Infection Control
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CDC Finalizes Employee Health Guidelines for Healthcare Worker Infections
The CDC has finalized new infection control guidelines for healthcare workers, putting the onus on hospital administration to provide employee health resources to prevent recurrent problems like presenteeism. The longstanding problem of presenteeism was recently documented in a study that showed that healthcare staff in nine hospitals worked an average of two days with upper respiratory symptoms during flu seasons.
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NIOSH: Masks as Protective as Respirators Against Influenza
In findings that have implications for the next influenza pandemic, the authors of a decade-long study of real-world use of respiratory protection by healthcare workers found no difference between N95 respirators and standard surgical masks. The study, which included clinicians but was led by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health was conducted at 137 outpatient sites at seven U.S. medical centers between September 2011 and May 2015, with final follow-up in June 2016.
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MERS Shows 16% Mortality Rate in Healthcare Workers
A recently published analysis of reported MERS cases between December 2016 and January 2019 revealed that 26% of 403 cases in the region were healthcare workers. The case fatality rate was a disturbing 16% among healthcare workers, compared to 34% among patients. Only 1.9% of the healthcare workers infected had comorbidities compared to 71% in other MERS cases over the period.
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Infectious Disease Groups Demand Border Patrol Administer Flu Shots to Detainees
Leading clinicians and public health officials are strongly questioning the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s (CBP) decision not to vaccinate migrants in detention facilities against flu and other infections. The CBP should at the very least immunize employees so they do not bring the virus in to detainees or acquire it, experts say.
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Burnout: The Signs of Onset, Methods of Prevention
Burnout is a systemic problem in healthcare and a test of resilience for the individual worker. In a new book on a problem that has become epidemic, a physician draws on his own experience with burnout and interviews those who are susceptible to the condition or are surprisingly resilient.
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Flu Vaccination Rates in Long-Term Care Workers Improving
Improving healthcare worker flu vaccination in long-term care settings remains a challenge, but there are signs of improvement as more facilities are seeking “honor roll” status aimed at reaching higher immunization rates.
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Ensure Flu Vaccine Policies, Exemptions Are Clear, Equitable
As more facilities adopt mandatory vaccination policies, they have to decide whether to allow exemptions. Some require influenza vaccination as condition of employment, while others allow specified exemptions. Medical exemptions may include allergy to vaccine components or a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome. One key to these policies appears to be consistency in making equitable arrangements, as workers denied religious exemptions have successfully sued through the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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Early Clinical Trial Data Suggest Potential Chlamydia Vaccine Safe for Use
Results of an early trial of a potential chlamydia vaccine indicate it is safe for use. While the vaccine, the first to reach Phase 1 clinical trial status, demonstrates promising early signs, further studies are needed to determine whether the immune response fully protects against chlamydia infection.
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Research Discovery May Lead to New UTI Treatments
Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are extremely common. In a primary care setting, 53% of women above age 55 years and 36% of younger women reported a recurrence within one year. Recent research indicates that some UTIs may stem from a persistent reservoir of E. coli residing in the intestine.
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Employee Health and Emerging Infections
The CDC is stepping up efforts to fight Ebola in Africa, deploying more personnel and resources to stop an expanding yearlong outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared an international health emergency in the DRC after an Ebola case appeared July 14 in Goma, a city of 2 million people that has connecting flights to global air travel. As of Aug. 18, 2,888 Ebola cases were reported, including 1,938 deaths for a morality rate of 67%. Cases continue to be reported among health workers, with the number infected rising to 153.