Infectious Diseases


NIOSH Fact Sheet Highlights Safety, Health Concerns Among Hotel Cleaners

Nearly 1.8 million people worked in the traveler/accommodations industry in 2008, including more than 400,000 hotel room cleaners.

Outbreaks have been declared at three of the seven hospitals operated by the Niagara Health System.

Ontario, CN Hospitals Battling C. Diff Outbreaks

The Globe and Mail reported at least 18 elderly patients have died, including 10 at a single hospital operated by the Niagara Health System.

FDA Offers Guidance for MRSA Diagnostic Devices

The draft guidance recommends studies for establishing the devices' performance characteristics, to aid in preventing and controling infections in health care settings.

CDC: Salmonella Infections on the Rise in U.S.

Salmonella, which is responsible for an estimated $365 million in direct medical costs each year in the United States, can be challenging to address because so many different foods like meats, eggs, produce, and even processed foods, can become contaminated with it and finding the source can be challenging because it can be introduced in many different ways.

Study Backs Usefulness of First Aid Cabinets

"The increasing number of absences due to employee illness further makes the case for on-site first aid kits or cabinets in the workplace," said John Amann, Cintas Corporation's senior director of operations.

As summer heats up, mosquitoes begin to breed.

Experts Predict 'Mosquito Summer from Hell'

Homeowners are advised to be vigilant in eliminating places where water can collect and stand in their yards and gardens.

Swine flu usually sickens pigs alone but can cause pandemics in humans.

NIAID Scientists Trace Development of Swine Flu Viruses

This long-term study allowed them to pinpoint when specific subtypes of virus first appeared in pigs in Hong Kong.

CDC: Lyme Disease Cases More Than Triple Since 1992

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness (or disease transmitted to humans by ticks, mosquitoes, or fleas) in the United States, with nearly 30,000 confirmed cases reported in 2009.



Swimmer's Ear Responsible for Nearly a Half Billion in Health Care Costs

Germs found in pools and at other recreational water venues are one of the most common causes of swimmer's ear.

New Test Detects Recent Infection with Toxoplasmosis Parasite

Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC Identifies 10 Public Health Achievements of First Decade of 21st Century

"Americans are living longer, healthier, and more productive lives than ever before thanks in part to extraordinary achievements in public health over the past decade," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.

Live from AIHce: Keynoter Calls for Safer Chemicals

Michael P. Wilson, associate director for Integrative Sciences at UC Berkeley's Center for Green Chemistry, observed that while the United States continues to lead the world in areas of occupational safety and health, the European Union has decidedly taken the global lead in chemicals policy initiatives with its adoption of REACH.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 225 million malaria cases occur worldwide annually, resulting in about 781,000 deaths.

Study: Mosquito Gut Bacteria Can Block Malaria Infection

In a new study, scientists found that among the various types of bacteria in the mosquito gut, a type of bacteria that occurs in some but not all mosquitoes effectively blocked infection with a malaria-causing parasite.

This photo of an infected child is included in the WHO slide set on the diagnosis of smallpox.

Ministers Weighing Destruction of Final Smallpox Stocks

It is on the agenda for the 64th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, May 16-24.

WHO: Many Countries Hit by Health Threats from Infectious, Chronic Diseases

Noncommunicable diseases such heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer now make up two-thirds of all deaths globally, due to the population aging and the spread of risk factors associated with globalization and urbanization.

Training, Video Target HAIs

HHS released the "Partnering to Heal: Teaming Up Against Healthcare-Associated Infections," an interactive computer-based video-simulation training program on May 13.

Nine people have reported ill after consuming raw or lightly steamed oysters.

Florida Oysters Linked to Cholera Outbreak: FDA

Nine people have reported ill after consuming raw or lightly steamed oysters that were harvested from Area 1642 of Apalachicola Bay, Fla.

FDA Approves First Test to Detect MRSA, MSSA

The KeyPath MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test determines whether bacteria growing in a patient’s positive blood culture sample are MRSA or MSSA within about five hours after any bacterial growth is first detected in the sample.

Facility Faces $72,000 Fine after Worker's Needlestick Injury

Twelve serious health violations include failing to offer the hepatitis B vaccination to a caregiver with occupational exposure to blood within 10 working days of initial assignment and train employees in the hazards of chemicals present in their workspaces.

CMS already has a similar but less extensive mandate to offer flu vaccinations in place.

CMS Extending Flu Vaccination Requirement

Its proposed vaccination standard covers both annual and pandemic flu and would affect Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals of all types.

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