A recent Yahoo Health article featured Jade Le, M.D., chief of infectious disease at Access TeleCare, as an expert voice on the growing cyclosporiasis outbreak, sickening hundreds of people across multiple states.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, often linked to contaminated fruits and vegetables. The outbreak has drawn national attention as Michigan, Texas, Illinois, and 14 other states report cases, and public health officials work to identify the source.
In the article, Dr. Le helps readers understand how cyclosporiasis spreads and where the actual risk lies. She explains that the parasite is typically tied to contaminated food or water rather than casual contact, stressing that cyclosporiasis is “not transmitted from person to person.” That kind of public-facing clarity is exactly what infectious disease physicians also bring to hospitals: the ability to translate emerging threats into actionable guidance for patients, clinicians, and care teams.
For hospitals and health systems, outbreaks like this also reinforce a larger operational reality: infectious disease expertise is not a nice-to-have resource. It is essential for clinical infrastructure.
Patients with gastrointestinal illness, fever, rash, respiratory symptoms, or unexplained or intractable infection, often present first to their local emergency department or clinic that may not have timely on-site access to infectious disease expertise. That means clues may get missed, and appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and containment delayed.
With a national shortage of infectious disease specialists, most hospitals are unable to have on-site coverage, but with telemedicine, infectious disease expertise is readily available, and clinicians have timely access to expert guidance on diagnosis, testing, treatment, isolation precautions, and escalation.
Dr. Le continues to be highly sought after for national media coverage as infectious diseases like Ebola and hantavirus make global headlines. Her continued presence in national infectious disease coverage reflects the depth of expertise Access TeleCare brings to hospitals across the country. As outbreaks evolve and infectious disease challenges become more complex, embedding that expertise into more hospitals can help local care teams respond faster, treat more confidently, and keep more patients close to home.
Read the full Yahoo Health article to learn more about cyclosporiasis and Dr. Le’s guidance.
