear infection go away on its own?

Yes, most infections go away on their own. This is why your healthcare provider may wait before prescribing medications like antibiotics. In the meantime, pain relievers can help with symptoms like ear pain.

Depending on your child’s age, symptoms and temperature, they may need antibiotics to heal. If your child has ongoing or frequent infections, or if fluid remains in the middle ear and puts their hearing at risk, your child may need ear tubes. Follow your healthcare provider’s guidance about caring for your child.

When can my child return to normal daily activities?

Children can return to school or daycare when their fever is gone.

When should I see my healthcare provider about an ear infection?

Call your healthcare provider immediately if:

• Your child develops a stiff neck.
• Your child acts sluggish, looks or acts very sick, or doesn’t stop crying despite all efforts.
• Your child’s walk isn’t steady.
• Your or your child’s ear pain is severe.
• Your or your child has a fever over 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
• Your child shows signs of weakness in their face. (Look for a crooked smile.)
• You see bloody or pus-filled fluid draining from the ear.

Call your healthcare provider during office hours if:

• A fever remains or comes back more than 48 hours after starting an antibiotic.
• Ear pain isn’t better after three days of taking an antibiotic.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Contact your child’s pediatrician if they show signs of an ear infection and their condition doesn’t improve within two to three days. Often, ear infections get better without treatment. Depending on your child’s age and symptoms, they may need antibiotics. Your child’s healthcare provider can recommend pain relievers for your child as their body works through the illness.

Giardiasis is a common illness caused by a parasite that may result in diarrhea and stomach cramps. The Giardia parasite can spread through contaminated water, food and surfaces, and from contact with someone who has it. Antibiotics can treat giardiasis.

What is giardiasis?

Giardiasis is an intestinal infection caused by a microscopic parasite called Giardia. This parasite lives all over the world, especially in bodies of water. If you accidentally swallow it, it takes up residence in your small intestine and multiplies, feeding off the nutrients there. This can cause a variety of intestinal symptoms, including foul-smelling diarrhea, bloating and gas, stomach cramps, nausea and fatigue.

Giardiasis symptoms can be mild to severe, and some people never have symptoms. The infection typically clears by itself after a few weeks, but people with weaker immune systems may have a harder time clearing it. A healthcare provider can prescribe antiparasitic medications for giardiasis if you need them. Sometimes, people continue to have symptoms for weeks to months after the infection has gone.

How common is giardiasis?

Giardiasis is common throughout the world. It’s the most common parasite infection in the U.S., where it affects over a million people each year. In developed countries in general, it affects an estimated 10% of the population. In developing countries, giardiasis affects an estimated one-third of the population.

Giardia thrives in regions and environments with less public sanitation, especially in natural bodies of water and inadequately sanitized public water supplies. Children are more often infected than adults, especially those under the age of 4. In the U.S., childcare centers are a frequent source of outbreaks.

What are the symptoms of giardiasis?

About half of people never develop symptoms of giardiasis. Among those who do, common symptoms include:

• Watery diarrhea.
• Fatty or greasy poop that floats.
• Stomach pain and cramping.
• Intestinal gas and bloating.
• Nausea and loss of appetite.
• Increasing fatigue.

Less common symptoms can include:

• Itchy skin.
• Hives.
• Swelling around your eyes.
• Swollen joints.

Long-term effects

Most people have short-term symptoms during their infection, but occasionally, some people have longer-lasting or recurring symptoms. They might develop dehydration and weight loss from the chronic diarrhea and nausea. Sometimes, they develop lasting digestive difficulties, like lactose intolerance.

What causes giardiasis?

Giardia infection happens when you accidentally ingest the microscopic parasite during the cyst stage of its life cycle. The Giardia cyst is sort of like an egg that can survive in the wild until it finds a body (host) to hatch in. After you swallow it, the cyst settles and “hatches” in your small intestine. The parasite feeds off your nutrients and multiplies. After this, it changes back into a cyst and passes out in your poop.

How is giardiasis transmitted to humans?

Animals and humans both get giardiasis, and they can both pass it on to others through their poop. The Giardia cyst lives within microscopic traces of poop within your environment that are too small to see. These traces can linger on surfaces, in bodies of water and on people’s hands if they don’t wash them well enough after using the bathroom. They can also transfer to people’s food and drinking water.

Some common ways you might get giardiasis include:

• Drinking or swimming in untreated or unfiltered water.
• Traveling abroad, especially in developing countries.
• Interacting with groups of babies and toddlers who wear diapers.
• Eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
• Touching a surface that an infected person touched.
• Having anal sex with an infected person.

How long does giardiasis take to kick in, and how long does it last?

The incubation period for giardiasis is one to two weeks from infection. That’s how long it takes for the Giardia cyst to release the parasite and for the parasite to begin to multiply, alerting your immune system. When your immune system activates to remove it, that’s when you might begin to notice symptoms. Symptoms typically last between two and six weeks, but in some people, they can last longer.

What does giardiasis do to you?

Giardia infection doesn’t always cause noticeable symptoms, but it can. Some symptoms are due to the parasite itself, and others are due to your body activating to remove the parasite. For example, the parasite feeding off your nutrients might sap your energy, making you feel increasingly tired. Diarrhea, swelling and skin reactions are symptoms of inflammation, part of your immune system’s response.

These symptoms are short-lived for most people. They go away when the infection does. But if giardiasis lasts a long time, or keeps coming back, it can do more long-term damage. This might happen if you have a weaker immune system, possibly from a preexisting health condition. In developing countries, malnutrition and lower health status can make people more vulnerable to complications from giardiasis.

What are the possible complications of giardiasis?

Possible complications include:

• Dehydration. Dehydration is the primary short-term risk from giardiasis, and it can also happen gradually over the long term. Anyone who’s having diarrhea and/or vomiting loses a lot of fluids. It can be hard to replace the fluids as fast as you’re losing them. Children and people over age 65 are especially vulnerable to dehydration, so it’s important for caretakers to stay alert.
• Gastrointestinal disease. If giardiasis lasts a long time, it can damage the lining of your small intestine. This can cause chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and trigger irritable bowel syndrome. It can also damage your intestine’s ability to absorb the nutrients in your food. You could develop nutritional deficiencies. This could affect growth and development in children.
• Autoimmune disease. In some people with severe and/or chronic giardiasis, long-term inflammation triggers an autoimmune response. This means that part of your immune response to the infection becomes hyperactive and automatic, continuing even after the infection is gone. Some people have developed reactive arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome or new food allergies.

How is giardiasis diagnosed?

A healthcare provider can diagnose giardiasis by testing a sample of your poop for evidence of Giardia. This might take a few tries because you might pass the cysts in your poop one day but not the next. It’s not always necessary to identify giardiasis this way, though. Healthcare providers often prescribe medications to treat giardiasis based on your symptoms alone, without needing to diagnose it first.

What medications or other treatments do healthcare providers prescribe for giardiasis?

Not everyone will need treatment for giardiasis. But if you have symptoms, your healthcare provider can prescribe antiparasitic medications to make the infection go away faster. With medications, most people feel better within a week. But underlying medical conditions can affect your response. If your condition is more severe, you might need additional support, like rehydration or antidiarrheal medications.

Medications

Antibiotics for giardiasis include:

• Metronidazole (Flagyl®).
• Tinidazole (Tindamax®).
• Nitazoxanide (Alinia®).
• Paromomycin (Humatin®).

Different medications affect different people in different ways. If your first prescription doesn’t work or causes intolerable side effects, your provider will offer an alternative. Your provider might recommend that everyone in your household take them to prevent the infection from spreading. If you’re pregnant, they might recommend delaying treatment because these drugs could potentially be toxic to the fetus.

Can Giardia go away on its own?

Yes, giardiasis often goes away on its own, and if your symptoms are mild, your provider might encourage you to let it do that. When populations use certain antibiotics against common infections too often, the infections can begin to become resistant to those antibiotics. This is starting to occur in certain places with giardiasis. If you can go without medication, you can help prevent antibiotic resistance.

But giardiasis doesn’t always go away in everyone. And in some people, it can be very persistent. If you continue to have symptoms for longer than six weeks, visit your healthcare provider. They can test you to find out if you’re still infected, or if your symptoms are due to the after-effects of the infection. They can offer treatment for either the infection itself or your symptoms and screen you for complications.

What happens if Giardia is left untreated?

Untreated Giardia infection often goes away by itself. But if it doesn’t, it can cause long-term complications for your digestive system, and even your immune system. It’s important to see a healthcare provider if you have symptoms lasting longer than six weeks. If your provider prescribes antibiotics, it’s important to take the full course to make sure the infection doesn’t rebound.

What happens if the treatment doesn’t work?

If you’ve taken antibiotics but testing later finds you’re still infected, it’s possible that:

• You didn’t take the full course or you need a stronger dose.
• You’ve been reinfected through your environment.
• You need a different medication or combination.
• You have a weakened immune system for some reason.

Your healthcare provider will investigate these possibilities. If you have an immune deficiency, you might need separate treatment for that. If necessary, your provider will consult an infectious disease specialist to devise an individualized treatment plan for you that combines different types of medications.

How can I lower my risk of getting or spreading giardiasis?

