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Infectious Diseases

Diagnosing and treating infectious diseases requires expertise and experience. Mayo Clinic Health System provides infectious disease care and travel medicine services close to where you live.

We focus on infection prevention and antimicrobial care, with a commitment to meeting your individual concerns and needs. As part of Mayo Clinic, we are also connected to more than 40 infectious disease specialists who can identify and treat complex diseases in adults and children.

If you travel internationally for business or for pleasure, we understand that medical concerns can be complicated. Our International Travel Clinic promotes safe, healthy travel. Travel medicine experts offer counseling, recommendations, vaccinations and prescriptions.

Find out more about our infectious diseases services:

Conditions and consultations

We provide information, consultation and treatment for bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections.

Infectious diseases and conditions we treat include:

AIDS or HIV infection
Bloodstream infections
Complex or rare conditions caused by emerging infectious diseases and multidrug-resistant microbes
Complications from cancer and critical care conditions
Endocarditis from an implantable cardiac device, such as a pacemaker or artificial valve
Fever of unknown origin
Orthopedic infection
Osteomyelitis and other bone infections
Valley fever
Vector-borne infections caused by mosquitoes, ticks and other insects

Travel medicine consultations

If you are planning to travel to an underdeveloped country, our International Travel Clinic can help prepare you for a healthy trip. You will meet with a travel medicine expert who is knowledgeable about current health risks worldwide. They can answer any questions you have about the unique health and safety concerns of your travel itinerary.

We promote safe and healthy travel by offering services, including:

A country-by-country assessment, counseling and preventive prescriptions for all health risks specific to your travel itinerary, such as exotic infectious agents, altitude sickness and heat exhaustion
Advice for preventing common travel issues, such as jet lag, motion sickness, insect bites and diarrhea
Identification of health resources available in the countries on your travel itinerary, including English-speaking providers and foreign embassy contacts
Immunization recommendations, counseling and administration
Malaria prevention counseling with prescriptions, if needed
Review of your medical and immunization history profile with advice for health promotion and illness prevention
Suggestions for traveling with medications and documentation for restricted substances
Traveler's diarrhea counseling and self-treatment with antibiotic prescription
Vector (insect-borne illness) precautions counseling

Diagnosis and treatments

Infectious diseases can be complex and affect many body systems. Diagnosing and treating infectious diseases requires a multidisciplinary approach. Your care team personalizes your treatment plan according to your medical condition and infection.

Our infectious diseases team specializes in the optimal use of antimicrobials — agents that eliminate microorganisms or bacterial growth.

Using antimicrobials:

Reduces the chances of developing drug resistance
Increases your likelihood of responding to the medication

Our infectious disease experts also manage complex infections common to a hospital setting. They develop strategies to reduce the risk of infection after surgery and for all hospitalized patients.

Infectious disease specialists

Infectious disease problems are often related to other medical conditions. Our infectious diseases team works with providers from other specialty care areas. This collaboration ensures you receive the right care for your medical needs.

Our specialists include:

Physicians
Advanced practice providers
Nurses
Pharmacists

Additional care may be provided by:

Referrals

A referral may be required for infectious disease care and travel medicine services. Call your preferred infectious disease care location to learn more.

If you are a provider, you can refer a patient online, by phone or by fax.

FAQ

When is a consultation with the International Travel Clinic helpful?

Anyone planning a trip overseas can benefit from seeing one of our travel medicine specialists. A travel clinic appointment is essential if you are traveling to an underdeveloped or developing country. Those destinations increase your risk of contracting malaria or other serious illnesses.

These areas include:

Africa
Central America
Mexico
South America
Southeast Asia

When is the ideal time for a pretravel consultation with the International Travel Clinic?

Schedule an appointment for a pretravel consultation at least six to eight weeks before you leave for your trip. Ideally, you should schedule the appointment as soon as you establish travel plans.

If you are traveling to an underdeveloped or developing country, it may take up to two months to receive a complete set of immunizations. Some vaccines need several weeks for immunity to develop. Others require more than one dose for full protection.

What should I bring to my pretravel consultation?

The more information our travel experts have, the better we can prepare you for your trip. At your first appointment, plan to share:

Copies of all available immunization records, including the International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card)
Information about any unusual circumstances
List of countries you will visit
Travel dates and duration

Knowing where you are going and what immunizations you have can expedite your appointment. It can also decrease the number of vaccines you receive.

What happens if I am sick when I return from my trip?

We may recommend a routine follow-up evaluation after your return. It depends on where you are traveling and how long you will be gone.

If you return home sick, our travel medicine experts can provide comprehensive post-travel consultations. They evaluate and treat travel-related illnesses, such as parasitic diseases, that may be common to tropical regions but uncommon in the United States.

Does insurance cover infectious diseases and travel medicine care?

Health insurance varies. However, many health plans provide coverage for infectious diseases. Contact your insurance provider for details about your specific coverage. Our Patient Account Services team is happy to answer any questions and help you navigate billing and insurance.

We serve patients in difficult financial circumstances and offer financial assistance to those who have an established need to receive medically necessary services.