Zoonotic Infections News

I actually knew I wanted to study infectious diseases even before embarking on a career in medicine.

As the product of two hard-working academic physicians, I have never been without incredible examples of leaders in the field of medicine.

An 84-year-old man reportedly died from rabies 6 months after being bitten by a bat and receiving timely rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.

My journey in infectious diseases started out with an intense hatred and utter confusion.

As the COVID-19 pandemic grew, so did the feeling that the field of ID might begin to attract more physicians, drawn by the important and rewarding work that was so suddenly in the public eye.

I grew up in Bangkok, where I saw first-hand the impact of cholera, dengue, malaria and other tropical diseases — and experienced the early waves of the seventh pandemic of cholera.

Physicians have cited overwork and burnout as contributing factors making it difficult to recruit physicians for a career in infectious diseases.

What drew me to infectious diseases was the potentially enormous impact it has — not only on individuals but on societies.

Human rabies breakthrough infections are rare. However, researchers found that when they occur, they can be attributed to deviations from core practices or errors in administration of vaccination or rabies immunoglobulin.

In 2022, the front page of Infectious Disease News mostly peered beyond COVID-19 to showcase triumphs and progress being made elsewhere in the field of infectious disease.