Mary Beth Alder RN , BSN, NP, DNSC

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...

The deadly coronavirus that began as a handful of infections in China and exponentially multiplied around the globe has become one of the largest news stories of the decade.With over 50 million cases of COVID-19 confirmed and over 1 million deaths, the world is struggling on how to contain the virus...

Borrelia burgdorferi is a gram-negative bacterium, which is the causative organism of Lyme disease. It is most commonly found in North America and Europe. Lyme disease is a zoonotic vector-borne disease. A zoonotic disease is a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and...

Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the United States that mostly affects people between 14 and 49. It occurs as a result of infection with both types of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-HSV1 and HSV2. However, most people with genital herpes are infected with...

What is mumps?Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection. The virus invades the parotid glands of the individual causing pain and inflammation of these glands. It is characterized by a “hamster-like” swelling of the patient’s face. The initial symptoms may take up to two weeks to manifest....

Discovered in the 1980s in Western and Central Africa, HIV is a virus and at the same time an infection. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a virus that gets into the bloodstream and slowly attacks the human immune system. The immune system is a naturally occurring system in the body...