Infection control professionals should heighten suspicion for measles and know the immune status of health care workers after a literal rash of imported cases nationally has resulted in nosocomial transmission to patients and considerable chaos at hospitals.
In response to ongoing measles outbreaks due to imported cases, the Centers for Disease and Prevention issued an April 2, 2008, health advisory that includes the following key points:
Clostridium difficile which has caused a series of severe hospital outbreaks and unexplained community cases due in part to the emergence of a hypervirulent new epidemic strain (NAP1) is the subject of a landmark prevalence study.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is actively investigating the issue of Clostridium difficile in retail meat, and for apparently the first time has published concerns about the issue as a possible cause for unexplained C. diff cases in the community.
As the USA300 strain of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) increasingly besieges hospitals and displaces traditional nosocomial strains the widely held perception is that patient outcomes are going to suffer.
Epidemiologists applying social networking theory in simulated disease transmission models are finding that a hospital may be able to target interventions to protect patients against flu and other diseases.
If an influenza pandemic strikes, public health officials may not know enough about influenza transmission and respiratory protection to adequately protect health care workers.