It’s hard to avoid something in your environment that’s too small to see. But there are steps that individuals and communities can take to prevent infection and reduce transmission of Giardia to others. For example:

• Personal hygiene: Practice frequent hand washing to prevent germs from spreading, especially before eating or having sex and after using the bathroom or interacting with soil or animals.
• Household hygiene: Clean and disinfect the bathrooms in your home regularly. If someone in your household has been sick, clean and disinfect everything they’ve touched, including linens.
• Safe food practices: Wash fruit and vegetables in clean water before eating. Avoid raw foods and unbottled water when traveling abroad, where the local water might be contaminated.
• Safe water use: Be wary when swimming in natural ponds, streams, lakes and swimming holes, and even public swimming pools if they don’t have a filtering system. Chlorine and iodine treatments aren’t always enough to kill Giardia. Try not to get any water in your mouth.

What can I expect if I get giardiasis?

About half of people who get giardiasis never have symptoms. For those who do, they’re usually mild and temporary. If your symptoms are noticeable, your healthcare provider can prescribe medications. With treatment, most people feel better within a week. Without treatment, it might take two to six weeks.

Some people sometimes have a harder time with giardiasis. They might have more severe symptoms or might need extra help clearing the infection. If the parasite significantly damages your small intestine, you might continue to have gastrointestinal symptoms for a long time, even after the infection has gone away.

When should I see a healthcare provider about giardiasis?

Contact a healthcare provider if:

• Your symptoms aren’t improving fast enough and you’d like treatment.
• You or someone in your care has signs of dehydration.
• Your medications cause intolerable side effects.
• Your symptoms haven’t improved after taking medications.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Preventive measures like hand washing and water filtering can go a long way toward protecting you and others from giardiasis. But Giardia is common everywhere, and it’s not always possible to avoid it. In most cases, the infection is mild and temporary, and you might not even need treatment. But don’t hesitate to seek treatment if you do need it, or follow up with your healthcare provider if the treatment isn’t working as expected.

Malaria is caused by parasites that enter your body through the bite of an infected mosquito. This sometimes fatal disease happens in hot and humid places, like Africa.

What is malaria?

Malaria is a serious disease that spreads when you’re bitten by a mosquito infected by tiny parasites. When it bites, the mosquito injects malaria parasites into your bloodstream. Malaria is caused by the parasites, not by a virus or by a type of bacterium.

If it isn’t treated, malaria can cause severe health problems such as seizures, brain damage, trouble breathing, organ failure and death.

The disease is rare in the U.S., with about 2,000 cases per year. If you’re traveling to an area where malaria is common, talk to your healthcare provider about ways you can prevent being infected. People who are infected and travel to the U.S. can spread the disease if a mosquito bites them and then bites someone else.

How common is malaria?

Malaria is common in tropical areas where it’s hot and humid. In 2020, there were 241 million reported cases of malaria throughout the world, with 627,000 deaths due to malaria. The majority of these cases occur in Africa and South Asia.

Where does malaria usually occur?

Malaria occurs all over the world and happens most often in developing countries and areas with warm temperatures and high humidity, including:

• Africa.
• Central and South America.
• Dominican Republic, Haiti and other areas in the Caribbean.
• Eastern Europe.
• South and Southeast Asia.
• Islands in the Central and South Pacific Ocean (Oceania).

Who might get malaria?

Anyone can get malaria, but people who live in Africa have a higher risk of infection than others. Young children, older people and those who are pregnant have an increased risk of dying from malaria. People who live in poverty and don’t have access to healthcare are more likely to have complications from the disease.

More than 90% of malaria deaths occur in Africa, and nearly all of the people who die are young children. More than 80% of malaria deaths in the region in 2020 involved children under the age of 5 years old.

What causes malaria?

When a mosquito bites someone who has malaria, the mosquito becomes infected. When that mosquito bites someone else, it transfers a parasite to the other person’s bloodstream. There, the parasites multiply. There are five types of malaria parasites that can infect humans.

In rare cases, people who are pregnant and who have malaria can transfer the disease to their children before or during birth.

It’s possible, but unlikely, for malaria to be passed through blood transfusions, organ donations and hypodermic needles.

What are the signs and symptoms of malaria?

Signs and symptoms of malaria are similar to flu symptoms. They include:

• Fever and sweating.
• Chills that shake your whole body.
• Headache and muscle aches.
• Fatigue.
• Chest pain, breathing problems and cough.
• Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

As malaria gets worse, it can cause anemia and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).

The most severe form of malaria, which may progress to a coma, is known as cerebral malaria. This type represents about 15% of deaths in children and nearly 20% of adult deaths.

When do symptoms begin if you’re infected with malaria?

Malaria symptoms usually appear 10 days to one month after the person was infected. Depending on the type of parasite, symptoms can be mild. Some people don’t feel sick for up to a year after the mosquito bite. Parasites can sometimes live in the body for several years without causing symptoms.

Some types of malaria, depending on the type of parasite, can occur again. The parasites are inactive in your liver and then are released into your bloodstream after years. The symptoms begin again when the parasites begin circulating.

How is malaria diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will examine you and ask about your symptoms and travel history. It’s important to share information about the countries you’ve visited recently so that your provider can clearly understand your risk.

Your provider will take a sample of your blood and send it to a lab to see if you have malaria parasites. The blood test will tell your provider if you have malaria and will also identify the type of parasite that’s causing your symptoms. Your provider will use this information to determine the right treatment.

How is malaria treated?

It’s important to start treating malaria as soon as possible. Your provider will prescribe medications to kill the malaria parasite. Some parasites are resistant to malaria drugs.

Some drugs are given in combination with other drugs. The type of parasite will determine what type of medication you take and how long you take it.

Antimalarial drugs include:

• Artemisinin drugs (artemether and artesunate). The best treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria, if available, is artemisinin combination therapy.
• Atovaquone (Mepron®).
• Chloroquine. There are parasites that are resistant to this medication.
• Doxycycline (Doxy-100®, Monodox®, Oracea®).
• Mefloquine.
• Quinine.
• Primaquine.

Medications can cure you of malaria.

What are the side effects of medications to treat malaria?

Antimalarial drugs can cause side effects. Be sure to tell your provider about other medicines you’re taking, since antimalarial drugs can interfere with them. Depending on the medication, side effects may include:

• Gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as nausea and diarrhea.
• Headaches.
• Increased sensitivity to sunlight.
• Insomnia and disturbing dreams.
• Psychological disorders and vision problems.
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
• Seizures.
• Anemia.

Can I prevent malaria?

If you plan on living temporarily in or traveling to an area where malaria is common, talk to your provider about taking medications to prevent malaria. You will need to take the drugs before, during and after your stay. Medications can greatly reduce the chances of getting malaria. These drugs can’t be used for treatment if you do develop malaria despite taking them.

You should also take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. To lower your chances of getting malaria, you should:

• Apply mosquito repellent with DEET (diethyltoluamide) to exposed skin.
• Drape mosquito netting over beds.
• Put screens on windows and doors.
• Treat clothing, mosquito nets, tents, sleeping bags and other fabrics with an insect repellent called permethrin.
• Wear long pants and long sleeves to cover your skin.

Is there a vaccine against malaria?

There’s a vaccine for children which was developed and tested in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi in a pilot program. The RTS, S/AS01 vaccine is effective against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which causes severe disease in children.

Other programs are working to develop a malaria vaccine.

What is the outlook for people who have malaria?

If malaria isn’t treated properly, it can cause serious health problems, including permanent organ damage and death. It’s essential to seek treatment right away if you think you have malaria or have visited an area where it is common. Treatment is much more effective when it’s started early.

The right medication and correct dose can treat malaria and clear the infection from your body. If you’ve had malaria before, you can get it again if an infected mosquito bites you.

When should I see my healthcare provider about malaria?

If you’ve traveled to or live in a country where malaria is common and you have symptoms of malaria, see your provider immediately. Early diagnosis makes treatment more effective. It’s also important to seek treatment right away to stop malaria from spreading to others.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Malaria is a serious illness, but you can take steps to prevent it. You can lower your risk of infection by protecting yourself from mosquito bites and taking preventive medications. If you’re traveling where malaria is common, talk to your provider several weeks before you leave. This is especially important if you’re pregnant.

Hookworms are parasites that live in the intestines of people who are infected. Hookworm eggs (larvae) spread in poop of people with hookworm disease. Many people have no symptoms, but signs of a hookworm infection include skin rash, fever, stomach pain and diarrhea. Medication can treat the infection.

What is hookworm?

Hookworm is a parasite that infects your intestines. There are two main types of hookworm that infect humans: Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.

Hookworm larvae (eggs) break through your skin. They travel through your body and hatch once they reach your intestines. As the name implies, hookworms have a hook-like head that attaches to your intestinal walls. These tiny worms can cause a number of health problems, including iron-deficiency anemia, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Hookworm infection is most common in tropical and subtropical areas, especially if sanitation isn’t as good and people walk barefoot on contaminated soil. In the past, hookworm was a serious problem in the southern United States, but improved sanitation has made it much less common.

What is a parasite?

A parasite is an organism that needs to live on or inside another organism (animal or human). The parasite relies on its host (the creature it lives in or on) to survive.

Hookworms are parasites that live inside your intestines. There, they feed on blood from your intestinal wall, mature and lay eggs.

How common are hookworms in humans?

Hookworm disease is widespread in many parts of the world. As many as 740 million people worldwide have hookworm disease.

How do you tell if you have hookworm?

Many people with a hookworm infection have no symptoms. Those who do have symptoms may experience mild ones at first. Symptoms progress as the infection gets more severe.

Possible hookworm symptoms include:

• Skin rash on your feet where the larvae entered your body.
• Fever.
• Coughing or wheezing.
• Abdominal pain.
• Loss of appetite.
• Diarrhea.
• Weight loss.
• Iron-deficiency anemia.

