APIC Issues Statement on Need for Increased Infection Prevention Measures in Ambulatory Care Settings

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has issued a statement from Kathy Warye, CEO of APIC, in conjunction with an article being published in the January issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine about outbreaks of hepatitis B and C in outpatient clinics nationwide. The outbreaks are linked to unsafe injection practices. In the statement Warye addresses the need for increased infection prevention measures in outpatient settings and also APIC’s work with HONOReform, a national coalition formed to bring a halt to unsafe needle practices in outpatient centers. APIC is providing educational resources and expertise to this effort spearheaded by a hepatitis C survivor. As this year progresses, APIC will play an increasingly active role in monitoring legislation and educating the profession about safe injection practices.

Warye’s statement is as follows: “A review article appearing in this month’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine identified 33 outbreaks of hepatitis B or C virus infection in U.S. outpatient healthcare settings during the past 10 years caused by unsafe injection practices. This comes on the heels of a highly publicized outbreak in Nevada in which 40,000 people were notified of their possible risk of hepatitis C due to improper use of syringes at a Las Vegas endoscopy clinic. Unsafe injection practices have also been cited at free-standing centers in Nebraska, New York, Michigan and North Carolina, needlessly exposing hundreds of thousands of patients to life-threatening infections.”