Marked Geographic Variation of CRE in Tennessee and Implications for Prevention

On CDC's Safe Healthcare blog, Marion Kainer, MD, MPH, FRACP, FSHEA, director of the healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance program at the Tennessee Department of Health, discusses the geographic variation of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in the state of Tennessee and the implications for prevention. The post kicks off a three-part series related to CDC’s August 2015 Vital Signs: Making Health Care Safer: Stop Spread of Antibiotic Resistance.

The Vital Signs report includes mathematical modeling that projects increases in drug-resistant infections and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) without immediate, nationwide improvements in infection control and antibiotic prescribing. While the coordinated approach this Vital Signs report describes is a forward-looking approach, some states are already implementing the response in a variety of different ways. This three-part blog series will spotlight the current efforts in Tennessee, Illinois and Wisconsin. Learn more and join the conversation at: http://blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare/?p=4572. Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of the blog series on Aug. 12 and 13.