More Americans are traveling to developing countries and coming back with rare skin conditions that sometimes perplex physicians, reports The New York Times.
In March, the CDC reported a 10-fold increase in cutaneous diptheria — a highly contagious infection common in sub-Saharan Africa, India and Indonesia. The agency saw about three reported cases annually between 1998 and 2011. This figured jumped to 33 cases annually from 2012-17.
The NYT said patients who return to the U.S. with rare skin infections like this often consult physicians "who may have never seen the condition before or even heard of it since medical school, if then."
Therefore, physicians must be on alert for these conditions as Americans continue traveling to less developed places.