How do hookworms infect humans?

Hookworm larvae pass in the feces (poop) of someone already infected with hookworm disease. If a person with hookworm disease poops outdoors, the larvae enter the soil. Using human feces as fertilizer can also contaminate the soil.

If you walk barefoot on infected soil, the larvae can enter your body by breaking through the skin on your feet. After infected larvae enter through your skin, they travel through your body:

• They move through your blood vessels to your heart and then your lungs.
• You cough up the larvae from your lungs and swallow them.
• The larvae follow the digestive tract into your small intestine, where they attach to the walls, grow and mature.
• Fertilized eggs leave your body in your poop to potentially infect another host.
• The whole process can take two to three months. The worms can live in your body for two years or more.

Are hookworms contagious?

Yes. You can get hookworm by coming in contact with poop from an infected person. Hookworm infections also spread through contact with infected soil.

Can you get hookworm disease from your pets or other animals?

Hookworm infections in dogs, cats and other animals typically come from a different species than the ones that infect humans. Animal hookworms can sometimes penetrate a person’s skin, but they don’t mature or lay eggs inside a human host.

Animal hookworms can cause a rash as they move under your skin. This itchy rash, called cutaneous larva migrans, shows up as a thin, raised red line that spreads across your skin.

Who is at risk for hookworm disease?

Hookworm disease is most common in warm, humid and tropical locations. It’s especially common in places lacking indoor sanitation.

How serious is hookworm in humans?

Hookworms feed on blood in your intestines. An untreated, severe infection results in blood loss. Blood loss can lead to anemia and protein deficiency. Severe anemia can cause:

• Dizziness.
• Fatigue.
• Muscle cramps.
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.

Children infected with hookworms over long periods of time can develop severe effects from lack of iron and protein. This can slow both their physical and mental development.

How is hookworm disease diagnosed?

If you have symptoms of hookworm disease, your healthcare provider will test a sample of your poop (stool). They’ll analyze the stool sample under a microscope to look for hookworm eggs.

If you’ve recently traveled to an area where hookworm is common, your provider may recommend blood tests. A complete blood count (CBC) can show eosinophilia (higher than normal white blood cell count). This sign of hookworm disease can show up weeks before eggs are present in your poop.

How do you get rid of hookworms?

If tests show that you have hookworm disease, your provider will prescribe medications that treat the infection. In most cases, hookworm treatment includes an anthelmintic medication (medication used to destroy parasitic worms) orally (by mouth) for one to seven days.

Your provider may prescribe these medicines to get rid of parasitic worms:

• Mebendazole (Vermox^® or Emverm^®).
• Albendazole (Albenza^®).

Your provider may also prescribe iron supplements if you have anemia from hookworm disease.

Do hookworms go away on their own?

Hookworms may go away on their own, but it can take many years. During that time, they can cause serious health complications, like malnutrition and anemia. With treatment, you can get rid of hookworms and avoid any possible complications.

How can I prevent hookworm disease?

You can prevent hookworm disease by:

• Wearing shoes when walking on soil that may be contaminated with poop.
• Practicing good hygiene, like washing your hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before eating.
• Disposing of poop properly.
• Not using human feces as fertilizer.

What is the prognosis (outlook) for people with hookworm disease?

Hookworm disease is easily curable with appropriate medication. Most symptoms — including anemia — will go away once the infection clears.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

You should call your healthcare provider if you have:

• A rash on your foot.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Loss of appetite.
• Fatigue or dizziness.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

You may want to ask your healthcare provider:

• Do I need to worry about contracting hookworm disease when traveling out of the country?
• What steps can I take to prevent infection in areas where it’s prevalent?
• How long can hookworms live in the intestines?
• Do I need to be tested for anemia?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Hookworm disease is a common parasitic infection in many parts of the world. Most people get the parasite by walking barefoot in soil infected with hookworm eggs. Left untreated, it can lead to unpleasant — and sometimes serious — symptoms. A single course of medication that kills the parasites is usually enough to treat the infection. While hookworm can go away on its own, it can take years. So don’t wait — see your healthcare provider if you have any of the symptoms of a hookworm infection.

Pinworms, also known as threadworms, are tiny, white or light gray worms that cause the common infection called enterobiasis. The infection is highly contagious and occurs most often in children. Healthcare providers treat them with oral anti-parasitic medications that can kill the worms in just two doses.

What are pinworms (pinworm infection)?

Pinworms, also called threadworms, are parasitic worms that live in the intestines and rectums of infected people — most commonly children. Pinworms are small and thin (about ¼ inch to ½ inch long), and white or light gray.

Pinworms are called Enterobius vermicularis. A pinworm infection is called enterobiasis.

Your child will need treatment if they have a pinworm infection. Luckily, pinworms don’t usually cause serious medical problems and are easy to cure.

How common are pinworm infections?

Enterobiasis is the most common type of worm infection in the United States. It affects approximately 40 million people in the U.S. and 1 billion people worldwide.

People of all ages can become infected with pinworms. Still, pinworm infections are most common in children, especially between ages 4 to 11. Rarely, adults get pinworms. Caregivers and family members of infected children have a higher risk of infection.

Pinworm infections pass easily from person to person in places where children are in close contact, including daycare centers, preschools and schools. People who live in institutions also commonly get infected.

What are the symptoms of a pinworm infection?

About a third of infected people don’t experience symptoms. Others experience intense itching near the anus (butthole), especially when they’re trying to sleep. Watch out for these symptoms, which may signal a pinworm infection:

• Anal itching, especially at night: Female pinworms lay eggs around your anus at night, causing itching and irritation. The itching can be severe.
• Vaginal itching: Pinworm eggs on the skin surrounding your vagina can cause itching and discharge.
• Sleeplessness: The itching can lead to restlessness and keep you (or your child) from a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation can make you tired during the day and have trouble concentrating.

How does a person get pinworms?

Pinworm infection occurs when your child swallows pinworm eggs. They become the host for the pinworm life cycle. While this may sound like something obvious to avoid, it’s easy to get infected. Here’s how it usually happens:

1. Pinworms lay their eggs on the skin around your child’s anus, sometimes causing itching.
2. When your child touches or scratches the area, the microscopic eggs (which are super sticky) attach to their fingers and get stuck beneath their fingernails.
3. Unless they wash their hands, your child transmits the eggs to other people and surfaces they touch.
4. When another person touches these surfaces and puts their fingers on their mouth, the eggs enter and travel through their digestive system. The eggs hatch in that person’s intestines.
5. Once hatched, the female pinworms travel to the person’s anus to lay their eggs, and the cycle restarts.

Each female worm can produce 10,000 or more eggs. Your child may have anywhere from a few worms to hundreds of them.

Can you get pinworms without being around an infected person?

Yes. Pinworm eggs can survive from two to three weeks on contaminated surfaces. You can get pinworms through:

• Bedsheets, underwear and towels. Eggs can spread through contact with contaminated sheets, towels or underwear.
• Toys. Children with pinworm infection can contaminate toys they share with other children at school or in daycare.
• Inhalation: The tiny eggs can rarely travel through the air. Once you breathe them in, the eggs travel through your digestive tract and hatch into pinworms that lay their own eggs. For example, shaking out your child’s bedding before you wash it can spread the eggs and put you at risk of infection.

Are pinworms contagious?

They’re highly contagious. Transmission is easy because the eggs can survive for a long time on surfaces or your fingers if you don’t wash your hands. The tiny eggs are microscopic. There’s no way to know you’re touching a contaminated surface or object. It’s easy to absentmindedly touch your fingers to your lips without knowing you’ve transferred pinworm eggs.

What are the complications associated with pinworms?

While serious complications are rare, pinworms can lead to:

• Bacterial infections: Scratching too much can break your skin, causing it to bleed and become infected.
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs): The worms can travel to your vagina, enter your urinary tract and cause infections.
• Gastrointestinal and abdominal problems: In rare cases, pinworms have been linked to appendicitis, diverticulitis (the growth of pouches in your large intestine), and inflammation of your vagina (vaginitis) and the lining of your uterus (endometritis).

How are pinworm infections diagnosed?

You’ll know you have a pinworm infection if you find signs of either the pinworm or the eggs. You can see adult pinworms with just your eyes, but your healthcare provider uses a microscope to see the eggs.

Checking for the worm

Check for pinworms about two to three hours after you fall asleep. Around this time, pinworms make their way out of your rectum to lay eggs around your anus. Pinworms look small, thin and grayish-white, like little pieces of thread. This is why they’re sometimes called threadworms.

You may also find them wriggling in underwear or bedsheets. If your child has many pinworms, they may appear in their stool (poop) or on toilet paper, but this is rare. It’s much easier to identify them on your child’s skin.

You can capture the worms using clear Scotch tape or just let your provider know you saw them.

Checking for the pinworm eggs

You can also use tape to collect the eggs. This is called the “tape test.” Here’s what you do:

1. Place a piece of clear tape (sticky side down) over your child’s anal area as soon as they wake up in the morning. The eggs will stick to the tape.
2. Take the tape to your child’s pediatrician, following their directions about how to safely share the sample. They’ll use a microscope to check for the eggs.

It’s best to do the tape test as soon as your child wakes, before bathing or using the bathroom. Both activities can remove the eggs from skin. You should do the tape test a few times (ideally, for three consecutive days) to get the most accurate results.

Your child’s pediatrician may also collect egg samples from underneath their fingernails.

How are pinworms treated?

Your child will need to take an oral (taken by mouth) anti-parasitic medication to kill the worms. They’ll take one dose immediately and another dose two weeks later to be sure all the worms are gone.

