Sunday, June 18, 2017

CDC Yellow Book 2018 Edition Now Online
















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Every two years the CDC updates and publishes their `Yellow Book’,  a reference for those who advise international travelers about health risks.  As international travel increases, so do the chances that travelers will contract and transport diseases from one area of the globe to another.  
Which means that doctors just about anywhere in the world are faced with advising patients on how to avoid (or worse, must diagnose when they return) rarely seen or unusual diseases like Chikungunya, Zika, Dengue, and Cholera.  
While written primarily for Health Care providers, the Yellow Book is a tremendously valuable resource for all, and I confess I use it often as a reference for this blog. You find it chock full of maps, charts, and advice and information on everything from Amebiasis to Zika, and scores of infectious diseases in-between.
 
For those who will refer to it often, a hard copy is available from the Oxford University Press.  You can also order a copy from online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  
 
But for casual users, or those on a budget, the text of the the 2018 Yellow Book is now available online on the CDC's website.  They describe what's new in this new edition:



CDC Health Information for International Travel (commonly called the Yellow Book) is published every two years as a reference for health professionals providing care to international travelers and is a useful resource for anyone interested in staying healthy abroad. The fully revised and updated CDC Yellow Book 2018 codifies the U.S. government's most current travel health guidelines, including pretravel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy-to-reference maps, tables, and charts.

The 2018 Yellow Book includes important travel medicine updates:
  • The latest information about emerging infectious disease threats such as Zika, Ebola, and MERS
  • New cholera vaccine recommendations
  • Updated guidance on the use of antibiotics in the treatment of travelers' diarrhea
  • Special considerations for unique types of travel, such as wilderness expeditions, work-related travel, and study abroad
  • Destination-specific recommendations for popular itineraries, including new sections for travelers to Cuba and Burma
Access the Yellow Book Online


Not to be left out, the FDA also publishes their less frequently updated `Bad Bug Book' (last updated in 2012) - which you can download as a PDF -  more formally known as:

Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook

 Download the Bad Bug Book 2nd Edition in PDF (2.6MB)

The Bad Bug Book 2nd Edition, released in 2012, provides current information about the major known agents that cause foodborne illness.

Each chapter in this book is about a pathogen—a bacterium, virus, or parasite—or a natural toxin that can contaminate food and cause illness. The book contains scientific and technical information about the major pathogens that cause these kinds of illnesses.
A separate “consumer box” in each chapter provides non-technical information, in everyday language. The boxes describe plainly what can make you sick and, more important, how to prevent it.
The information provided in this handbook is abbreviated and general in nature, and is intended for practical use. It is not intended to be a comprehensive scientific or clinical reference.
The Bad Bug Book is published by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.