News

Research on the population of black-legged ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease from host animals to humans, reinforces that it is important to take preventive measures when spending time outdoors.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today reported the third death due to pertussis countywide so far this year. The announcement comes as the California Department of Public Health has expanded its vaccination recommendations amid rising numbers of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, cases throughout the state.

A new vaccine-delivery patch based on hundreds of microscopic needles that dissolve into the skin could allow persons without medical training to painlessly administer vaccines while providing improved immunization against diseases such as influenza

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is continuing to ask members of the infection prevention and control community to comment on occupational exposure to infectious agents in healthcare settings.

In the wake of the discovery that as many as 1,800 veterans may have been exposed to HIV and the hepatitis B virus while receiving dental care at the John A. Cochran Medical Center in St. Louis, an independent panel is now investigating why there were breaches of infection prevention and control practices relating to the disinfection and sterilization of instruments.

A new study suggests that using household cleaning and pesticide products could contribute to an increased risk of women developing breast cancer, as many of these products contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals or mammary gland carcinogens.

Sepsis and septic shock appear to be more common than heart attacks or pulmonary blood clots among patients having general surgery, and the death rate for patients with septic shock is approximately 34 percent within 30 days of operation, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center are using computers to identify how one strain of dangerous bacteria might mutate in the same way a champion chess player tries to anticipate an opponent's strategies.

Scientists have developed a new way to target viruses which could increase the effectiveness of antiviral drugs.

Georgia-Pacific Professional introduces the newest extension of its durable wiper product line the Brawny Industrial Surface System.

Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) announces its newest comprehensive cleaning solution in the away-from-home washroom category, the SaniCell System.

The Ninth National Quality Colloquium is a hybrid conference and Internet event on patient safety, healthcare quality enhancement and medical errors reduction for healthcare executives, clinicians and patient-care staff.

Campaigns to increase seasonal influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers in Canada that include a combination of interventions had the greatest effect on increasing vaccine coverage, according to a study published in the July issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

A new VHA whitepaper released today by Medline Industries, Inc. details how the company used observational studies and context-based design to build human factors and social behaviors into its redesigned Foley catheter management tray.

The course, "The Infection Control Professional as an Environmentalist" will be offered Oct. 25-29, 2010 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education.

A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduced in the U.S. 10 years ago appears to reduce pneumonia and serious associated complications, such as blood infections, in the vaccine's target range, children less than a year old, according to new research.

A research project to identify all the surface proteins of USA300the most common community-associated strain of the methicillin-resistant form of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)has resulted in the identification and isolation of a plentiful new toxin that laboratory studies indicate is a potent killer of human immune cells.

In a new campaign, "I Believe in Zero CLABSIs," the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has teamed with patient safety expert Peter Pronovost, MD, of Johns Hopkins, to mobilize infection preventionists to prove that prevention is possible.

Practice Greenhealth unveils path to greener, more cost-effective operating rooms.

Ascent, a leader in delivering healthcare resource sustainability, has been awarded a three-year, single-source agreement with Upper Midwest Consolidated Service Center (UMCSC), a supply network of VHA member hospitals in the Midwest.

A universal influenza vaccine may become a reality because of research led by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

According to a new editorial in JAMA, the world can control and ultimately end the HIV/AIDS pandemic through a three-pronged strategy.

Xhale Innovations (XI) announces that it will demonstrate its hand hygiene system, HyGreen®, at the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit July 22-24, 2010 in San Diego.

One of the most common causes of preventable healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) is poor hand hygiene. iScrub Lite 1.5, an iPhone and iPod touch application developed at the University of Iowa (UI), makes monitoring hand hygiene compliance more efficient and accurate.

Richard Whitley, MD, FIDSA, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), has written a letter to CDC director Thomas Frieden relating to the draft guidance, "Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings."

AORN offers a new infection prevention course that assists ASCs in meeting CMS requirements.

Pharmacy OneSource, software-as-a-service provider of Sentri7, a Web-based, real-time infection prevention surveillance, documentation and reporting system, announces a complimentary webinar, "Sepsis Management: The Latest Evidence-Based Practice," presented by Kirsten Pyle-Springer, RN, CCRN.

EVA (Evolutionary Air), the newest Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) from Bullard, is now approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) with a combination chemical and particulate filter that protects users against organic vapors, chloride dioxide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, sulfur dioxide and particulates at a high efficiency level.

Ecolab Inc. announces the launch of Virasept, Ecolabs first ready-to-use (no mixing required) hard-surface disinfectant approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be effective against Clostridium difficile spores.

Preferred Surgical Products, LLC announces that it recently received a three-year, single-source contract with the Johns Hopkins Health System for its STAT-COVER line of sterile equipment covers and the STAT-PAC line of infection prevention packs for OR turnover.