Expert Disease Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment
Infectious diseases affect millions of people per year. Caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, infectious diseases can range widely in symptoms and severity. Proper diagnosis and treatment are essential for managing infection symptoms and protecting your overall health.
At Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG), our infectious disease specialists have expertise in diagnosing and treating infections of the sinuses, heart, brain, lungs, urinary tract, bowel, bones and pelvic organs. Our skilled physicians offer the highest quality of care with the experience and compassion that you deserve.
About NGPG Infectious Disease
NGPG’s Infectious Disease physicians are board certified in internal medicine as well as infectious diseases. Their extensive training focuses on all kinds of infections, including those caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
NGPG Infectious Disease specialists serve patients by testing for and diagnosing various diseases such as HIV, MRSA, Cellulitis, Encephalitis and other infectious disease disorders. In addition to infectious disease treatment, our physicians offer counselling for healthy people who plan to travel to countries where there is an increased risk of infection.
What We Treat
At NGPG our infectious disease specialists treat a wide variety of infectious illnesses including:
- Cellulitis
- Encephalitis
- HIV and AIDS
- E. coli.
- Hepatitis
- Lyme disease
- Measles
- Mumps
- STIs
- C. diff
- MRSA
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Severe pneumonia
- Meningitis
- Malaria
- Dengue fever
What We Do
Our NGPG Infectious Disease providers offer a wide variety of services for diagnosis and treatment of infectious illnesses.
Preventing Infectious Diseases
While there is not yet a completely effective way to prevent infectious diseases, there are many simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of an infection. At NGPG, we recommend:
- Receiving recommended vaccines
- Washing your hands frequently
- Avoiding bug bites with repellent
- Taking precautions before international travel
- Participating in safe sex
If you are planning to travel to a country where you will be at an increased risk for infection, schedule a counseling appointment with NGPG Infectious Disease to help you prepare and avoid infections.
Infectious Disease Diagnosis
To reach a diagnosis, NGPG Infectious Disease physicians will review your medical history, including records, previous X-rays and laboratory reports. In addition, they will likely perform a physical exam to check for any indications of a specific disease.
To further confirm your diagnosis, your provider will likely order further laboratory studies including blood and cultures of wounds or bodily fluids. They may order blood serum studies for antibodies indicating the presence of unusual or uncommon diseases. These studies can help explain the results of studies that a general internist may already have done.
Infectious Disease Treatment
Because there is a wide variety of infectious diseases, treatment options and methods vary. For most treatable infectious diseases, your options might include:
- Antibiotic medication
- Antiviral medication
- Antifungal medication
- Antiparasitic medication
- Surgery
AIDS & HIV Management
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a chronic disease that weakens your immune system. The most severe and final step of an HIV infection is AIDS.
While there is no cure, there are many therapies that can slow its progression. If you have HIV, receiving treatment can prevent the disease from progressing to AIDS.
At NGPG Infectious Disease our providers help patients with HIV manage their disease with antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications.
Infectious Disease FAQs
Which infectious disease is caused by a protozoan?
There are several infectious diseases caused by protozoans; however, they are rarely seen in North America. These diseases include:
- Malaria
- Toxoplasmosis
- Giardia
- Trypanosomiasis
Diseases caused by protozoans are common in regions with tropical climates, poor sanitation and contaminated water sources.
What causes infectious diseases in humans?
Infectious diseases are caused by microscopic, germ-like pathogens such as:
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Parasites
How do infectious diseases spread?
Infectious diseases can be spread in various ways. Some diseases are spread from human to human, while others can be spread from animals. The most common mechanisms for infectious diseases to spread are:
- Skin-to-skin contact
- Contact with droplets
- Contact with bodily fluids
- Touching contaminated surfaces
- Contaminated food or drink
- Contact with fecal matter
- Insect or animal bites
Choose NGPG for Infectious Disease Treatment
If you or a loved one need help diagnosing and treating an infectious disease, you can rely on our team at NGPG Infectious Disease. NGPG Infectious Disease’s physicians are board certified in internal medicine as well as infectious diseases. They serve patients by testing for and diagnosing various diseases such as HIV/AIDS, MRSA, Cellulitis, Encephalitis and other infectious disease disorders.
For questions about making an appointment, please call 770-219-4840.