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The loss of roughly half the nations flu vaccine supply for the 2004-2005 season has infection control professionals scrambling to revamp their programs and secure adequate doses for health care workers and high-risk patients.
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In response to the national influenza vaccine shortage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing the answers to some of the most common questions by clinicians and the public.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are working together in completely aligning current and future common hospital quality measures in their condition-specific performance measure sets.
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In many countries around the world, antibiotics are sold without a prescription, a practice that is illegal in the United States. Yet some New York City stores that primarily serve the Hispanic community are selling these drugs over the counter, which adds to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, according to a study presented recently in Boston at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
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The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has written a letter to federal officials trying to remove red tape and clear the way for installation of alcohol hand rubs in hospital corridors.
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The first case of imported Lassa fever diagnosed in the United States since 1989 set off a flurry of public health and clinical investigations, but thus far no secondary transmission has been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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The Binax NOW chromatographic assay was found to be the optimal method for detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in upper respiratory secretions of children, while direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing was optimal in adults.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has formed a partnership with Aventis Pasteur Inc. to distribute 22.4 million doses of unshipped influenza vaccine to identified areas of need throughout the United States.
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A multifaceted patient safety program that included a focus on infection control has garnered a Pittsburgh hospital a 2004 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award. The awards are given out annually by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the National Quality Forum.
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An award-winning patient safety program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in McKeesport, PA, includes a focus on preventing troublesome Clostridium difficile infections.
