Infectious Diseases


Worker's Arm Laceration Leads to New York Recycler's $61,000 Fine

The recycling facility located in Buffalo, N.Y., was cited for hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) and bloodborne pathogen hazards, among others.

The partnership would identify risks and strategies for ensuring the safety of the U.S. supply of blood and blood components.

HHS Exploring Biovigilance Partnership

Its aim would be to ensure the safety of the U.S. supply of blood and blood components, tissues, cells, and organs.

Staphaseptic First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Gel

FDA Warns Companies About MRSA Claims

The agency sent warning letters to four companies selling OTC products bearing claims that they prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan called the agreement "a very significant victory for public health."

WHO Members Agree to Share Flu Virus Samples

Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan hailed the agreement reached last weekend as paving the way for effective response during future influenza pandemics.

FDA Clears Single-Use Antibacterial N95 Surgical Respirator

The Food and Drug Administration cleared the SpectraShield 9500 N95 surgical respirator, a device that kills 99.99 percent of three different kinds of bacteria when exposed to its outer surface. The single-use, N95 surgical respirator is designed for use in health care settings by health care personnel to protect against microorganisms, body fluids, and particulate material.

Antimicrobial Resistance Poses Growing Health Threat: CDC

Antibiotic resistance increases the economic burden on the entire health care system. Resistant infections are often more severe, leading to longer hospital stays and increased costs for treatment.

Anyone may petition the HHS secretary to propose regulations to amend the Vaccine Injury Table.

HHS Awaiting IOM Report on Vaccines' Effects

Expected to arrive in early summer, it will review the evidence for adverse health events associated with vaccines covered by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Hepatitis B Vaccine's Inventor Memorialized

The vaccine was created in 1969 and patented three years later. It has saved millions of people around the world. Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus, died April 5 in California.



New Federal Guidelines on Preventing Catheter-Related Infections

Following them can improve patient safety and reduce medical costs. Such infections are now considered largely preventable, experts say.

Inavir is the lead product in a range of second-generation antivirals co-owned by Biota Scientific Management Pty, Ltd and Daiichi Sankyo.

Government Funds Development of Single Dose Flu Antiviral

The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, BARDA, announced the $231 million, five-year contract on March 31.

Is Sneezing a Sign of a Cold or Allergies?

A runny or stuffy nose and non-stop sneezing can leave you feeling miserable, but is it a cold or are allergies taking a toll? Finding out whether your symptoms are caused by a cold or allergy is the first step to finding relief, according to allergist members of American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

An outbreak had occurred in two of these hospitals among patients receiving total parenteral nutrition, which is liquid nutrition fed through an IV using a catheter.

Contaminated IV Bags Suspected in Nine Patient Deaths in Alabama

Health officials are investigating the deaths of nine patients at Alabama hospitals who were given an intravenous nutritional supplement that had been contaminated by bacteria.

Older Adults Not Getting Recommended Preventive Services: CDC

"If we can help patients age 65 and older get the recommended preventive screenings and regular immunizations, we could significantly reduce unnecessary illness," said Edward Langston, M.D., an American Medical Association board member.

The new standard addresses "a critical gap" in the ability of end users to look at overall PPE performance, a committee member says.

New Standard Offers Test Method for Apparel Resistance

The ASTM F2878 standard addresses the mechanics of hypodermic needle punctures in protective clothing.

FDA Approves First New Lupus Drug in 56 Years

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Benlysta (belimumab) to treat patients with active, autoantibody-positive lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus) who are receiving standard therapy, including corticosteroids, antimalarials, immunosuppressives, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

About 12 percent of the Asian elephants living in North America are thought to be infected with M. tuberculosis.

CDC Investigation Pinpoints Elephant-to-Human TB Outbreak

Several employees at a Tennessee elephant refuge were infected in 2009, including some who had no close contact with the animals. Air flow tests indicated bacteria that were aerosolized during routine pressure washing of a quarantine barn entered an adjacent administrative building.

Infections in ICUs Decreasing: CDC

Bloodstream infections in patients with central lines can be deadly, killing as many as 1 in 4 patients who gets one.

NSC Launches New Safety, Health Resource for Employers

The resource combines tools, materials, and activities geared to help an organization develop and maintain a successful needs-based program.

Delivering MRSA Awareness in the Workplace

No one is immune, and any of us could be exposed. In a regular training setting, typically three to four employees know someone who has or has had a staph infection in the past six months.

AOHP Says Sharps Injuries Underreported

A new position statement based on a survey of members placed bloodborne pathogens at the top of the association's agenda.

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