Infection Control Today Magazine

Respiratory Protection

Study Finds Inadequate Mask Use Among Healthcare Workers Early in 2009 H1N1 Outbreak

Inadequate use of masks or respirators put healthcare workers at risk of 2009 H1N1 infection during the earliest stages of the 2009 pandemic in the U.S., according to a study published in the December issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The study, led by ...More
November 30, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Organizations Issue Joint Statement on FDA Clearance of Pediatric Face Mask

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) state that they are pleased that ...More
September 29, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Non-Invasive Ventilation: Implications on the Optimal Choice of Respiratory Protection

The guidance on the optimal choice of respiratory protection for healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for patients with suspected/confirmed influenza infection requiring non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has remained controversial. In a poster presentation at the International ...More
July 5, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Health System Achieves High Flu Vaccination Rates by Mandating Masking

Geisinger Health System vaccinated more than 92 percent of all employees against influenza this season, with a modification of a mandatory program. On average, fewer than half of all healthcare workers receive flu vaccinations. In an article published in July’s Infection ...More
June 15, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
National Fit Testing Services to Expand In-Service Training Program

National Fit Testing Services (NFTS) announces an expanded in-service training program to help first responders and other healthcare workers meet OSHA respiratory protection standards. Any medical facility dealing with airborne infectious disease can benefit from this ...More
June 9, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
FDA Clears Single-Use Antibacterial Surgical Respirator

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the SpectraShield 9500 N95 surgical respirator, a device that kills 99.99 percent of three different kinds of bacteria when exposed to its outer surface. The FDA has cleared the SpectraShield as a single-use, N95 surgical ...More
April 11, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation Award Presented to JSP Ltd. for FilterSpec

The 2011 Frost & Sullivan North America New Product Innovation Award in Personal Protective Equipment is presented to JSP Ltd for FilterSpec. This remarkable product launched in the first half of 2010 uniquely combines safety spectacles and a disposable respiratory ...More
March 29, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Lack of Adherence to Respiratory PPE Seen During First Wave of H1N1 Pandemic

Many healthcare professionals were exposed to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus during the first wave of the pandemic because they were not using respiratory protection and/or other pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE). David B. Banach MD, MPH, of the Department of ...More
March 8, 2011
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
New Report Raises Question of Flu Viability in Respirable Particles, Addresses PPE Imperatives

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) have released the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, "Preventing Transmission of Pandemic Influenza and other Viral Respiratory Diseases: ...More
March 1, 2011
Posted in Articles, PPE & Standard Precautions
NIOSH to Hold Public Meeting to Discuss Respirator Standards

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) will conduct a public meeting to discuss current respirator standards development projects, including the NIOSH Regulatory Agenda for ...More
November 30, 2010
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions