When he started medical school, Dr. Frank Esper never imagined he would become a detective of sorts. But during a fellowship at Yale, a particularly challenging research project on viruses piqued his interest in tracking the ever-changing diseases. Esper, now a pediatric infectious disease specialist with University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, was tasked with trying to figure out how a virus was mutating as it moved from Europe into the U.S.
“I had several clues as to what the genetics were for this virus,” Esper says. “But I didn’t know how different this virus would be here in the western hemisphere.”
After hundreds of samples and months of work, he was able to piece together the clues needed to track the spread of the virus.
“I finally found that (virus) after so many months of toiling.” - Dr. Frank Esper
It was not until his final years of medical school that Esper decided to specialize in infectious diseases. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University in 1998 with his Ph.D., Esper traveled to Indianapolis, where he completed his residency in pediatrics at Riley Children’s Hospital. After his residency, the Cleveland native decided to attend Yale University and complete a fellowship in infectious diseases.
“(Infectious disease specialists) have our hands in everybody’s pocket,” he says. “We have to go where the germs go.”
Esper loves working in infectious diseases because of the complexity of the cases, especially in children. The young population presents some additional challenges, which really inspires Esper to tap into his disease “detective” skills.
“Respiratory viruses are just so ubiquitous in the pediatric population,” he says. In addition, children, he says, are more complex patients as they can have difficulties communicating their symptoms.
In addition to his clinical practice, Esper stays true to his Yale roots and continues to research infectious diseases.
“I’ve been all over in working with newly recognized and emerging respiratory viruses.” - Dr. Frank Esper
When Esper is not working on treating infectious diseases, he is helping to train future pediatric infectious disease doctors at Yale. He also contributes to infectious disease journals and textbooks.
Esper would like to change how doctors assist patients when they are treating infectious diseases and respiratory viruses. Instead of trial and error, he hopes there will soon be more evidence-based practices for identifying and treating infectious diseases.
“I’m not satisfied with just saying, ‘This is the gauntlet you have to run through,’” he says.
Esper has never regretted taking the step into the world of infectious diseases because he’s never bored. The field is ever-changing.
“Every year … it’s something new that wasn’t there before,” Esper says. “I continue to look for those types of viruses that are unrecognized.”
What to Know About Infectious Diseases
Most of us are hit with infectious diseases and respiratory illnesses during the fall and winter months. During the months of December and January, influenza is the heavy hitter of infectious diseases.
“It’s a substantial virus when it comes to morbidity and mortality,” he says. “When you talk about respiratory viruses, more people die from influenza above anything else, even though we have a good vaccine for it.”
Because influenza has such a high rate of mortality, it is not too late to get the flu shot this year.
After influenza, the most concerning disease is the respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.
RSV typically hits people during January and February.
“(That’s) when the hospital fills up,” Esper says.
According to Esper, while there are many different types of viruses, all viruses seem to have the same symptoms and typically stay in a person’s system for five days.
The best thing people can do to get over illnesses this winter, Esper advises, is to stay home.
Who Should Get the Flu Shot?
Everyone 6 months and older should receive the flu vaccine each season, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it’s especially important for these groups to get vaccinated:
- Pregnant women
- Children younger than 5
- People 65 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
- Household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 5 years of age with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children younger than 6 months of age (children younger than 6 months are at highest risk of flu-related complications but are too young to get vaccinated)
- Health care workers
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
Courtesy of Ohio Department of Health, odh.ohio.gov
Dylanne Petros is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Dr. Frank Esper
Dr. Frank Esper is a pediatric infectious disease specialist in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Rheumatology, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. He is a pediatrics assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Esper is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases. His special interests are pediatric viral respiratory infections and emerging infectious diseases.
