Chapter 23
Infectious and communicable diseases
Russell D. MacDonald,
Russell D. MacDonald
Search for more papers by this authorRussell D. MacDonald,
Russell D. MacDonald
Search for more papers by this authorBook Editor(s):David C. Cone MD,
Jane H. Brice MD, MPH,
Theodore R. Delbridge MD, MPH,
J. Brent Myers MD, MPH,
David C. Cone MD
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
Search for more papers by this authorJane H. Brice MD, MPH
Professor of Emergency Medicine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorTheodore R. Delbridge MD, MPH
Executive Director
Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorJ. Brent Myers MD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer ESO Associate Medical Director
Wake County EMS, Raleigh, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 18 August 2021
Summary
Emergency medical services clinicians and other first responders are often the first health care providers to encounter patients with sudden illness in the community. This puts personnel at risk due to undifferentiated or undiagnosed infectious or communicable diseases. This chapter provides a basic outline of infectious disease transmission, common presentations of these diseases, and steps that can be taken to mitigate risk and keep personnel safe. It also includes a primer on infectious diseases with potential to be used as biologic weapons, where large segments of the population may seek emergency care in a relatively short time span.
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