SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
From bio terrorism to the common cold, local health care providers are learning the latest on detection and diagnosis of infectious disease.
For nearly two decades now, Mercy Medical Center has held this conference to keep the local medical community up to date on the world of infectious disease.
About 300 doctors, nurses, and medical students filled the convention center Tuesday, to hear from regional, state, and national experts on the topic.
Fruit-borne illnesses, like listeria, which sparked recent recalls of cantaloupe, were a hot topic.
The head of Mercy's Infectious Disease Clinic says concern over the development of a super bug is not surprising considering people have a lot more infections today than in the past.
She says the Infectious Disease Society of America is trying to convince researchers and drug companies to come up with new antibiotics to combat the resistant types of infection.
"People are more immunal compromised. Twenty-five years ago we didn't have HIV, now we do. That in itself lowers people's immune system. We didn't have advances in cancer therapy, bone marrow transplant, and so we have a lot patients who are now getting all these treatments that require that their immune system be lowered," said Dr. Bertha Ayi, Medical Director of the hospital's Infectious Disease Clinic.
Conditions that require therapy to reduce the immune system range from organ transplants, to rheumatoid arthritis.
The group also discussed seasonal sicknesses like West Nile Virus, and the flu forecast.
Many people are already getting their flu shot, and the state's epidemiologist says it's not too early to do so.