The medicines used to treat pinworms are:

• Pyrantel pamoate (the most common pinworm treatment, available without a prescription).
• Albendazole (available with a prescription).

Pediatricians recommend that an infected child’s family members and caregivers also get treated at the same time to reduce the risk of reinfection. Preventing reinfection is one of the biggest challenges in getting rid of pinworms.

Washing all clothing, bed linens and towels in as hot water as possible while taking the treatment can help reduce the risk of reinfection.

What are the side effects of treatment for pinworms?

Before using pyrantel pamoate, consult your doctor if you’re pregnant or your child is younger than 2 years old. Side effects of pyrantel pamoate include:

• Diarrhea.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Abdominal pain.
• Headache.

For all three medications, side effects include an upset stomach.

Do pinworms go away if they’re untreated?

No. Untreated pinworms lay more eggs, making it easier to spread the infection. Your child will need medicine to get rid of them.

What can I do to help relieve the symptoms of a pinworm infection?

Your child may still have itching after treatment for about a week. To relieve the itching, you can:

• Wash their anal area with warm water and soap.
• Use a 1% hydrocortisone cream on the skin around their anus.

How can I prevent pinworm infections?

The most effective way to prevent a pinworm infection (or reinfection) is by preventing the eggs from reaching your child’s (or your) mouth. Model good hygiene and the following practices for your child:

• Wash your hands often: Using soap and warm water, wash your hands after using the bathroom or changing a diaper. Wash your hands before handling food or touching your mouth or nose.
• Keep surfaces clean: Clean toys, counters, toilets, utensils, dishes and other surfaces frequently with soap and water to lower the risk of spreading the infection.
• Shower often: People with pinworms should shower daily to remove eggs from their skin. Avoid bathing since bathwater can become contaminated with eggs. People with pinworms shouldn’t bathe with others until the infection is gone.
• Care for your fingernails: To avoid transferring the eggs, keep your fingernails clean and trimmed. Work on quitting if you bite your nails.
• Avoid touching the anal area: Tell your child not to touch or scratch the affected area.
• Wash sheets, towels and underwear frequently: Wash linens, pajamas and underwear daily in hot water until the treatment is complete. Don’t shake out the laundry before washing since eggs can scatter and spread infection.

What is the prognosis (outlook) for people with pinworms?

Medications cure pinworms 90% to 100% of the time. With proper treatment, pinworms go away and don’t cause long-term health problems.

When should I call my doctor about pinworms?

If your child has anal itching at night, contact their pediatrician to see if it’s pinworms.

Children or families can have pinworm infections several times. If your child’s symptoms return after treatment, go back to their pediatrician. If you or another family member has symptoms, see a healthcare provider.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

The thought of your child playing host to a wriggly parasitic worm may give you the willies. But take heart that there’s an easy cure. Preventing reinfection will likely be the biggest hurdle. It may feel exhausting to clean surfaces and do the laundry as much as needed to destroy all the eggs, but you’ll get through it. In the meantime, take the time to teach your child about proper handwashing and good hygiene both at home and at school or daycare. Pinworms are contagious but preventable. A pinworm infection this time can teach your child how to lower their risk in the future.

An overgrowth of the fungus candida causes a vaginal yeast infection. A vaginal yeast infection causes the skin around your vagina to burn and itch, and it may change the consistency of your vaginal discharge. Treatment includes antifungal medication.

What is a vaginal yeast infection?

A vaginal yeast infection is a type of fungal infection. Your body contains a kind of yeast called candida, which causes vaginal yeast infections. Yeast is a type of fungus, and candida is a specific type of yeast. When this yeast is in balance within your body, there are no problems. But when the yeast is out of balance, it rapidly grows, and you can get a yeast infection. A yeast infection causes burning, itching, redness in your vulva (the outside parts of your vagina) and changes to your vaginal discharge. A yeast infection isn’t a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Other names for a vaginal yeast infection include vulvovaginal candidiasis or vaginal candidiasis. A vaginal yeast infection is a type of vaginitis, a condition where the vagina is swollen, painful and possibly infected. There are several types of vaginitis — each with similar symptoms — but vaginal yeast infections are one of the most common.

Candida and vaginal yeast infections

It may be strange to think about, but fungus lives in several places within your body. The yeast that you have living in your mouth, digestive tract and vagina is candida. Normally, candida doesn’t cause a problem. It’s supposed to be in your body, and other bacteria help keep its growth under control. However, certain factors make it hard for the “good” bacteria to fight off the “bad” bacteria. Sometimes the “bad” bacteria win, and you end up with an illness.

What does a vaginal yeast infection look like?

The way your vulva looks and feels and the type of discharge that comes from your vagina may change if you have a yeast infection. The area of skin just outside your vaginal opening may itch and burn. The itching and burning can feel worse when you pee or have sex. Your vaginal discharge may become thicker and lumpier, but it shouldn’t smell different. Not everyone experiences symptoms or has the same symptoms.

Who gets vaginal yeast infections?

Anyone with a vagina can get a yeast infection. They’re most common after puberty and before menopause. Certain factors can put you at a higher risk of developing a yeast infection, but yeast infections are very common and highly treatable.

How common are vaginal yeast infections?

Up to 75% of women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) will have at least one vaginal yeast infection in their life, and over half will get two or more in their lifetime. Yeast infections are the second most common cause of vaginitis (bacterial vaginosis is the most common).

What increases my risk of getting a yeast infection?

Certain factors can increase your risk of getting a vaginal yeast infection. Some of those are:

• Using antibiotics, birth control pills or certain steroids.
• Being pregnant.
• Having a health condition that weakens your immune system.
• Having unmanaged diabetes.

Certain lifestyle risk factors also increase your risk of a vaginal yeast infection, such as:

• Sitting in a wet bathing suit.
• Not changing out of sweaty clothes.
• Wearing scented tampons or using a vaginal deodorant.

What are the symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection?

There are several tell-tale signs of a vaginal yeast infection. These symptoms can include:

• An itchy or burning sensation in your vagina and vulva.
• A thick, white vaginal discharge with the consistency of cottage cheese.
• Redness and swelling of your vagina and vulva.
• Small cuts or tiny cracks in the skin of your vulva because of fragile skin in the area.
• A burning feeling when you pee.

In some cases, another symptom of a vaginal yeast infection can be pain during sex.

Symptoms of a yeast infection are similar to the symptoms people feel when they have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or other vaginal infection. Contact your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms so they can examine you.

Why do vaginal yeast infections happen?

When the bacteria in your vagina is out of balance, it can cause candida to multiply. This can happen for a lot of reasons, including:

• Taking antibiotics: Antibiotics that treat infections in your body kill the good bacteria in your vagina. Good bacteria keep the yeast in check. The balance shifts without good bacteria, leading to a yeast infection.
• Pregnancy and hormones: Anything that disrupts or changes your hormones can disrupt the balance of candida in your vagina. This includes being pregnant, using birth control pills and normal changes during your menstrual cycle.
• Having unmanaged diabetes: High blood sugar impacts the bacteria in your pee.
• Having a weakened immune system: If you have a disease like HIV or AIDS, your medications can suppress your immune system. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer can also suppress your immune system.

How is a yeast infection diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider diagnoses a vaginal yeast infection. You’ll need to go in for an appointment and discuss your symptoms. Your provider may need to take a sample of discharge from your vagina to confirm a yeast infection. The combination of your symptoms and the discharge sample will tell your healthcare provider what type of yeast infection you have and how to treat it.

How do I treat a vaginal yeast infection?

Antifungal medications treat most vaginal yeast infections. The specific medication depends on the severity of the infection. Your healthcare provider will prescribe the best treatment based on your symptoms and condition.

Antifungal medications work by fighting yeast overgrowth in your body. Medications are either oral (usually given in one dose of fluconazole by mouth) or topical (used daily for up to seven days). You may apply topical medications to your vaginal area or place them inside your vagina (suppository) using an applicator. Some common antifungal medications are miconazole (Monistat®) and terconazole.

Your healthcare provider will give you information about each form of medication and directions on how to use each one properly. It’s important to always follow your provider’s instructions when using these medications to make sure that the infection is fully resolved and doesn’t return.

If you’re taking medication for a yeast infection, you shouldn’t have sex until you’re finished with treatment. Sex can cause more irritation, and certain antifungal medications can weaken the materials used in condoms and diaphragms.

Can I use over-the-counter treatment for a vaginal yeast infection?

Sometimes you can treat a vaginal yeast infection with over-the-counter medicines. However, you may want to avoid this if you aren’t completely sure you have a yeast infection. It’s usually best to talk to your healthcare provider to make sure you’re buying the right treatment.

How long do yeast infections last?

Most yeast infections clear up with medication after a few days, but it may take a full week. More severe cases may last longer and take longer to treat. Make sure you use the medication as directed and don’t stop taking it too soon, or the infection may come back.

Will my yeast infection go away on its own?

No, a yeast infection can’t go away on its own. Only a medication that destroys fungus (yeast) will treat a vaginal yeast infection.

How can I reduce my risk of a yeast infection?

You can often prevent vaginal yeast infections by making a few lifestyle changes. These changes can include:

• Not douching — douching can kill bacteria that actually control fungus.
• Avoiding the use of feminine deodorants.
• Not using scented tampons or pads.
• Changing out of wet clothing, like bathing suits or gym clothes, as soon as you can.
• Wearing cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothes.
• Using water-based sexual lubricants.
• Keeping your blood sugar levels in a normal range if you have diabetes.

The symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection are similar to other conditions. If you have any questions, a physical exam by your healthcare provider will help.

What should I do if I have frequent yeast infections?

If you get more than four vaginal yeast infections per year, have a discussion with your healthcare provider. Your provider may:

• Test to confirm that you have a vaginal yeast infection.
• Order a blood sugar test for diabetes.
• Test for HIV/AIDS.
• Discuss any possible hormonal changes (birth control or pregnancy).

Your healthcare provider will use your test results to make sure you receive the right treatment. It can be important to treat the underlying cause while treating your yeast infection. Managing the reason for the infection can help prevent future vaginal yeast infections.

Does my sexual partner need to be treated if I have a vaginal yeast infection?

It’s possible to pass a yeast infection to your partner. If your partner has a vagina, they’re at risk and should watch for symptoms. If your partner doesn’t have a vagina or has a penis, the chances of passing a yeast infection to them are quite low.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Yeast infections are a very common fungal infection that most women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) will have in their lifetime. It’s highly treatable with medication, some of which are available to purchase at your local drug store without a prescription. Even though you may know the signs of a vaginal yeast infection, it’s important to get examined by your healthcare provider. They can recommend the best treatment based on the type of yeast infection you have and its severity.

Thrush, a fungal infection of your mouth, happens most often to toddlers and children but can affect anyone. It can result in creamy white lesions on your tongue or inner cheeks. Causes include certain medications and some health conditions, such as dry mouth or diabetes. Treatment usually involves antifungal medications.

What is thrush?

Thrush is a fungal (yeast) infection that can grow in your mouth, throat and other parts of your body. With oral thrush (oral candidiasis), you may develop white, raised, cottage cheese-like lesions (spots) on your tongue and cheeks. Thrush can quickly become irritated and cause mouth pain and redness.

Thrush happens when there’s an overgrowth of Candida, a type of fungus. Another name for thrush in your mouth or throat is oropharyngeal candidiasis.

Healthcare providers treat thrush with antifungal medication. If your immune system is healthy, thrush is a minor problem that goes away a couple of weeks after you start treatment.

Who can get thrush?

While thrush can affect anyone, some people are more at risk, including:

• Babies under 1 month old.
• Toddlers.
• Adults aged 65 or over.
• People with weakened immune systems (where symptoms are harder to control).

What are the symptoms of thrush?

Thrush usually develops suddenly. A common sign is the presence of creamy white, slightly raised lesions in your mouth — usually on your tongue or inner cheeks. You may also have lesions on the roof of your mouth, gums, tonsils or back of your throat.

Other symptoms may include:

• Redness and soreness inside and at the corners of your mouth.
• Loss of sense of taste (ageusia).
• Cottony feeling in your mouth.

The lesions can hurt and may bleed a little when you scrape them or brush your teeth. In severe cases, the lesions can spread into your esophagus and cause:

• Pain or difficulty swallowing.
• A feeling that food gets stuck in your throat or mid-chest area.
• Fever, if the infection spreads beyond your esophagus.

Thrush can spread to other parts of your body, including your lungs, liver and skin. This happens more often in people with cancer, HIV or other conditions that weaken the immune system.

What causes thrush?

Most people have small amounts of the Candida fungus in their mouth, digestive tract and skin. When illnesses, stress or medications disturb this balance, the fungus grows out of control and causes thrush.

Medications that can make yeast flourish and cause infection include:

• Corticosteroids.
• Antibiotics.
• Birth control pills.

Is thrush contagious?

Thrush can be contagious to those at risk (like people with weakened immune systems or who take certain medications). In people with healthy immune systems, it’s unusual to pass thrush through kissing or other close contact. In most cases, thrush isn’t particularly contagious (meaning, it doesn’t spread from person to person), but it is transmittable (meaning, you can catch it in other ways).

If you’re worried about getting thrush from another person who has it, avoid coming into contact with their saliva (spit). It’s smart to wash your hands as often as possible if you’re near someone who has thrush.

What are the risk factors for thrush?

Candida infection is more likely to develop in babies and people with:

• Diabetes.
• Anemia.
• HIV/AIDS (thrush in your esophagus — or swallowing tube — is common in this group).
• Cancer.
• Dry mouth (xerostomia).
• Pregnancy (due to the hormonal changes that occur).
• Smoking.
• Ill-fitting dentures.

What are the complications of thrush?

Thrush rarely causes complications in people with healthy immune systems. But if you have a weakened immune system, Candida can enter your bloodstream and spread to other areas of your body, such as your eyes, brain or heart. This type of infection is serious and may lead to septic shock, a life-threatening condition.

How is thrush diagnosed?

A healthcare provider can usually tell right away if you have thrush by looking for the distinctive white lesions on your mouth, tongue or cheeks. Lightly brushing the lesions away reveals a reddened, tender area that may bleed slightly. A microscopic exam of tissue from a lesion can confirm whether or not you have thrush.

If thrush extends into your esophagus, your healthcare provider might:

• Take a throat culture (swab the back of your throat with sterile cotton and study the microorganisms under a microscope).
• Perform an endoscopy of your esophagus, stomach and small intestine (examine the lining of these areas with a lighted camera mounted on the tip of a flexible tube).
• Take X-rays of your esophagus.

How is thrush treated?

The typical treatment for thrush is antifungal medications:

Antifungal medications

Healthcare providers usually prescribe antifungals (like nystatin) to treat thrush. These medicines are available in tablets, lozenges or liquids that are “swished” around in your mouth before swallowing. Usually, you need to take these medications for 10 to 14 days. Your healthcare provider will recommend specific treatment based on your age and the cause of the infection.

Kids and adults with healthy immune systems typically respond well to antifungal treatment. But thrush symptoms may be more severe and harder to treat in those with weakened immune systems.

How soon after treatment will I feel better?

Antifungals can clear up thrush in one to two weeks. You may need to continue the medication for a few more days to kill any fungus that’s left behind.

How can I lower my risk for thrush?

You can do these things to reduce your risk for thrush:

• Practice good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once a day.
• Avoid certain mouthwashes or sprays. Some of these products can destroy the normal balance of microorganisms in your mouth. Talk to your dentist or doctor about which ones are safe to use.
• See your dentist regularly. This is especially important if you have diabetes or wear dentures.
• Limit the amount of sugar and yeast-containing foods you eat. Foods such as bread, beer and wine encourage Candida growth.
• Avoid smoking and other tobacco use. Ask your healthcare provider about ways to help you quit smoking.

What can I expect if I have thrush?

With treatment, thrush usually goes away within one to two weeks. But if your symptoms linger or get worse, let your healthcare provider know.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

If you develop signs or symptoms of thrush — such as soreness, bleeding or raised white areas inside your mouth — schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider.

If you’ve already taken antifungals for thrush but your symptoms return, call your provider right away. It could indicate a more serious infection.

Are there any home remedies for oral thrush?

You’ll need antifungal medication to clear up thrush. But you might try some of these home remedies to ease your symptoms:

• Swish with warm saltwater.
• Take probiotics.
• Eat yogurt that contains healthy bacteria.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Thrush is a fungal infection that affects your mouth, throat and other areas of your body. It’s an uncomfortable and inconvenient condition. But in people with healthy immune systems, it’s easily treatable with antifungal medications. People with compromised immune systems may have a more difficult time getting rid of thrush. If you develop thrush symptoms, contact your healthcare provider. Prompt treatment can get you back on track and feeling better.

Ringworm is an itchy, contagious fungal infection that causes a ring-shaped pattern on your skin. Over-the-counter and prescription treatments can stop the fungus from spreading to other parts of your body or to others.

What is ringworm?

You might be surprised to learn that a fungus — and not a worm — causes ringworm. Fungi thrive in warm and humid areas such as locker rooms and public showers. This common and contagious skin infection gets its name from the red, itchy, ring-shaped skin plaque (a type of scaly rash). It spreads easily and through close contact.

You get ringworm from contact with an infected person, animal or object. Ringworm goes by different names depending on which body part it affects. Ringworm on your body is called tinea corporis. This type of ringworm affects your arms, legs, torso and face. Ringworm is treated with antifungal medication available either over the counter or as a prescription.

Types of ringworm

Ringworm has different names based on where it appears on your body — and it can appear just about anywhere. Ringworm infections include:

• Athlete’s foot: Also called tinea pedis, this fungal infection causes an itchy, burning skin rash between your toes and on the soles of your feet. Your skin may become scaly and cracked or develop blisters. Sometimes, your feet smell bad.
• Jock itch: Tinea cruris, or jock itch, causes a red, itchy rash in your groin, upper thighs or rectum. Some people get blisters.
• Scalp ringworm (tinea capitis): This causes scaly, red, itchy bald spots on your scalp. If left untreated, the bald spots can grow bigger and become permanent.
• Hands (tinea manuum): Signs of ringworm on your hands include dry, cracked palms and ring-like patches.
• Beard (tinea barbae): Ringworm appears on your neck, chin and cheeks. The patches might become crusted over or filled with pus.
• Toenails or fingernails (tinea unguium or onychomycosis): Nails become thick, discolored and deformed.

What does ringworm look like?

Ringworm typically begins as a flat, discolored patch, which may appear red in lighter complexions and brown in darker complexions. The patch has a ring-like or circular shape with a raised, scaly border.

Who gets ringworm?

Ringworm affects people of all ages. You’re more at risk for ringworm if you:

• Have a weakened immune system or an autoimmune disease like lupus.
• Participate in high-contact sports, such as wrestling (this ringworm is called tinea gladiatorum).
• Sweat excessively (hyperhidrosis).
• Use public locker rooms or public showers.
• Work closely with animals that might have ringworm.

