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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends placement of patients with a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and/or vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) colonization on contact precautions (CP). However, without national guidelines to advise on if or when contact precautions should may be discontinued, hospitals are left to determine for themselves when to remove patients from isolation, if at all.

Imagine walking into your doctors office, after being evaluated, you wait anxiously for the physician to return with their magic prescription pad that will no doubt conjure up some new super antibiotic to cure all that ails you. After all, youre not so concerned with the how or why you got sick, as you are with receiving the instant gratification from whatever drug is going to make you feel better.

The resurgence of bed bugs over the last decade has caused problems in major U.S. cities where they infest homes, apartments, hotels, shelters and even places of work. The small, blood-feeding insects are not known to transmit diseases, but they can cause severe reactions in people who are allergic to them. Bed bugs usually go unnoticed until their numbers increase significantly, and getting rid of them can be costly.

In a global economy with expansive travel networks, it is possible now for nations to quickly exchange pathogenic bacteria and viruses. These are bugs without borders, and they are becoming a public health threat that requires vigilance in surveillance, control, prevention and antimicrobial stewardship.