Dr. Vinh Philip Pham M.D. PH.D.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is a very serious disease, which is characterized by a fluid buildup and inflammation in the lungs. This lung infection is caused by the fungus Pneumocystis jiroveci. It is an opportunistic disease that usually infects immunosuppressed individuals, especially...

What should I do if my child has the chickenpox?...

The initials 'HIV' stand for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. As the name suggest, it is a viral attack that completely weakens the defense systems of a human being leaving them open to invasion from bacteria and other disease causing micro-organisms.Once infected, the virus finds its way into the...

What are cold sores?Cold sores or fever blisters are a very common perioral condition caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of herpes simplex virus. Type 1 usually causes cold sores, although in some cases, the cold sores can also be caused by type 2. It is usually...

Mononucleosis, nicknamed 'the kissing disease' is an infectious disease spread through saliva and physical contact. Aside from kissing someone with the Epstein-Barr virus, it can be passed through sharing straws, toothbrushes, or eating food from the same plate as an infected person. It is the...

Over the course of our four million or so years of evolution, we humans have developed a highly-specialized immune system that is quite a warrior in combating infections. We are bombarded daily by bacterial and viral pathogens which have the potential to cause us serious illness, but, completely...