All health care providers in the US, who administer to any child or adult, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), trivalent influenza, pneumococcal conjugate,... more...
While the official influenza season has returned, it seems that the last season never ended, since providing influenza vaccinations never stopped. more...
The greatest change and challenge occurred with Contact Precautions. In 2009 Cal/OSHA instituted a new category which may be called “Aerosol Transmission” based Precautions, which subsumed Droplet and Airborne Precautions and largely ignored Contact Precautions. Standard Precautions as stipulated in the 2007 CDC Guideline had already been elevated to a level of what some termed “modified” Contact Precautions. In some facilities... more...
A free DVD about TB testing is available from CDC. It is a facilitator’s guide covering appropriate administration & reading of the TB skin test. You can find it on... more...
June 30, 2009by Barry Latner, M.D., Medical Director Laboratory Services, John Muir Health
At the time of this writing, the World Health Organization (WHO) has changed the phase of pandemic alert for the novel Influenza A (H1N1) virus from Phase 5 to Phase 6. This indicates a global pandemic is underway in which there is little or no immunity in the population. While the upgrade designation is... more...
This highly drug-resistant pathogen has a 40% mortality rate. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is resistant to almost all available antimicrobial agents. It is currently found primarily in the Northeastern United States but has been found sporadically in 24 states. CDC is very concerned and is recommending an aggressive approach,... more...
In 2008, the United States experienced the largest outbreak of measles since 2001. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak lasted from January through July, 2008 and affected 131 people, including 14 from California. Eight-nine percent of the cases were imported... more...
Of all the measures used to reduce the transmission of disease, Hand Hygiene has been shown to be the most effective, most convenient, and easiest to perform. It is also the most often neglected or improperly performed measure. While hand-washing is old news, Hand Hygiene is a relatively new idea. Properly "performed" Hand Hygiene involves both handwashing and "hand awareness." more...
Facilities have a special responsibility to their patients, especially those susceptible to adverse reactions to infection, to practice constant and systematic surveillance for early detection of nosocomial infections and to respond rapidly to contain outbreaks. Outbreaks can be caused by... more...
According to an October 2007 report from CDC researchers1, more people in the United States now die from an MRSA infection than from AIDS. About 85% of MRSA infections in 2005 were acquired in the healthcare setting. Those at highest risk for an MRSA infection in the healthcare setting are patients who undergo invasive medical procedures,... more...
he news story seemed reminiscent of a Keystone Kops cinema: police and health officials chasing a handsome, healthy-looking 31-year-old globe-trotting attorney Andrew Speaker, and his beautiful bride, through city after city in at least 5 countries, being eluded at hotels, airports, and border checkpoints, only to have the gentleman turn himself in at a New York City hospital, and finally having agents of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put him into strict isolation for being infected with a deadly and dangerous contagion - tuberculosis (TB)! Wait - is TB dangerous? Isn't TB easily treatable and curable? more...
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection in both the acute and long term care setting. UTIs are the most difficult nosocomial infection to control and eradicate, and contribute substantially to patient morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs, annual doctor visits, and antibiotic use... more...
In the US West Nile Virus has been identified in over 200 species of birds. Avian influenza tends to favor wild water fowl, dogs, cats, skunks, raccoons, bats, and some other animals can transmit rabies. Though rats are the most frequent carrier, domestic cats are also highly susceptible to plague... more...
An influenza pandemic is a worldwide outbreak of infection. This occurs when a new influenza A virus subtype emerges that has never circulated among people or has not circulated among people for a long time. No one... more...
This virus was first identified in 1937 in the West Nile District in Uganda. It arrived in the US during the summer of 2000. California had two imported human cases in 2002 and several cases in the Los Angeles area in 2003. Dead birds, infected with West Nile Virus, were found in the Los Angeles area in 2004... more...
Norwalk-Like Viruses are responsible for causing gastroenteritis outbreaks in many long-term care facilities. The transmission route is fecal-oral. The virus can be spread by food or water but is most frequently spread by the contaminated hands of healthcare workers. Environmental surfaces can also... more...
n order to determine immunity, it is currently recommended that post vaccination testing be done 1-2 months after completion of the vaccination series. The level of circulating anti-HBs will determine the effectiveness of the vaccination. The vaccination... more...
The most common reason employees are not vaccinated stems from the common misconception that influenza can be acquired as a result. This of course is not possible! So, order your vaccine soon, and develop a strategy to encourage all employees and your elderly patients to get vaccinated... more...
Infections caused by C. trachomatis (CT) and N. gonorrhoeae (NG)are two of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in the United States and worldwide. Each may cause asymptomatic infections,... more...
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