The nation's 20-year streak of zero locally acquired malaria cases broke in 2023 after four states have reported infections, including the first-ever case in Arkansas. 

In 2022, Bachelor of Science in nursing programs rejected nearly 66,300 applications not because of lacking qualifications, according to American Association of Colleges of Nursing data CNN cited in an Oct. 5 report.

Hospital-acquired infections have been on the rise in recent years, but a possible new vaccine developed by researchers could be given to patients upon arrival to help prevent antibiotic-resistant infections. 

Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Mass., has recently treated four patients for tuberculosis. While there are about 10 active cases of the disease among residents in the city, officials maintain they are unrelated and therefore it is not considered an outbreak, The Boston Globe reported Oct. 5. 

Patient and staff safety goals are top of mind for many nurse leaders, with hospital-acquired infections and fall prevention being two of the most common measures leaders are tackling.

All vaccines recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices should be required for healthcare personnel, a coalition of 17 infection prevention and patient safety organizations said in an Oct. 6 letter sent to healthcare employers, as well as state and local government leaders. 

A partnership between San Antonio, Texas-based Methodist Healthcare, Alamo Colleges and  TecMilenio University in Monterrey, Mexico, will educate and train nurses from Mexico in an effort to curb staffing shortages in U.S. hospitals.

A recent study found evidence of a "long cold" syndrome associated with a variety of common respiratory viruses, including the common cold and influenza.

Cases of respiratory syncytial virus have been rising slowly in the U.S., according to CDC data published Oct. 5.

New Mexico has the highest rate of Clostridium difficile infections, while Alaska has the lowest, federal data shows.

Columbus-based Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center was awarded $20 million by the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science to gather evidence needed to inform the FDA's regulation of tobacco products.

The CDC has traced a string of sepsis cases that occurred after blood transfusions to contaminated blood platelet collection sets and solutions manufactured by Fresenius Kabi.

The CDC has announced the agency will no longer distribute COVID-19 vaccination cards. 

An Illinois House committee met with healthcare leaders to discuss changing nurse-patient ratios laws, Advantage News reported Oct. 5.

New York City has already confirmed about 500 cases of active tuberculosis this year, and understaffed clinics have led to long waits for diagnosis and treatment, Politico reported Oct. 4.

Sacramento-based Sutter Health has partnered with Press Ganey to leverage the company's Human Experience platform and pinpoint where to focus improvement efforts for patients and staff. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital quality and safety scores dropped. Amit Vashist, MD, is working to rapidly fix this issue at Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health.

An uptick of confirmed leprosy cases in Florida is resparking the debate of the disease's possible connection to nine-banded armadillos, USA Today reported Oct. 3. 

"Black boxes" in operating rooms are gaining popularity as a tool to improve safety and optimize efficiency. Given their benefits in this area, there is a significant opportunity for hospitals to improve patient safety by installing them in other high-risk settings, Mary Hawn, MD, wrote in a blog published on the Association of American Medical Colleges' website Oct. 3. 

Hospitals contain many security features designed to keep unwanted threats out — think locked entrances, metal detectors, etc. — but they're less equipped to keep certain people in, says Tony Pope, vice president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.