Infection Control Today News

NICUs Seeing More Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Infections

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:26:23 PDT

The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in U.S. neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) has more than tripled in recent years, reports a study in the July issue of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The study highlights the need for redoubled efforts to follow routine infection control steps to ...(419 words)

Physicians Say Risk Level Rising for Potential H1N1 Flu Pandemic

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:07:19 PDT

A new national study among 696 physicians revealed that more than one-third of physicians (37 percent) reported that there was "somewhat of a risk" that the H1N1 swine flu could result in a catastrophic pandemic, the highest level since an April study in which 49 percent of physicians reported that ...(172 words)

Hospital Achieves Significantly Lower Infection Rate for Hip Replacement

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:36:04 PDT

A new report on infection rates from the New York State Department of Health singles out Hospital for Special Surgery as the only hospital in New York State with a statistically lower rate of surgical site infection (SSI) compared to the state average for hip replacement/revision surgery.“We emphasize infection control ...(297 words)

Team Develops Anti-infection Technology

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:24:18 PDT

Combat-related injuries have long plagued the military in part because of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Imagine being able to spray a compound fracture with microcapsules that deliver a drug to bolster the immune system, stopping infection before it starts.That technology might be around the corner, says Bingyun Li, PhD, of the West ...(521 words)

Research Shows Possibility of Vaccine for Ear Infections

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:19:55 PDT

Otitis media, more commonly known as an ear infection, is the most frequently diagnosed illness in children less than 15 years of age in the United States and is the primary cause for emergency room visits. More than 80 percent of children will experience at least one ear infection before ...(365 words)

Influenza Virus in 1918 and Today

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:10:09 PDT

The influenza virus that wreaked worldwide havoc in 1918-1919 founded a viral dynasty that persists to this day, according to scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). In an article published online yesterday by the New England Journal of Medicine, authors Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Jeffery ...(801 words)

Measurements Fail to Identify TB Patients Who Could Benefit from Shorter Treatment Course

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:31:50 PDT

Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult infection to treat and requires six months of multiple antibiotics to cure it. To combat the TB pandemic, a shorter and simpler drug treatment would be a huge advance since most TB occurs in resource-limited settings with poor public health infrastructures. Testing whether two simple ...(394 words)

Risk of TB from Arthritis Medication Examined

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:27:28 PDT

Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is recognized as a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. Most TB cases develop as a result of reactivation of a latent TB infection, and health ...(459 words)

Study Provides Greater Understanding of Lyme Disease-Causing Bacteria

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:21:39 PDT

Lyme disease in the U.S. is caused by the tickborne bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and usually begins with a skin lesion, after which the bacteria spread throughout the body to the nervous system, heart or joints. About 60 percent of untreated individuals develop arthritis, which affects the knees in particular. Lyme ...(430 words)

Lyme Disease Legislation is Introduced

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:19:38 PDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, along with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have introduced the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2009. The bill ...(240 words)