Hospital Infection Control & Prevention
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IPs Finally Moving the Needle on C. diff
A combination of antibiotic stewardship, infection prevention, and environmental cleaning contributed to a 20% reduction in Clostridioides difficile from 2016 to 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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IPs Held the Line When AIDS Epidemic Hit U.S.
Currently president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Karen Hoffmann was a new IP at Detroit Medical Center 38 years ago. She recalls the day in 1981 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on the first cases of what eventually would be called AIDS. Hospital Infection Control & Prevention talked to Hoffmann about the IP experience during the epidemic in the following interview.
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A Bold Strategy to End the AIDS Epidemic in the U.S.
While taking an overall national approach, the plan — part of a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies — would target specific geographic areas and at-risk populations. The goals are a 75% reduction in infections in the next five years and a 90% reduction in 10 years. -
New CDC TB Guidelines Will Emphasize Blood Tests
Workflow may get a little smoother for infection preventionists who also wear an occupational health hat. The CDC is expected to soon issue new tuberculosis testing guidelines for healthcare workers that will end routine annual TB screening in favor of a baseline test on hire and retesting after an occupational exposure. -
IPs Prepare for Ebola as Outbreak in Africa Continues
As an Ebola outbreak continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo, infection preventionists again face the threat of an ill traveler from the region walking through the doors of their EDs. -
Once in Retreat, MRSA Makes a Stand
The CDC is no longer on track to meet the 2020 goal of a 50% reduction in hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infections from the 2015 baseline. -
Vaccines: We Forget the Past, Risk Repeating It
"The antivaccine sentiment is so deeply rooted. In my experience, and also in talking to my colleagues, it is very difficult to change the mindset of people who are intensely antivaccine."
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A Patient Tale That Beggars Belief
Amid ongoing measles outbreaks and the threatened return of other vaccine-preventable diseases, we begin with a single case that speaks to the intensity of resistance some parents have to childhood immunizations. -
Measles Makes an Unwelcome Comeback
A single undiagnosed measles case entering a hospital emergency room can set off an outbreak response that includes time-consuming and disruptive contact tracing. -
Are Stethoscopes a Vector for Transmission to Patients?
An iconic symbol of medicine, the stethoscope can serve as a fomite to transmit pathogens from patient to patient if infection control procedures are not followed, researchers report.