News

Virginia Tech researchers have discovered a new group of antibiotics that may provide relief to some of the more than 2 million people in the United States affected by antibiotic resistance.The new antibiotics target the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the antibiotic resistant strains commonly known as MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Q: Our facility has been using rigid sterilization containers for some time. We do not have a cart washer or mechanical washer so we wipe them out with a disinfectant wipe. I attended a webinar and was told this is not accepted practice. We have been cleaning the containers this way for years. What is the correct practice?

Proteins called broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are a promising key to the prevention of infection by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. bNAbs have been found in blood samples from some HIV patients whose immune systems can naturally control the infection. These antibodies may protect a patient's healthy cells by recognizing a protein called the envelope spike, present on the surface of all HIV strains and inhibiting, or neutralizing, the effects of the virus. Now Caltech researchers have discovered that one particular bNAb may be able to recognize this signature protein, even as it takes on different conformations during infection--making it easier to detect and neutralize the viruses in an infected patient.

Hospital environmental services (EVS) workers want to do the best job they can to keep healthcare facilities clean and ultimately protect patients from harm. But often there is a lack of understanding of proper hand hygiene protocol-and an accompanying lack of training.

Currently there is no published guideline or community standard for the way in which infection preventionists (IPs) should spend their time each day in hospitals and ambulatory-based settings. The Infrastructure Report and the APIC IP Competency Model both help to address this, building on the SENIC study, though none offers a level of guidance that would support reliable design for the time constructs of IPs. The way in which IPs spend their time varies widely among facilities and across the continuum of care, driven in part by regulations, by the priorities to the IP’s manager, and by the strengths and interests of the IP. In the absence of a guideline, the goal of this paper is offer a best practice model for structuring the day of an IP based on the APIC IP Competency Model, and for staffing a qualified and successful IP department/team. A sample organizational chart is also offered. We intend for this paper to be used to inform executives in hospitals and ambulatory-care facilities in order to support the priorities and scope of infection prevention and control programs, and to ensure that these programs are adequately resourced to protect relevant clinical imperatives.

Every day in healthcare settings across the continuum of care, healthcare professionals are faced with obstacles that in many cases are caused by breakdowns in communication and collaboration, particularly across disciplines such as nursing, medicine, and environmental services. Due to the increasing complexities that exist across the continuum of care, it is more important than ever to have access to evidence-based tools and methodologies that can improve patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Nurse-trainer Helena Cumbelembe Inacio was struggling to teach nurses at the health center here the correct combination of medicines to prevent pregnant women with HIV from passing the infection to their children. The nurses couldn’t quite master the medication protocol. “The learning is slow, and they could not pronounce well the names of the antiretroviral drugs, let alone to remember the combination of the drugs,” Cumbelembe Inacio recalled.

In late August 2015, as Sierra Leone anxiously counted each day that passed with no new confirmed Ebola cases, a woman fell ill with fever, then diarrhea and vomiting in Sella Kafta village, Tonko Limba chiefdom, Kambia. Her family cared for her at home and, though her symptoms got worse, no one called the Ebola hotline. She was not tested for Ebola virus until after she died, when the Safe and Dignified Burial team were called to bury her and, following surveillance protocols, took a swab. That swab tested positive for Ebola virus disease, bitterly disappointing a country hoping to see an end of Ebola transmission and triggering a rapid response by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners.

Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 5, 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of 25 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. Ten of these reported cases are associated with a MERS-CoV outbreak currently occurring in a hospital in Riyadh City.

Clorox Healthcare and the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) announce a new partnership to educate the healthcare community on comprehensive infection control practices to help reduce the spread of infection in healthcare facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause two million illnesses and approximately 23,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Mathematical modeling included in its latest Vital Signs report shows that the spread of drug-resistant infections and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) will increase without immediate improvements in infection control and antibiotic prescribing. The report also states that if improved infection control practices and antibiotic stewardship efforts were adopted nationally, 619,000 infections and 37,000 deaths could be prevented over five years.

A deadly parasite that causes Chagas disease is widespread in a common Texas insect, according to a new study by University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) researchers. The finding suggests that the risk of Texans contracting the disease may be higher than previously thought.

Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Europe, has issued the following statement: "The large influx of refugees and migrants to countries of the WHO European Region, which has escalated in the past few months, calls for an urgent response to their health needs. Actions are needed between and within countries as well as among sectors.

The National Institutes of Health are funding a Kansas State University research project that is looking at viruses that have the potential to be the next smallpox as well as an effective weapon against cancer.