Infections exotic and ectopic, and everyday practice.

摘要

This special edition of Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease takes a look at 'exotic' infections from a travel medicine perspective, from the development of vaccines against one of the world's most feared viruses, to a very moving personal account of just what it feels like to be a patient struck down with a 'new' viral disease. These infections are considered 'exotic' when seen outside their home ranges, usually generating excitement when diagnosed in a developed country with temperate climate i.e. when they become 'ectopic', defined as "occurring in an abnormal position or place; displaced". Dr Hoe Nam Leong of Singapore survived SARS. But he survived it while traveling, acquiring his infection in Singapore but first falling ill with symptoms while abroad. Dr Leong suffered a long and worrying illness, and his tale is one of fortitude and ultimately gratitude for a happy ending, but told with great humility. Dr Leong's story need not have ended the way it did, and his recounting of the experience, told through the eyes of a physician-patient in a strange land with a strange illness, holds lessons for all of us: medical, scientific, and personal; if "Statistics are people with the tears wiped away", Dr Leong's contribution is to put the tears back. Physicians in training would also benefit from a reading of this story.