Is it Ebola? Or “just” the FLU?

You have a fever, chills, sore throat muscle aches, headache, nausea and vomiting…is it Ebola Virus? Or perhaps that new respiratory virus (Enterovirus 68)? While technically speaking, it is possible for your illness to be caused by one of these dreaded agents, the odds are very much against it. However, you very well may have the FLU.

NOW is the time to get your flu vaccine- please! The flu vaccine is recommended for EVERYONE aged 6 months and older (who does not have a contraindication for the immunization.) We are already seeing cases of flu here in Austin, as … Read more

Was it Food Poisoning or a “Stomach Flu”?

All this talk about fruits and vegetables reminds me of…food poisoning. In the recent past, we’ve had several outbreaks of food borne illnesses that have caught our attention- first the E-Coli in hamburgers, then the Salmonella outbreaks from eating tuna (or perhaps from handling small turtles), and let’s not forget the Listeria-infected cantaloupes!  As such, I thought it would be helpful to go over some facts about food poisoning.

First of all, you are unlikely to know if your last bout of intense stomach upset was the result of food poisoning rather than a “stomach virus”, unless there was a … Read more