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By R. W. “Chip” Watkins, MD, MPH, FAAFP Integrative medicine is a field that combines conventional medical practices with alternative therapies to address the holistic needs of patients, as opposed to maintaining sole focus on disease management. A common public perception is that conventional medicine is fractured and splintered among many specialties, with profit prioritized…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to distribute an FDA 510k-cleared IVD influenza A(H5) assay to state and jurisdictional public health laboratories to test patients for influenza A(H5) virus. CDC is also aware of recent development and use of IVDs offered as LDTs independent of state and jurisdictional public health laboratories…
On November 18, 2024, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to provide information about the first case of clade I mpox diagnosed in the United States and recommendations to clinicians about preventing, diagnosing, treating and reporting mpox cases. On November 15, 2024, the California Department of Public…
Welcome back to our ongoing series on the use of primary HPV testing in cervical cancer screening. In this installment, we aim to shed light on the issues of false negatives and false positives that can occur with primary HPV testing. False Negative HPV Results The advent of HPV tests has undoubtedly transformed cervical cancer…
The global effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is nearing a historic milestone, thanks to decades of persistent, community-driven initiatives that have dramatically reduced human cases. However, recent challenges, particularly the rise of infections in domestic animals like dogs, threaten to reverse this progress. These setbacks underscore the unpredictable nature of disease eradication…
Breast cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the U.S., one in eight women is expected to develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Laboratory testing is indispensable in the diagnosis and management of this disease. In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed each October, this blog highlights the key…
