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Ariane Lacoursiere Press
A young man in his twenties timidly walks into the office of the head of the infectious disease department at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital, Dr.r Karl Weiss. A few weeks ago, the patient contracted “mycoplasma genitalium”, a rather new bacterium described by Dr.r Weiss as the “New Kid on the Block” of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
After having unprotected sex, the patient presented with discharge from the penis. He had been prescribed traditional antibiotics to treat a common infection. “But the antibiotics did not change anything”, summarizes the Dr Weiss. After passing tests, the Dr Weiss identified the cause of the discomfort and he was able to treat the patient with the right treatments for this emerging STI.
In the 1970s, public health officials in the United States predicted that infectious diseases “were a thing of the past.” But rather the reverse has happened. The world has been hit by AIDS, Zika, SARS, the H1N1 flu, and other viruses, like the most recent coronavirus.
For the Dr Weiss, creating a Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases would better prepare for the next crisis. “Basically, it’s a center where we want to have a greater research capacity than at present […] to have a response capacity that is significantly increased in the future in infectious diseases, ”he summarizes.
Various interventions
In their daily practice, microbiologists-infectiologists treat a variety of issues related to infectious diseases, has observed Press accompanying the Dr Weiss in clinic in mid-February.
On that day, patients entering Dr Weiss had widely varying conditions, from tuberculosis to HIV to multiple sclerosis.
A young patient, who has refugee status, walks into Dr.r Weiss. He works as a service aide in a CHSLD in Montreal and has recently been followed because he has hepatitis C. Analyzing the young man’s file, Dr Weiss explains to him “that a treatment exists and it is very effective”. Because the treatment is very expensive and the patient is a refugee, access will be a bit more complicated, adds Dr.r Weiss. “But I’m not worried about you. In six months, it will all be over, ”he said.
An elderly couple then introduced themselves. The last time the Dr Weiss saw the man, he was in the operating room and had just had surgery for an aorto-duodenal fistula. The Dr Weiss had been called in to help treat an infection in the patient’s abdomen.
Since discharge from hospital, the patient has been treated with intravenous antibiotics at home. He has a central venous catheter (PICC line ) in the arm and can self-administer his medication. At the Jewish General Hospital, patients are followed by antibiotic therapy at home. These patients alone represent a virtual hospital of 250-300 beds, estimates the Dr Weiss.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
According to the Dr Karl Weiss, the creation of a center of excellence in infectious diseases will help research into infections, as well as their prevention and control.
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A 7.5 million project
To create the Center of Excellence for Infectious Diseases, the Jewish General Hospital is launching a fundraising campaign on Monday to raise $ 7.5 million. By carrying out research in particular on antibiotic resistance, vaccines and infection prevention and control, the Center would make it possible to react more quickly if a new virus struck, believes Dr.r Weiss.
The latter emphasizes that before COVID-19 struck, “never had we traveled so much on the planet”. The current pandemic demonstrates that viruses that appear on the other side of the world can quickly affect the entire globe.
It is therefore important to have a structure capable of responding quickly to the challenges that will arise in infectious diseases.
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The Dr Karl Weiss, head of the infectious diseases department at the Jewish General Hospital of Montreal
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At the end of the morning, an elderly lady enters the office of Dr Weiss with his walker. She is obviously delighted to see the doctor. She is recovering from a serious back infection. The Dr Weiss auscultate: the infection is completely gone.
The patient is so happy to see Dr Weiss that she doesn’t want to leave him. She has a long discussion with him. “When am I coming back to see you?” She asks. “Your infection is cured. Hope to never see you again! », Launches the D jokinglyr Weiss. “Me, I hope to catch another infection to come back!” », Replies the lady, laughing. Politely, the Dr Weiss opens the door to his office and urges the patient to follow him. The specialist ends his morning having seen around 20 patients of all ages and genders, none with the same type of infection.
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