STAT August 5, 2024
The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the importance of infectious disease doctors — but the field is still facing a shortage, with consequences for the health of communities across the U.S. Specialists spoke out about the impact of the shortage and potential solutions at a recent press briefing organized by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“Nearly 80% of counties in the U.S. don’t have an ID physician,” said Kinna Thakarar, an infectious disease physician at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center.
In 2023, only half of infectious disease residency training programs were filled — a continuation of a long-running trend. Applications in the programs temporarily went up in the aftermath of the pandemic, a phenomenon known as the “Fauci effect,” but soon fell...
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