Week of August 3- Strep Throat, Dehydration

• Good news in Palm Springs, where Dr. Clifton Cole says he's not seeing much in the way of contagious illnesses. Even though the temperatures have been relatively cooler, the humidity is high, and that poses the same dehydration risk, so people should stay diligent about drinking water. Some of Dr. Cole's senior patients are requesting immunization for whooping cough, so vaccines are still top of mind for many.

• Gastroenteritis remains the number one complaint in Palm Desert. Dr. Andrew Cyrus says urinary tract infections are a close second. He's also treating many patients for swimmer's ear, or external otitis.

• For the second week in a row In La Quinta, strep throat is still making the rounds among teenagers. With the recent onset of pertussis in California, Dr. Erica Ruiz says more people are becoming aware of the booster for whooping cough. This combo vaccine with tetanus is given to adults 21 and over every ten years. "It is important in prevention of the common metal disease tetanus that causes lock jaw and can cause breathing to stop and in prevention of whooping cough," explains Dr. Ruiz. "We are getting patients immunized quickly and many are becoming more aware of the need for the vaccine." People around infants less than four months old are at the highest risk for giving a life-threatening illness to young children, and should be immunized immediately. "When infants start immunizations they are not immune to the diseases until later after multiple doses of the immunization have been given."

• Children at Dr. Daniel Fraschetti's La Quinta practice are also coming in for treatment of allergies. Usually treatment starts with an over the counter allergy medicine, but if symptoms don't get better after three weeks to a month, another medication may be added.

• Dr. Randolph Gibbs tells us he's seen several cases of shingles over the past two weeks, mostly among the middle aged and elderly in Mecca. "Physicians should treat the acute herpes zoster infection with antiviral medication within 72 hours of symptom onset," he explains. "Remember that herpes zoster is contagious to those who have not had chicken pox (varicella) or have not received the varicella vaccine." He's also treating cases of heat exhaustion, which presents as fever, dizziness, and headache.

• Sore throats are still the story of the week among Dr. Vivien Pacold's young patients in Cathedral City. But this week it's strep, hemophilus and viral sore throats. This is mostly affecting adolescents in sports, and she suspects water bottles and sharing of water bottles is the culprit. Capping and uncapping with dirty fingers and then sipping could be the cause. Make sure reusable bottles are washed in hot, soapy water and well-rinsed before using them again.

• Physician Assistant Mitch Claire at Dr. Arthur Davis' practice in Indio says he saw two cases of kidney stones this week, which cause lots of nausea and vomiting. These stones form for various reasons, but lack of fluids through dehydration can exacerbate the symptoms. If you're prone to this problem, drink plenty of fluids, and see a doctor if the pain gets too bad. "It can be a serious condition leading to enlargement of the kidney and ultimately kidney failure," Claire says.

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