Emergency Medicine

Immediate care and urgent care are similar, but urgent care often handles more serious conditions that are not life-threatening. See below to understand more.

Urgent care centers have grown from simple clinics to full-service centers, offering a wide range of medical services and even telehealth options. See below to understand more.

Urgent care wait times can vary, and they have been affected by events like COVID-19 and other time specific factors, which increased the wait times. See below to understand more.

Urgent care centers in the U.S. generally operate beyond regular business hours, often including evenings and weekends, to provide care when other options are closed. See below to understand more.

People visit urgent care mostly for minor injuries, infections, and respiratory problems. These centers help with non-life-threatening issues when a doctor's visit isn't possible. See below to understand more.

Urgent care centers use ultrasound for conditions like abdominal pain, injuries, and heart problems to quickly help diagnose and treat patients. See below to understand more.

Urgent care centers usually have doctors and nurses who can treat minor injuries and illnesses. They also offer services like X-rays and lab tests. Before wasting time and money, it's important to select the right route to care. See below to understand more.

Deciding between the ER and urgent care depends on the severity and type of your health issue, with the ER handling more serious conditions and urgent care managing less severe problems. See below to understand more.

A true pediatric emergency that needs ER care includes severe breathing problems, unconsciousness, seizures, or serious injuries. These situations need immediate medical attention to prevent harm. See below to understand more.

Yes, brain-eating amoeba infections are very rare in the US, with only a few cases reported each year.

You can't get brain-eating amoeba from drinking water, but it can be dangerous if it goes up your nose.

Surviving a brain-eating amoeba infection is very rare, but there have been a few cases of survival with early diagnosis and treatment.

You can get infected with brain-eating amoeba by swimming in warm freshwater lakes or rivers where the amoeba lives. It enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain.

PAM infection, caused by Naegleria fowleri, progresses very quickly, often within a few days of exposure.

To prevent brain-eating amoeba infections, avoid swimming in warm freshwater and use properly treated water for activities like swimming and splashing.

To protect yourself from Naegleria fowleri when swimming, avoid warm freshwater and prevent water from entering your nose.

To rinse your sinuses safely and avoid amoeba infections, use sterile or distilled water and keep your nasal rinse equipment clean.

The brain-eating amoeba, known as Naegleria fowleri, is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person.

Yes, the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is often fatal when it causes an infection.

Swimming in warm freshwater lakes can be risky due to the presence of harmful amoebas that can cause serious illness.