What's Next? Another Life Threatening Multi-Drug Resistant Organism Spreads Globally! 11/18/16

In the past number of years, it seems that we have become complacent to expecting the new global threat to arise. Just recently we all coped with how to deal with the effects of the Zika virus. Now, a new multi-drug resistant infection that can cause life- threatening illness in people with cystic fibrosis has spread globally. Mycobacterium abscessus is a species of mycobacteria and can cause severe pneumonia leading to accelerate inflammatory damage to the lungs. It’s extremely difficult to treat with fewer than one in three cases being treated successfully.

Researchers are not sure what delivery mechanism is being utilized by the pathogen to spread globally, but a study lead by the University of Cambridge and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute suggest that conventional cleaning will not be sufficient to eliminate the pathogen. M. abscessus can transmit through patient to patient contact, contact with contaminated surfaces, and through the air.

Doctors that are responsible for treating this infection are worried because M. abscessus can cause very serious infections that are extremely challenging to treat, requiring a combination of treatments with multiple antibiotics for 18 months or longer.  Professor Andres Floto says “The bug initially seems to have entered the patient population from the environment, but we think it has recently evolved to become capable of jumping from patient to patient, getting more virulent as it does so.” To learn more about this study read more here.

Equipping the EVS toolbox September 16, 2016

In the past decade, the number of multi-drug resistant pathogens have increased, yet many environmental service professionals methods of cleaning have remained stagnant. EVS professionals are well aware of the risk of

How to save 37,000 lives over five years.

The White House has backed a plan to fight superbugs — via the tracking of infections, faster tests and new drugs — and has asked Congress for $1.2 billion over five years to implement the program. If successful, the CDCs efforts...

Back to School: Outbreaks! August 19, 2016

As students and staff head into back to school season, it’s not just the curriculum that’s on their mind. In the past year, it seems like the number of outbreaks has increased greatly, especially those linked to Norovirus and other dangerous pathogens.

Medicare's Readmission Penalties Hit New High

Medicare measures the readmission rates of seven conditions: heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia, chronic lung disease, hip and knee replacements and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Fines are determined by comparing current rates to...

Readmission Penalties Approaching for Skilled Nursing Facilities - August 5, 2016

One of the most challenging transitions a patient will face is being discharged from the hospital and going to a skilled nursing facility. One fifth of the patients discharged from acute care hospitals are sent to one of the nations 15,000 skilled nursing facilities. According to a new report, skilled nursing facilities will need to address the “Protecting Access to Medicare Act” that starts to take effect in 2018.

MRSA: The Fight Continues

The largest epidemic going on inside hospitals and other health care facilities is controlling the infection MRSA. The staph bug causing these infections resists treatment and because it attacks so many people with weakened immune systems, hospital-acquired MRSA accounts for the vast majority of fatal MRSA infections.

Norovirus strikes at the RNC in Cleveland OH

The Ohio department of health was notified on Monday 7/18/16 about the outbreak of Norovirus among staffers at the Republican National Convention. All of those affected are staying at the Kalahari resort in Sandusky, Oh, about 60 miles away from...
Page: 1234567 - All