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The first recognized transmission of West Nile virus by organ transplantation and an unusual hepatitis C outbreak in organ recipients were both recently described in Washington, DC, at the annual conference of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
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Rather than merely isolating patients with known infections, infection control professionals should screen patients aggressively for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), according to new guidelines by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).
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A glaring infection control violation and an unusual genotype of hepatitis C virus were key findings in what may be the largest reported HCV outbreak in an outpatient setting.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has issued new guidance on the selection and handling of respirators for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), including recommendations to follow when respirators are either not available or in short supply.
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Infection control professionals trying to hone their approach to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the hospital may wish to review the following take-home points by Patti Grant, RN, BSN, MS, CIC, director of infection control for RHD & Trinity Medical Centers in Dallas.
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Though some new antibiotics are coming on to the market, the pipeline is at a mere trickle in a vast desert of resilient, resistant bugs. As a result, more drastic strategies may be needed, including economic incentives for the development of orphan drugs banning antibiotics as animal growth promoters, and saving a newly developed drug as a proverbial ace in the hole, a panel of experts noted recently.
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Increasing reports of community-acquired strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus may be driven in part by former hospital patients spreading MRSA to family members upon returning home, epidemiologists reported recently in Washington, DC, at the annual conference of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).
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No sooner had public health officials lauded the international scientific cooperation that led to the discovery of a new Coronavirus as the cause of the highly contagious and deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), than scientists from the different communities lined up to ensure they wouldnt be left out in the cold when it comes time to profit from their discoveries.
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If there was anyone left in doubt, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic has put the question to rest. Infectious diseases are back as a major threat to human health, say world public health officials, even among industrialized nations that once believed they were safe from harm.
