CDC Expert to Present H1N1 Update at Annual APIC Meeting

Michael Bell, MD, medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will provide conference attendees with important updates and further CDC guidance related to the H1N1 flu virus at the 36th annual educational conference and international meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), on Wednesday, June 10 at 8 a.m. in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The meeting, which runs June 7-11, is the largest annual gathering of infection preventionists from around the world.

Bell will address the use of CDC interim guidance and its emphasis on mask and triage procedures to help reduce the risk of transmission of respiratory pathogens. With growing concerns about the fall/winter influenza season, this interactive session also provides attendees with the opportunity to ask questions of Bell.

Don Wright, MD, MPH, principal deputy assistant secretary for health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will also address APIC annual conference attendees. He will share recent details about the “HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections” on Tuesday, June 9 at 9:15 a.m.  That plan was unveiled in January 2009.

“We are pleased to be able to offer conference attendees critically important information on late-breaking health issues,” said APIC 2009 president Christine J. Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC. “With speakers from top government agencies and leading healthcare institutions, the conference offers an important opportunity for infection preventionists to become more informed about controlling H1N1 and lead more effective interventions at their institutions.”