News

The Association of periOperative Registsred Nurses (AORN) has developed a new FAQ to advise you on the precautions you need for suspected or confirmed cases in the perioperative setting.

Researchers from the University of Manchester are part of a team that has identified an important new approach to diagnose infections in critically ill patients rapidly and accurately. A study by colleagues in Salford and Manchester found that chemically analyzing breath specimens from patients in intensive care can reveal bacterial infection in the lower respiratory tract of ventilated patients at risk of developing pneumonia.

Whooping cough has made an astonishing comeback, with 2012 seeing nearly 50,000 infections in the U.S. (the most since 1955), and a death rate in infants three times that of the rest of the population. The dramatic resurgence has puzzled public health officials, who have pointed to the waning effectiveness of the current vaccine and growing anti-vaccine sentiment as the most likely culprits.

Moa Wharf is one of Sierra Leone’s worst slums. In this overcrowded, beachfront neighborhood, Ebola arrived and seemed poised to burn through the area like wildfire. So how did one of the most challenging areas in Sierra Leone get to zero cases and how can the Ebola response learn from its success? Moa Wharf is a cluster of congested, tightly-packed corrugated iron and brick homes and shops. The passageways are narrow and crowded. Residents and visitors find themselves in close, intimate contact as they navigate swampy land and heaps of refuse. Pigs run loose on the streets, rooting through the garbage and adding their waste to an already fetid situation. So how did the area with one of the most challenging and daunting environments manage to reach zero cases?