Infectious Disease

Sanctum exists in what has been called a post-antibiotic era—disease-causing bacteria have evolved resistance against common antibiotics, rendering them useless for treatment. The old mainstays of penicillin, vancomycin and so forth no longer have therapeutic value, and while some new drugs have proved effective, the medical community is often reliant on treatments that either make use of the human microbiome or that rally the immune response against disease agents before they attack.

Probiotic Therapy
Probiotic therapy is alive and well, since the human microbiome has been well-mapped and studied. The principle behind this is simple: introducing organisms to the body that can outcompete those causing infection. Intestinal infections can frequently be cleared up by taking pills filled with harmless intestinal bacteria, which then keep the numbers of the harmful ones in check. Over-the-counter creams can be purchased that treat skin infections in a similar manner. There are even eyedrops and nasal sprays loaded with live organisms. These therapies may be contraindicated for people with severe illnesses or suppressed immune function.

Vaccines
Advancements in molecular biology have lead to the development of new vaccines. These are often administered either orally (in liquid form—this is possible for some live attenuated vaccines) or through a painless, more modern version of the jet injector. The following is a list of some of the novel vaccines found in Sanctum, with some information about the illnesses they combat:
 * The ten-year seasonal influenza vaccine (administered in inactivated, “killed” form or live attenuated form. The live attenuated version tends to provide better immunity. Though the vaccine targets a particular protein in influenza viruses that mutates slowly, the viruses still pass through birds, pigs, and other animals in Sanctum and change enough over time that the vaccine must be reformulated every decade or so. Recipients of the vaccine can still get flu-like illnesses that are not caused by influenza viruses.)


 * The common cold vaccine (administered in live attenuated form. Like the above, this vaccine targets proteins that don’t mutate quickly and gives about five years of immunity against a host of cold-causing viruses. It does not protect against all causes of the common cold.)

Some vaccines are also no longer in use due to no cases of the illnesses having been documented in Sanctum. Here are some examples:
 * The HIV vaccine (administered in inactivated form. This vaccine gives approximately five years of immunity. It does not help patients already infected with HIV.)
 * The Hantavirus vaccine (administered in inactivated form. Hantavirus is spread primarily by rodent feces and has evolved to be transmitted person-to-person through sneezing and coughing. It has caused epidemics of hemorrhagic and pulmonary illness in the past, often originating in unsanitary areas of District 4. The vaccine is expensive and its availability tends to be limited to middle to upper class individuals.)
 * The Legionella vaccine (administered in live attenuated form. Legionella bacteria grow in untreated water, such as fountains, air conditioning cooling towers and hot water tanks; and enter the lungs through inhaling aerosols from these sources. Outbreaks are sporadic but the resultant pneumonia can and has been deadly. This vaccine is also expensive and in more limited use.)
 * Polio


 * Diphtheria (The diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine is no longer in use, though pertussis and tetanus cases have occurred. Pertussis, aka whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that occasionally appears in District 4. Tetanus cases are usually associated with injury and intravenous drug use.)


 * Measles, Mumps and Rubella (Authorities are uncertain whether measles has been eradicated, but mumps and rubella have not occurred. No vaccine for any of these illnesses is being manufactured.)

When probiotics and prophylactics fail, modern drugs can be employed.
 * Chickenpox