Southeastern Idaho according to Jeff Doerr

Nathan J Kunz

Area of Interest and hometown: Blackfoot, Idaho

Interview: Jeff Doerr, Epidemiologist for Southeastern Idaho Public Health chapter

Because he’s familiar with the diseases in the area, he told me of some of the most prevalent and common diseases that he deals with.

1. Chlamydia is an STD. He mentioned that information and counsel regarding safe sex is increasingly important. He also said that it wasn’t really limited to a certain age group or population. One of the difficulties regarding this disease is that it is difficult to identify due to the fact that it doesn’t have immediate signs or symptoms. Some of the side effects that may appear, however, include infection of the uterus, burning or itching in uncomfortable areas, as well as swelling. Complications can even lead to infertility in a woman’s reproductive system.

2. Another blood-related disease that Jeff sees often is hepatitis C. It is contracted from blood-to-blood contact and is being diagnosed more and more among elderly people from the baby-boomer generation. He said that persons ought to avoid activities that could increase likelihood of this disease. Some of those activities include: Unclean IV drugs, unsafe sex, tattoos and piercings. Overseas travel, etc. It’s especially dangerous due to the fact that it is a common cause of chronic liver disease.

3. Salmonella has also been active lately. There was even a recent outbreak of Salmonella poisoning in the Northeastern states, which has raised awareness and influenced preventative measures in Idaho as well. Salmonella is a bacteria that is caused and spread by raw or undercooked food. Recent outbreaks seem to have affected people’s decision-making methods, which can be seen by the decreased prices of cantaloupes at the grocery store.

4. Campylobacter is another bacteria that is commonly seen in Southeast Idaho. It evades and inhibits the immune system. If not treated early, this bacteria can cause the Guillan-Barre syndrome, but I have no idea what that is. IV treatments and some antibiotics have proven effective for its treatment. One way that people can avoid contracting this disease is through developing good hygiene habits.

5.Latent Tuberculosis, or also known as latent tuberculosis infection, is not to be confused with the active tuberculosis disease. In fact, patients with latent tuberculosis aren’t even infectious. It seems to affect the elderly especially due to the degradation of the immune system due to aging. A crazy fact that I learned is that according to the World Health Organization, approximately one-third of the world’s population are carriers of latent tuberculosis and about 98 percent of those victims are from developing countries.

I was surprised by the diseases that Jeff listed to me as current concerns, probably because I was expecting to hear about well-known diseases like influenza, etc. It seems like safe sex and safe eating habits are some of the main concerns at this point.