Infectious Disease Alert – February 1, 2010
February 1, 2010
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Post-earthquake Public Health in Haiti
Haiti, with a 2007 population of 9.7 million, is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 55% of households earning less than one U.S. dollar a day. Before the earthquake, 45% of the population lacked access to safe water and 83 lacked access to adequate sanitation. -
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Galactomannan for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Aspergillosis
All patients with hematologic disorders from a university teaching hospital in Belgium, who had BAL tested for galactomannan (GM) from 2005-2008, were reviewed. Only BAL samples obtained before the start of systemic antifungal therapy were used in the analysis. -
Persistent Infection with West Nile Virus
A longitudinal study of hospitalized WNV patients in Houston was initiated in 2002. A total of 112 patients remain in the cohort. -
Prevention of Surgical-site Infections
In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial from the Netherlands, 6,771 patients were screened on admission to the hospital for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization using real-time PCR. Of those, 1,251 patients were positive for S. aureus and 917 were included in the intent-to-treat analysis. -
Updates on Adult Immunizations
In October 2009, the US FDA approved Cervarix, a bivalent vaccine containing the oncogenic HPV types 16 and 18, for the prevention of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions in females ages 10 years through 25 years. -
Rapid Diagnostic Tests vs. Blood Smears for the Diagnosis of Malaria in the United States
Malaria is one of the most important diagnostic considerations in febrile returned travelers and can be fatal if not appropriately diagnosed and treated. -
Preventing Malaria by Vaccination
Nearly half of the world's population live in malaria-endemic geographic regions, and more than one million African children die of malaria each year. Vaccine development continues. -
Updates By Carol A. Kemper, MD, FACP
Eleven heroin users in Northern England and Scotland, as well as a possible twelfth, have been diagnosed with anthrax infection; five have died. -
Pharmacology Watch: Dabigatran: An Oral Direct Thrombin Inhibitor
n this issue: Results from a Phase 3 study of dabigatran, intensive lipid-lowering in CVD, H1N1 vaccine dosing and efficacy, and FDA Actions. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement
Click here for the February 2010 Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement