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Infection Control

Early signs suggest flu season may peak early in the U.S. this year, though health experts caution the upcoming holiday season could spur another uptick in activity.

Emerging research suggests the virus that causes COVID-19 can persist in the bodies of deceased patients, potentially posing an infection risk for healthcare workers, The New York Times reported Dec. 15.

After evaluating intensive care units with elevated rates of healthcare-associated infections that participated in a federal quality improvement program, a study published Nov. 21 in BMJ Open Quality identified four themes to maintain infection prevention activities during the pandemic. 

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Bacterial infections accounted for nearly 14 percent of deaths globally in 2019, trailing heart disease as the world's second-leading cause of death, according to a study published Nov. 21 in The Lancet.  

Researchers found more than 10 percent of fungal infections are diagnosed outside regions where the pathogens were known to be endemic, NBC News reported Nov. 21.

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