How common is ringworm?

Ringworm is contagious and extremely common. It can affect 20% to 25% of the world’s population at any given time.

What are the signs of ringworm?

Signs typically appear between four and 14 days after your skin comes in contact with the fungi that cause ringworm, including:

• Circular, ring-shaped scales or plaques.
• Flat patches with a raised, round border.
• Itchy skin.
• Hair loss or bald spots in the affected area.

What causes ringworm?

Despite its name, a fungus causes ringworm. This type of fungus naturally lives on your skin, hair and nails. However, when their environment gets hot and damp, the fungi start growing uncontrollably. You can get this infection anytime your skin comes into contact with the ringworm fungus on someone else’s skin.

How contagious is ringworm?

Ringworm is contagious. It can live on your skin, on surfaces and in soil. The main ways ringworm spreads are:

• Skin-to-skin contact with a person who has ringworm.
• Contact with an infected dog, cat or animal (livestock or pets).
• Contact with a contaminated surface, such as a locker room floor or sweaty gym clothes.
• Sharing objects with an infected person or animal such as a brush, towel or bedding.
• Contaminated soil.

How is ringworm diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider can diagnose ringworm by looking at your skin and assessing your symptoms. They may scrape the area to look at the skin cells under a microscope, too. Examining the scales typically confirms ringworm.

How is ringworm treated?

Several nonprescription (over-the-counter) and prescription antifungal medications are available to treat ringworm. Antifungals come in various forms like creams, gels or powders. Your healthcare provider can treat more widespread ringworm with oral antifungal medication.

Antifungal creams and powders

Over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal creams, gels or powders typically work well. OTC products include:

• Clotrimazole (Lotrimin® or Mycelex®).
• Miconazole (Desenex®).
• Terbinafine (Lamisil AT®).
• Tolnaftate (Tinactin®).

If your symptoms get worse or don’t clear after two weeks, you may need an oral prescription medication from your healthcare provider.

Oral medication

Your healthcare provider may write you a prescription for oral antifungal medication if you have ringworm on your scalp or on many parts of your body. Most medications are prescribed for between one and three months. Oral antifungal medications include:

• Fluconazole (Diflucan®).
• Griseofulvin (Griasctin®).
• Itraconazole (Sporanox®).
• Terbinafine (Lamisil®).

Antifungal shampoo

Antifungal shampoo, such as ketoconazole shampoo (Nizoral A-D®), may stop scalp ringworm from spreading. It won’t cure it, but it may help contain the infection. You also need to take a prescribed oral antifungal medication. Unaffected family members may benefit from using the shampoo as well.

Home remedies for ringworm

Home remedies like apple cider vinegar or tea tree have little to no benefit. Apple cider vinegar may cause open sores or inflammation. Tea tree oil has antifungal and antimicrobial properties but its effects aren’t well-known.

Your home may require treatment as well. The ringworm fungus can live on surfaces for months. Disinfectant sprays like Lysol® or bleach can remove the fungus. Wash clothes, sheets and towels in hot water and detergent to prevent ringworm from spreading.

Steroid creams

Corticosteroid creams may help reduce inflammation, but they shouldn’t be used to treat ringworm. In fact, they may worsen the infection.

What cures ringworm?

Mild cases of ringworm clear up within a few weeks. More serious infections may require treatment for six to 12 weeks.

Some other things you can do to promote healing:

• Keep the affected area clean and dry.
• Apply antifungal lotions, creams or ointments for the entire treatment period.
• Avoid touching the area and wash your hands before touching other areas of your body.

Does ringworm go away by itself?

Although ringworm can go away by itself, it’s not common. While ringworm is present on your skin, you’re still contagious to others.

How can I prevent ringworm?

Ringworm thrives in damp, warm areas. The fungus can live on towels, clothes, sheets and household surfaces for months. Preventing ringworm involves:

• Changing your socks and underwear daily or more frequently if they become damp or soiled.
• Showering immediately after contact sports or exercise.
• Wearing sandals or shower shoes at the pool and in public locker rooms and showers.
• Drying your skin thoroughly after showering, especially between your toes.
• Avoiding sharing towels, washcloths, sheets, clothes, combs or other personal hygiene items.
• Washing clothes, athletic gear, sheets and towels in hot water and detergent.
• Disinfecting surfaces with bleach or sprays like Lysol®.
• Treating pets for ringworm, if they’re infected.
• Washing hands thoroughly after contact with animals.

A weak immune system or living in a damp, warm climate increases your risk of a fungal infection.

Can ringworm come back?

Yes, ringworm can come back. Ringworm will go away if you treat it appropriately. Follow your healthcare provider’s treatment plan until the infection clears completely. If you stop treatment or treatment ends too soon, the infection can come back.

What are the complications of ringworm?

If you suspect you or your child has ringworm, don’t use anti-itch creams containing corticosteroids. These creams weaken your skin’s defenses. They can allow the infection to spread and cover larger sections of skin. On rare occasions, the ringworm fungus goes deeper into your skin, making it even harder to treat.

Scalp ringworm can lead to a painful inflammation called kerion. With kerion, you may develop crusty, pus-filled sores, often with hair loss and scarring.

When should I call the doctor?

Call your healthcare provider if the ringworm infection:

• Appears on your scalp.
• Looks infected (redness and swelling).
• Occurs during pregnancy.
• Spreads to other areas of your body.
• Doesn’t improve after using over-the-counter antifungal medication as directed.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

You’re sure to have questions if you or your child develop ringworm. You might ask your healthcare provider:

• How did I get ringworm?
• How long is ringworm contagious?
• Should I (or my child) stay home from work/school until the ringworm infection is gone?
• What steps can I take to prevent ringworm from spreading to other parts of my body?
• What steps can I take to prevent ringworm from spreading to other people?
• What’s the best treatment for ringworm?
• Should I avoid any medications or treatments?
• What steps can I take to keep from getting ringworm again?
• How can I tell if my pet has ringworm?
• Should I look out for signs of complications?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Ringworm can be unpleasant, but antifungal medications will help you get rid of the fungus that causes ringworm. The treatment may take time, but it’s important to follow your healthcare provider’s treatment plan for as long as recommended. Ending treatment too soon can cause ringworm to return and make the infection harder to treat. Ask your provider about how you can keep ringworm from spreading to other parts of your body and to other people.

Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is a highly contagious bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis. It often infects people who’ve recently taken antibiotics. Antibiotics that kill other bacteria in your gut but don’t kill C. diff allow it to quickly grow out of control. You have to take a different antibiotic to treat C. diff.

What is C. diff (Clostridioides difficile)?

C. diff is a nickname for a bacterium whose full name is Clostridioides difficile (klos-TRID-e-OY-dees dif-uh-SEEL). This bacterium can infect your colon (large intestine), causing diarrhea and other uncomfortable symptoms.

Bacterial infections in your colon are common, and most aren’t serious. But C. diff infection can be more aggressive and harmful to your colon. C. difficile releases toxins that damage the cells in your intestinal lining. This causes inflammation in your intestinal lining and colon (colitis). Whether you have symptoms, and how severe they are, will depend on the extent of the damage from these toxins. When it’s severe, it can be life-threatening.

Clostridioides difficile is a newer name for Clostridium difficile.

How common is Clostridioides difficile infection?

C. diff infection (CDI) is a global health concern, although the exact rates of infection worldwide are unknown. In the U.S., 500,000 infections cause 15,000 deaths each year.

What are the symptoms of C. diff infection?

The most common symptom, and usually the first to appear, is watery diarrhea. A mild infection will cause diarrhea at least three times a day, often with some abdominal cramping.

As C. diff infection becomes more severe, diarrhea increases. It may occur as much as 10 to 15 times a day. You may notice traces of blood in your poop or other symptoms, like:

• Persistent abdominal pain
• Swollen, distended abdomen
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Rapid heart rate

C. diff symptoms may resemble food poisoning or stomach flu at first. If you’re taking antibiotics, it’s possible to mistake C. diff diarrhea for a normal side effect of medication.

But sometimes, C. diff infections can occur without diarrhea.

What does C. diff poop look like?

C. diff diarrhea is typically mushy or porridge-like, but not completely liquid. Sometimes, it has a green tint, though other bacterial infections can also cause this. Occasionally, it contains blood, mucus or pus.

What does C. diff poop smell like?

Many people notice a distinctive odor with C. diff diarrhea. They describe it as unusually strong and oddly sweet. This smell may be because C. diff increases the levels of bile acids in your poop.

What causes C. diff infection?

A healthy immune system normally protects your gut from C. diff infection by keeping C. diff levels under control. If they grow out of control, it’s because something has affected the balance between “helpful” bacteria and “unhelpful” bacteria. Everyone has bacteria in their intestines. Helpful types of living bacteria help to keep other bacteria, like C. diff, in check.

The most common cause of C. diff infection is taking antibiotics. Using them upsets the balance between helpful and unhelpful bacteria in your gut microbiome, allowing C. diff to dominate and overgrow.

How does C. diff spread?

C. difficile reproduces by releasing spores. These spores can also spread on skin, surfaces and other items. This means if you touch something with the spores on it, and then eat or touch your mouth, you can get C.diff that way.

Why is C. diff so contagious?

Outside your body, C. diff turns into spores that are very hard to kill, both inside and outside of your intestines. They’re resistant to heat, acid and many antibiotics and disinfectants. They can also survive for months on surfaces.

