Infectious disease care
Find specialized care for contagious illnesses and long-term infections. Montage Health’s infectious disease experts dedicate themselves to protecting the health and safety of everyone in Monterey County.
What’s an infectious disease doctor?
An infectious disease physician specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions that are contagious (spread from person to person). Different types of infections are caused by:
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Parasites, like ticks and mosquitos
- Viruses
Your primary care provider or another doctor may refer you to a specialist if you need advanced care. Our infectious disease doctors have experience caring for chronic (long-term) and acute (short-term) infections, including complex cases:
- Infections caused by germs that are resistant to typical treatments
- Infections that happen in people who are immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system)
- Multiple infections at the same time
- Infections that are unusual or happen frequently
Settings for care
You may see an infectious disease expert during:
In some cases, you may have outpatient follow-up appointments with an infectious disease specialist after an inpatient stay at Community Hospital.
Your first outpatient visit
During your first outpatient consultation, expect to discuss:
- Your medical history, including if you have any allergies
- Current over-the-counter and prescription medications you take
- Your current and past symptoms and how long you’ve experienced them
- Relevant screening or diagnostic test results
- Relevant previous treatments
- Recent travel or exposure to animals
Infectious conditions
Your doctor may recommend diagnostic tests, such as laboratory testing or an imaging scan, depending on your symptoms. Rely on our team for comprehensive treatment of the following conditions, as well as many others:
- Antibiotic-resistant infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
- Complicated pneumonia, a severe lung infection that’s led to additional health problems
- Coronaviruses, such as COVID-19
- Diabetic foot infections
- Endocarditis, inflammation of the heart’s inner lining or a valve
- Febrile illness (fever) without a known cause
- Gangrene, when tissue dies due to an infection or loss of blood flow
- Invasive fungal infections
- Measles
- Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
- Post-surgical infection
- Prosthetic joint infections
- Sepsis, a condition resulting from certain infections that can lead to severe illness involving multiple organ systems and can cause low blood pressure, low oxygen levels, and organ failure
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV infection
- Skin infections
- Tuberculosis
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Your treatment plan
Trust us to recommend treatments to improve your quality of life and, when possible, cure your infection. Depending on your diagnosis, goals, and other factors, your plan may include:
- Education about your condition, preventing future infections, or spreading an infection
- Lifestyle changes to manage symptoms and boost your overall health
- Help to navigate the healthcare system, including common insurance concerns
- Management of other health conditions you have, such as diabetes, hepatitis B or C, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Referrals to other medical specialists if needed and community resources and support services that are right for you
Vaccinations
Your doctor may make vaccine recommendations based on your age and health needs. Certain immunizations may be recommended if you have HIV, are immunocompromised, or have other risk factors.
If you’re a parent or guardian, protect your child through childhood immunizations.
You may benefit from getting specific immunizations before traveling to certain areas that have vaccine-preventable diseases or have other precautions to prevent infections.
