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Zeroing in on respiratory infections (American College of Physicians annual session)

The causes are numerous, but recognition is growing that the office-based physician is key to detecting and controlling outbreaks.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, amednews staff. May 15, 2006.

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Reports from conferences important to physicians

Those closely monitoring the global spread of avian influenza in the context of a pandemic threat don't know if, when or how such an outbreak will occur, but they are sure of two things: A bird infected with this virus will turn up in the United States, and the earliest human cases most likely will be detected by an office-based primary care physician.

"All primary care physicians are the front lines of public health," said Anna M. Likos, MD, MPH, medical epidemiologist in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Influenza Branch. "If they don't call us, we won't know, and that's going to be essential in terms of containment."

That's why the American College of Physicians annual session last month in Philadelphia featured several seminars on this and other infectious disease threats.

"The fear of an emerging pandemic is one of the things that's made us all try and be more prepared," said Donna E. Sweet, MD, immediate past chair of ACP's Board of Regents.

With regard to avian influenza, public health officials are calling on physicians to report any patient who has severe respiratory illness with no known cause and has traveled to a country where such infections have been occurring. In addition, public health agencies are expected to endorse an official recommendation that such patients should have had significant contact with poultry for their illness to be considered a possible case. "Avian influenza appears at this time to require direct close contact," Dr. Likos said.