Researchers estimate about 5% of the population has C. difficile in their colon without signs or symptoms of infection. You can have C. diff under control, but still carry and spread it to others.

Can you be around someone with C. diff?

Yes, you can be around someone with C. diff if you take precautions. To minimize the risk of spreading the infection, you should:

• Wash your hands frequently
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes
• Disinfect surfaces
• Use gloves, a face mask, a gown and other protective equipment

Who is at higher risk for developing C. diff?

Medical conditions that may reduce your defenses against C. diff infection include:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, wear down your intestines over time. They destroy the mucosa in your intestinal lining, which affects your gut immunity.
• Weakened immune system. You may have reduced immunity in general, not just in your gut, if you have an immunodeficiency disorder or another chronic disease that affects your immune system — like cancer, HIV, kidney disease or diabetes. The same is true if you take immunosuppressants.

Other risk factors associated with C. diff infection include:

• Age. Being over 65 increases your risk of C. diff infection. This may be due to lower immunity, taking multiple medications or living in a hospital or personal care home. Infants also get C. diff more often.
• Hospitalization or correctional facilities. C. diff spreads easily in places that contain many people living together. Spores can live for months on common surfaces and spread from person to person through shared spaces like restrooms.

Sometimes, it isn’t clear what allowed C. diff to take over. While many factors can affect your gut immunity, it’s important to know that infection can occur even if you don’t have any known risk factors.

What complications can occur with C. diff infection?

Complications can occur with more severe infections. How severe your infection becomes will depend on several factors, including the strain of the bacteria you have and how strong your immune system is.

People who have more risk factors for getting a C. diff infection in the first place may be more at risk of a severe infection. They may also have repeat infections, which cause more damage over time.

Common complications include:

• Recurrent infection. As many as 20% of people will experience a relapse within two to eight weeks of completing treatment. As many as 40% will have another relapse after that.
• Dehydration and electrolyte losses. Losing fluids and electrolytes faster than you can replace them has dangerous side effects, including low blood volume, low blood pressure and, in severe cases, kidney failure.
• Pseudomembranous colitis. A severe type of colitis that can cause thick, scab-like plaques to form on the lining of your colon.

As toxic damage in your colon progresses, you may have further complications, including:

• Fluid leakage. Your colon may begin to leak fluids into your abdominal cavity (ascites), causing it to swell. You may also lose proteins from your colon, leading to low albumin — which can cause swelling, fatigue and other symptoms.
• Reactive arthritis. Severe infection may trigger reactive arthritis, which can cause inflammation, swelling and pain in your joints and other places in your body.
• Toxic megacolon. Toxic megacolon is rare but serious. It happens when swelling from inflammation is so severe that it disables your colon. It can eventually lead to sepsis.

How is C. diff infection diagnosed?

If your healthcare provider suspects C. diff infection based on your symptoms, they’ll take a sample of your poop and send it to a lab. The lab will test it for C. diff toxins.

If you test positive, your healthcare provider may conduct further tests to find out how severe the infection is. These may include blood tests and imaging tests that look inside your colon.

What is the treatment for C. diff infection?

Treatment for C. diff infection is based on how severe it is. If you developed a C. diff infection while taking antibiotics, your provider might begin by simply stopping those medications.

For some people, this is enough. Their natural gut immunity returns and overcomes the infection. If this doesn’t happen, your provider will prescribe antibiotics that can stop C. diff.

Antibiotics to treat C. diff include:

• Metronidazole
• Vancomycin
• Fidaxomicin

If you have a mild infection, you’ll take the prescription home with you. Most people will start improving in a few days. If your infection is more severe, you might need to stay in the hospital.

In the hospital, your provider might give you antibiotics through an IV, along with fluids to prevent dehydration. In some cases, they might deliver medications directly into your colon as an enema.

Complicated C. diff infection

If you have severe complications, you might need intensive care. In rare cases, providers recommend emergency surgery to remove the source of the infection in your colon. This is called colectomy.

If you’ve recovered but you continue to have repeat infections after treatment, your options are:

• Repeat antibiotic therapy. Your provider may give you a different drug, or a longer prescription for the same drug. After antibiotics, your provider may recommend that you take probiotics to help restore your gut bacteria.
• Fecal microbiota transplant. When repeat antibiotic therapy fails, fecal transplantation has proved highly effective in preventing recurrent C. diff infection. Fecal transplantation involves transferring a poop sample from a healthy donor into a diseased colon. The sample will restore balance to your gut microbiome.

What precautions can help to prevent C. diff. from spreading?

Healthcare providers take special precautions when dealing with C. diff infection to help prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease. You can follow their example to help keep others safe:

• Isolation. If you have the infection, it’s best to stay isolated in your own room. Anyone entering the room to care for you should wear disposable gloves and remove them after they leave. You should also avoid sharing toilets since the infection spreads through your poop. If you must share a toilet, disinfect the handle, seat and surrounding area with a bleach-based cleaner after use.
• Handwashing. Frequent handwashing with soap and warm water is especially important with C. diff, since hand sanitizer doesn’t affect it. It’s important for everyone you interact with.
• Disinfection. Many common disinfectants don’t work against C. diff, but products containing bleach can. It’s important to disinfect any surfaces you’ve touched, especially in the bathroom.
• Taking antibiotics as prescribed. Don’t take other people’s antibiotics or save antibiotics for later.

What can I expect if I have C. diff?

Most C. diff infections are mild and go away with treatment. But the circumstances that cause C. diff infection sometimes allow it to spread very quickly. C. diff infection can be sudden and severe.

If you have risk factors that make you more vulnerable to C. diff infection, you may be more likely to have a more severe infection or have repeat infections and need more extensive treatment.

Does C. diff. ever go away on its own?

It can go away on its own if your healthy gut bacteria return to defeat it. This is more likely if your intestinal flora is normally strong and you don’t have any long-term health factors that usually weaken it.

If you got the infection because you were taking antibiotics, it might go away after you stop taking them. But don’t wait too long for this to happen. If you don’t feel better in a few days, contact your provider.

Once you have C. diff, do you always have it?

It’s likely that some of the bacteria will survive after treatment, but you can have some without having an infection. As long as helpful gut bacteria also survive, they should help to control C. difficile.

If you have repeat infections, it’s because these other bacteria haven’t been restored yet. Repeat infections may be the original one relapsing, but they aren’t always. Sometimes, they’re new infections.

Will I have long-term problems after C. diff. infection?

The most common long-term problem is ongoing or repeat infection with C. difficile. This happens when your colon is having trouble recovering completely. Your colon may be slower to recover if:

• You had a more severe infection that did more damage to your intestinal lining
• You had to take antibiotics for a long time or had to take them for C. diff after taking others
• You have a long-term health condition that affects your intestines or immune system
• You’re older than 65

More rarely, some people develop autoimmune disorders after a severe infection. This means that their immune systems continue to act as though they have an infection even when they don’t anymore.

Autoimmune disorders that start after C. diff infection include post-infectious IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and reactive arthritis.

What questions should I ask my provider about C. diff infection?

You might want to ask:

• How serious is my infection?
• Am I at risk of complications?
• How will I know when C. diff is getting better?
• When should I call you? When should I go to the ER?
• Do I need a referral to a gastroenterologist?
• What are my options for treating repeat infections?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Clostridioides difficile is an ordinary bacterium, and it can live in your gut without doing harm. But when it starts taking over, it can be aggressive. You may feel worried about frequent diarrhea and how it’ll impact your life. Having a condition that affects your poop can be embarrassing to discuss. Don’t let these feelings stop you from seeking help.

Most people won’t have complications from C. diff, and it’ll go away quickly and completely. But it can become severe, especially if certain risk factors make you more vulnerable. It’s highly contagious and can be persistent, coming back again and again.

If you develop diarrhea after taking antibiotics, tell your healthcare provider. Don’t take anti-diarrhea medications, which won’t help and might make it worse. If you suspect you have C. diff, contact your provider right away.

A sexually transmitted infection (sexually transmitted disease) is a serious condition that can develop after you have sex. Common STI symptoms include itching and burning around your genital area. The good news is that most STI treatments can cure the infection, but not all types. You can get an STI again, even after treatment to cure it.

What is a sexually transmitted infection (sexually transmitted disease)?

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are infections or conditions that you can get from any kind of sexual activity involving your mouth, anus, vagina or penis. Another common name for STIs is sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs. There are several types of STIs. The most common symptoms are burning, itching or discharge in your genital area. Some STIs are asymptomatic, meaning you may not have any symptoms.

Sexually transmitted infections are highly contagious. If you’re sexually active, you can have (and pass on) an STI without even knowing it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends regular STI screenings or testing if you’re sexually active.

STIs are serious illnesses that need treatment. Some, like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have no cure and can be life-threatening without treatment.

What is the difference between a sexually transmitted infection and a sexually transmitted disease?

A sexually transmitted infection is the same as a sexually transmitted disease. STI is the most accurate term to describe the condition.

What are the types of sexually transmitted infections?

The most common types of sexually transmitted infections include:

• Chlamydia.
• Genital herpes.
• Genital warts.
• Gonorrhea (clap).
• Hepatitis B.
• HIV/AIDS.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV).
• Pubic lice (crabs).
• Syphilis.
• Trichomoniasis (trick).
• Vaginitis.

How common are sexually transmitted infections?

Sexually transmitted infections are common. More than 25 million sexually transmitted infections occur each year in the United States. Around the world, an estimated 374 million sexually transmitted infections occur each year. According to the CDC, there were approximately 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the U.S. in 2021. About half of these cases occur in people ages 15 to 24.

