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Patient Questions

Real questions from health communities, answered with cited research from PubMed and Vellito's article corpus. Plain language, no medical advice. How this works.

Infectious Disease

Why did travel-associated Dengue cases increase in the United States in 2019?

Travel-associated dengue cases in the U.S. surged in 2019 due to high global dengue activity and increased travel to endemic areas, with 1,474 cases reported — 168% above the…

Infectious Disease

Can clinical prediction models help identify Dengue cases in Brazil?

Yes, clinical prediction models using symptoms like leukopenia and vomiting can help identify dengue cases in Brazil, with good accuracy in a recent study.

Infectious Disease

Can a bat bite in Texas lead to fatal human rabies?

Yes, a bat bite in Texas can lead to fatal human rabies, as confirmed by a specific case report of a boy who died after being bitten by a bat in that state.

Infectious Disease

How can a child in the Dominican Republic die from rabies?

A child in the Dominican Republic died from rabies after being bitten by an infected animal, likely a dog, which allowed the virus to travel to the brain and cause fatal brain…

Infectious Disease

Does amoxicillin work just as well as other antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia?

Current evidence suggests amoxicillin is generally as effective as other antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia, but the choice depends on local resistance patterns and…

Infectious Disease

Is it possible for an imported dog to bring rabies to the US?

Yes, an imported dog can bring rabies to the US, as documented by a specific case where a dog from Azerbaijan was found to have the disease upon arrival.

Infectious Disease

Are there safety concerns with the RSV vaccine for adults over 60?

Safety data from a year after the RSV vaccine was recommended for adults 60 and older shows no significant difference in serious adverse events compared to a placebo.

Infectious Disease

Do sexual minority women have higher rates of Substance Use Disorders compared to heterosexual women?

Research confirms that sexual minority women have higher rates of substance use disorders than heterosexual women, with bisexual women often facing the highest risk.

Infectious Disease

How did Substance Use Disorders change among US high school students before and during the pandemic?

Substance use among US high school students decreased overall during the pandemic, but disparities widened for certain groups, including sexual minority youth and those…

Infectious Disease

What role did molecular testing play in the Los Angeles County Hepatitis A outbreak?

Molecular testing identified the specific strain of the virus in Los Angeles County, confirming the outbreak was caused by a single source and allowing officials to trace the…

Infectious Disease

What details are available about the recent Hepatitis A outbreak in the United States?

Recent data shows a sharp rise in Hepatitis A cases across the U.S., with outbreaks linked to contaminated food, water, and specific geographic areas like Los Angeles County.

Infectious Disease

How does Hepatitis B infection prevalence differ among US adults based on their race and origin?

NHANES data show that among US adults, past or present Hepatitis B infection is more common in Black adults and those born outside the US compared to White adults or those born…

Infectious Disease

What are the new Hepatitis A immunization recommendations for the United States?

New recommendations focus on vaccinating adults at risk, including those who use drugs, are homeless, or have chronic liver disease, due to a major shift in how the virus spreads.

Infectious Disease

How has the rate of Hepatitis C changed among younger adults in the US?

Hepatitis C rates have increased dramatically among younger US adults, driven by the opioid epidemic and injection drug use.

Infectious Disease

Why is the CDC recommending universal screening for Hepatitis C for pregnant women?

The CDC recommends universal Hepatitis C screening for all pregnant women because infection rates have doubled in the US since 2009, many cases go undiagnosed, and screening is…

Infectious Disease

How did the number of wild poliovirus cases change in Pakistan recently?

Wild poliovirus cases in Pakistan increased significantly between 2018 and 2019, and a later report documents changes in case numbers from 2022 through 2024.

Infectious Disease

Which 39 countries reported vaccine-derived poliovirus cases during the 2023 to 2024 period?

According to a 2024 surveillance report, 39 countries reported cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus between January 2023 and June 2024 [5].

Infectious Disease

Can virus-like particles be engineered to protect against malaria?

Yes, virus-like particles (VLPs) can be engineered to protect against malaria, with studies showing they can display malaria antigens and induce protective immune responses in…

Infectious Disease

Which antibiotic regimens are being compared to treat Helicobacter pylori infection in children aged 4 to 13 years?

In children aged 4–13 years, studies compare triple therapy (PPI + amoxicillin + clarithromycin or PPI + metronidazole + clarithromycin) versus bismuth-containing quadruple…

Infectious Disease

Does bismuth quadruple therapy work better than triple therapy for kids with Helicobacter pylori infection?

Yes, bismuth quadruple therapy works better than triple therapy for H. pylori eradication in children, with higher success rates especially when clarithromycin resistance is…

Infectious Disease

Can the FindPart-w model help identify which SARS-CoV-2 lineage group my child has?

Yes, the FindPart-w model can identify SARS-CoV-2 lineage groups, but it is a research tool not yet available for individual patient use.

Infectious Disease

Do doctors need to give extra oxygen to patients with septic shock?

Yes, doctors often give extra oxygen to septic shock patients, but recent evidence shows conservative oxygen targets (SpO2 88-94%) are as safe as liberal targets, with no…

Infectious Disease

Did the number of new HIV infections among gay men change recently?

No, the number of new HIV infections among gay men in the US did not change overall from 2010 to 2019.

Infectious Disease

How sensitive and specific is the Pluslife RHAM test for detecting monkeypox?

The Pluslife RHAM test detects monkeypox with 94.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity when compared to standard PCR methods.

How this works

We pull real patient questions from public Reddit health communities (r/AskDocs, r/diabetes, r/menopause, etc.). Each question is rewritten into a generic medical question (no personal details), then answered by an AI using only cited sources from Vellito's article database and PubMed. A second AI independently scores each answer for accuracy and citation fidelity before publication. Answers below the safety threshold or touching emergency, dosing, or pediatric topics are queued for human review and never auto-published.

This is not medical advice. Always speak with your own doctor before making decisions about your health.