A study on the self-reported health of Americans ages 18 to 64 revealed that the flu is responsible for 200 million days of diminished productivity, 100 million days of bed disability, and 75 million days of work absence. Each episode of illness translates into five to six days of symptoms and between a half-day and five days of work missed.
To help employers prepare for the potential impact this virus could have on their workplaces, OSHA is presenting a forum today.
The Mount Sinai Medical Center recently released a Q&A with Infection Control Ocfficer David Pr. Calfee, M.D., concerning flu vaccination.
While lawyers said last week they have found a new cluster of Hepatitis C among patients treated at Las Vegas clinics involved in lawsuits and bankruptcy, the surgery technician who reused dirty needles at a Denver hospital pleaded guilty to federal charges Friday and faces sentencing in December.
But the two senators who introduced legislation on Sept. 8 to strengthen security and federal oversight of the six laboratories say the labs remain vulnerable.
An educational program titled "Infection Prevention for Ambulatory Care: Meeting CMS Conditions for Coverage" will be hosted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) from Nov. 6-7 in Dallas. The event will provide a foundation in infection prevention designed to help outpatient care providers meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revised conditions for coverage.
Vaccines against three seasonal virus strains are already available and should be used, FDA said. However, they do not protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus. These latest four vaccines are designed to do that.
Treating second-degree burns with a nanoemulsion lotion sharply curbs bacterial growth and reduces inflammation that otherwise can jeopardize recovery, University of Michigan (UM) scientists have shown in initial laboratory studies.
Hospital rooms can harbor germs that can cause serious infections, especially for elderly patients, those with weakened immune systems, and those who have undergone surgery or who have catheters or tubes inserted in the body.
A bankruptcy judge decided Wednesday to allow three civil trials to take place amid the bankruptcy of three medical clinics involved in the 2008 outbreak.
Preventing transmission by droplets is the key recommendation from researchers who analyzed the June 2009 outbreak among a tour group visiting southwestern China. Thermal scanning and health questionnaires at the Chinese airports did not detect symptomatic passengers.
“Current rates of health care worker immunizations are appallingly low and must not be tolerated,” said APIC President Christine J. Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC. “It’s time for hospitals to require flu shots--and hold employees accountable for declining the vaccine.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced plans to distribute $40 million to state health departments to help prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs).
"I want to keep people in the loop and let them know it’s not over. I want people to leave the presentation with the idea that this is something that can really happen and can affect their business and company, and they need to take protective measures,” said Larry D. Riley, compliance consultant with the Workplace Safety Awareness Council, who will present “The Swine Flu Pandemic: Urban Myths and Real Solutions for Your Facility” at the event.
Cook Children's Health Care System of Fort Worth, Texas, has boosted its employees' flu vaccination rates from 66 percent to 84 percent in the past two years.
The Institute of Medicine committee also recommended funding research to design and develop the next generation of respirators for health workers.
The next decade of NIOSH's research for the fastest-growing, most diverse sector of the U.S. economy should tackle big, persistent hazards: lifting, chemicals, diseases, stress, and violence in facilities and nonhospital settings, including home care.
A new iPhone application, created by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, enables users to track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1, on the ground in real time.
What can a doctor's rap, a man wielding a chainsaw, and a troupe of young dancers taking five on a sound stage do to encourage good health practices for this flu season? Vote now, and soon your favorite PSA may be on the air.
Bringing new technologies to market with a goal of keeping costs where less-affluent countries can afford them, MedPro Safety Products Inc. wants to address the home health market, as well.