The CDC updated its Viral Respiratory Infections guidance Sept. 11 and changed recommendations for managing healthcare personnel who are exposed to or infected with common respiratory viruses. The recommendations apply to respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, influenza, RSV, parainfluenza, rhinovirus,…
Infection Control
If hospitals with higher infection rates for heart surgery patients reduced rates, they could prevent about 2,600 infections annually and reduce Medicare spending by $441 million, Michigan Medicine researchers found. The study, published Aug. 6 in The Journal of Thoracic…
A Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality program cut hospital-onset bloodstream infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by 65%. The study, published Aug. 27 in JAMA Network Open, implemented the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety…
A recent study found Candidozyma auris transfers to the gloves and gowns of healthcare workers in 29% of cases. The study, published Sept. 8 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, analyzed the risk factors for C. auris transmission in acute care…
The CDC reorganized its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, consolidating offices and renaming divisions and branches, according to a Sept. 9 Federal Register notice. The changes took effect Sept. 4. Here are three things to know:
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A total of 401 hospitals in the U.S. have a central line-associated bloodstream infection rate of zero, as based on the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS. The Healthcare-Associated Infections dataset, updated Aug. 13, includes performance data for five types of…
Albuquerque, N.M.-based Presbyterian Hospital said it found Legionella pneumophila in limited areas of the water system, including two rooms, Fox affiliate KRQE reported Sept. 7. The hospital implemented testing for the bacteria after a patient who recently received care at…
The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center selected 21 healthcare facilities to receive up to $500,000 each to strengthen their capacity to treat patients with high-consequence infectious diseases. The facilities span 16 states and territories and comprise the…
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston has diverted some surgical cases after state regulators identified a problem with the hospital’s steam sterilization equipment, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported Aug. 26. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services identified the…
A six-month screening campaign contained a Candida auris outbreak at a Seattle hospital without a single patient developing a symptomatic infection, researchers reported Aug. 19 in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Harborview Medical Center, a 500-bed public hospital and Level I trauma…