What are the symptoms of sexually transmitted infections?

Symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (sexually transmitted diseases) vary by type. You might not have any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may appear around your genital region and could include:

• Bumps, sores or warts on or near your penis, vagina, mouth or anus.
• Swelling or severe itching near your penis or vagina.
• Discharge from your penis.
• Vaginal discharge that has a bad odor, causes irritation or is a different color or amount than usual.
• Vaginal bleeding that’s not your period.
• Painful sex.
• Painful urination or frequent urination.

In addition, you may also have symptoms throughout your body, including:

• A skin rash.
• Weight loss.
• Diarrhea.
• Night sweats.
• Aches, pains, fever and chills.
• Jaundice (yellowing of your skin and whites of your eyes).

What causes sexually transmitted infections?

Sexually transmitted infections develop when various bacteria, viruses or parasites infect your body. You can get these microorganisms from bodily fluids (like blood, urine, semen, saliva and other mucous-lined areas) during sex — usually vaginal, oral and anal sex or other sexual activities.

Are sexually transmitted infections contagious?

Yes, sexually transmitted infections (sexually transmitted diseases) are contagious. Most STIs pass from person to person by sexual contact through bodily fluids or from skin-to-skin contact by touching the infected part of a person’s body, usually the genitals. Some STIs, like syphilis, can spread while giving birth to a baby.

If you have an STI, it’s important to visit a healthcare provider to receive treatment. Some STIs are curable. You can prevent the spread of STIs by getting tested regularly if you’re sexually active, talking to your sexual partners about your diagnosis and using protection during sex.

What are the risk factors for sexually transmitted infections?

If you’re sexually active, you’re at risk of developing a sexually transmitted infection (sexually transmitted disease).

You can also get an STI if you share personal items like needles that contain your blood. This may occur in the following instances:

• Unregulated tattoos.
• Unregulated piercings.
• Sharing needles while using intravenous drugs (substance use disorder).

A lack of communication due to stigma or shame about having an STI can put you and your partner(s) at a greater risk of spreading the infection. Before having sex, you should ask your partners the following questions:

• Do you have an active STI?
• When was your last STI test?
• Are you currently being treated for an STI?
• Do you consistently use protection with your sexual partners?

Asking these questions can help you protect yourself.

It’s common to feel strong emotions after an STI diagnosis. You might want to avoid telling your sexual partner because you feel embarrassed. Being open and honest with your sexual partners helps build trust and understanding. If you have an STI, you can reduce the risk of spreading the infection to your sexual partner(s) by talking it over with them before engaging in sexual activities.

What are the complications of sexually transmitted infections?

Sexually transmitted infections can cause lifelong complications if left untreated. Common complications from untreated STIs include the following:

• HIV can lead to AIDS.
• Syphilis can damage your organs, nervous system and infect a developing fetus.
• Risk of spreading STIs to your sexual partners.

STI complications for women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) include:

• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can damage your uterus and cause infertility.
• Ectopic pregnancy.
• Infertility.
• Chronic pelvic pain.

In men or people assigned male at birth (AMAB), untreated STIs can lead to:

• Infections in the urethra and prostate.
• Swollen, sore testicles.
• Infertility.

How are sexually transmitted infections diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will diagnose a sexually transmitted infection (sexually transmitted disease) after a physical exam and testing. Your provider will ask about your symptoms and your medical and sexual history — answer honestly, so you can get the help you need. After a positive STI diagnosis, you need to notify your sexual partner(s) that they should also get tested. This can be a very emotional process, but telling your partners can help them get the care they need and prevent the spread of the infection.

What is STI testing?

A sexually transmitted infection test is a medical test to determine if you have an STI. A healthcare provider will review your symptoms and offer a test or tests to determine the cause. There are different tests for each type of STI. Your provider will talk to you about what test(s) you need. STI testing could include:

• Urine test.
• Cheek swab.
• Blood test.
• A fluid sample from skin sores.
• A discharge or cell sample from your body (usually the vagina, urethra, cervix, penis, anus or throat).

STI testing is mostly painless. You might feel a small pinch during a blood test or a sting from a swab touching a sore.

How often should I get tested for STIs?

Most healthcare providers recommend annual sexually transmitted infection testing. You may choose to get tested more often, like every 3 to 6 months, if you have multiple sexual partners. Some providers recommend testing before having sex with a new partner. Regular testing helps find and treat STIs you may not even know you have. Talk to a healthcare provider about a testing schedule that makes sense for you.

How are sexually transmitted infections treated?

The goal of sexually transmitted infection (sexually transmitted disease) treatment is to:

• Cure many (not all) STIs.
• Lessen your symptoms.
• Reduce your likelihood of spreading the infection.
• Help you get healthy and stay healthy.

Treatment for STIs could include taking medications like:

• Antibiotics.
• Antivirals.

You can take these medicines orally (by mouth), or a provider will give you an injection.

Should I get the HPV vaccine?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral STI in the U.S. People with HPV may have no symptoms, or they may develop warts or bumps around the genitals. High-risk HPV can even cause cervical cancer.

There’s a vaccine to prevent HPV and genital warts. Healthcare providers advise children ages 11 to 12 to receive it because it’s most effective before you become sexually active. Providers recommend the vaccine for everyone up to age 26, and updated information shows people up to the age of 45 years may benefit from the HPV vaccine. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if it’s right for you.

What is expedited partner therapy?

Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is where your healthcare provider gives you a prescription for your partner without examining them when you’re diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea. Typically the healthcare provider would wait to examine your partner before providing a prescription. But the logical assumption is that if you have one of these STIs, then your partner probably does, as well. This prevents reinfection and stops additional transmission as soon as possible.

How soon after treatment will I feel better?

If your provider gave you antibiotics or antivirals to treat a sexually transmitted infection, you should start feeling better within a few days. Make sure to complete all the medicine as directed, even if you’re feeling better. And never share medicines — don’t give your medicine to others, and don’t take someone else’s medication for your symptoms.

How can I lower my risk of developing a sexually transmitted infection?

The only way to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections is to abstain from sex (not have sex). If you’re sexually active, you can:

• Use a latex condom whenever you have any kind of sex. If you or your partner has a vagina, use a dental dam for oral sex.
• Choose sex partners carefully. Don’t have sex if you suspect your partner has an STI.
• Get checked for STIs regularly. Doing so helps prevent the spread of STIs to other people. Ask any new sex partner to get tested before having sex for the first time.
• Avoid alcohol or drugs before having sex. People who are under the influence may engage in sexual activities without taking safety precautions.
• Learn the signs and symptoms of STIs. If you notice symptoms, visit a healthcare provider quickly.
• Educate yourself about STIs. The more you know, the better you can protect yourself and your partners.

Can the spread of sexually transmitted infections be prevented?

You can take steps to protect yourself and others from sexually transmitted infections:

• If you have symptoms of an STI, don’t have sex until you see a healthcare provider and receive treatment. You can resume sex when your healthcare provider says it’s OK.
• Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for treatment.
• Return to your healthcare provider to get rechecked after completing treatment.
• Be sure your partner(s) know about your positive diagnosis and also receive treatment.
• Use condoms whenever you have sex, especially with new partners.
• Get vaccinated for certain STIs (HPV) to prevent complications.

What can I expect if I have a sexually transmitted infection?

Most STIs go away after treatment. Some may require lifelong management with medications. You can develop the same STI after it goes away if you get infected with it again.

People who get an STI diagnosis may feel embarrassed or ashamed. But STIs can happen to anyone — millions of people have them. Statistics show that most people will get an STI at least once. If you’re experiencing anxiety or stress about your STI diagnosis, consider reaching out to a friend, loved one or mental health professional for support.

What if I have an STI and I’m pregnant?

If you’re pregnant and have an STI, talk to your healthcare provider right away. They’ll discuss treatment options to keep you and the fetus safe.

What’s the outlook for sexually transmitted infections?

Many sexually transmitted infections (sexually transmitted diseases) can be cured. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for all STIs. Conditions like HIV require lifelong care and treatment. You can get an STI again, even after treatment to cure it.

How do I take care of myself if I have a sexually transmitted infection?

If your healthcare provider gave you a sexually transmitted infection diagnosis, take steps to keep yourself healthy:

• Take all of the medication your provider prescribed as instructed.
• Don’t have sex while you’re getting STI treatment. Wait until your healthcare provider gives you the all-clear.
• Let your sexual partners know you have an STI so that they can talk to their healthcare provider about testing and treatment.
• When you resume having sex, use a condom. If you or your partner has a vagina, be sure to use a dental dam while having oral sex.

When should I see a healthcare provider?

Visit a healthcare provider if you notice that you or your partner has symptoms of an STI. You should also regularly visit a healthcare provider for annual or more frequent STI testing if you’re sexually active.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

If you’re sexually active or you’ve had an STI, ask your healthcare provider:

• How can I prevent STIs?
• Will the STI cause any complications or problems in the future?
• Should I get checked regularly for STIs?
• Should my partners get checked?
• What type of treatment do I need?
• When will the STI go away?
• Are there side effects of the treatment?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Sexually transmitted infections are common. If you feel uncomfortable burning or itching around your genitals or other signs of a possible STI, talk to a healthcare provider. Antibiotics can usually treat the infection successfully. Most of the time, you can cure an STI without long-term complications. In some instances, like with HIV, you may need lifelong treatment. Using a condom or other STI preventative measures when you’re sexually active can reduce your risk of STIs.