Infectious Disease Alert – September 1, 2018
September 1, 2018
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Measles From Coast to Coast: Risks, Costs, and Potential Interventions
It is expensive to respond to and control measles outbreaks in the United States. Primary outbreak prevention should focus on vaccination of travelers and encouragement of routine vaccine acceptance by those who currently are hesitant to have their children vaccinated.
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Latent Tuberculosis Treatment With Four Months of Rifampin Compared to Nine Months of Isoniazid
In an open-label trial, adults with latent tuberculosis infection were randomized to either four months of treatment with rifampin or nine months of treatment with isoniazid. The four-month rifampin regimen was non-inferior to nine months of isoniazid for prevention of active tuberculosis. It also was associated with a higher treatment completion rate and superior safety.
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A Grossly Inadequate Global Response to Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Only 1.5% of all individuals in the world with chronic hepatitis B virus infection are receiving treatment.
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Clinicians Prescribe Antibiotics for Excessive Duration in Patients With a Diagnosis of Acute Sinusitis
Clinicians inappropriately prescribe antibiotics most often to patients with a diagnosis of acute sinusitis for durations much longer than recommended.
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Probiotics for the Primary Prevention of Clostridium difficile Infection
The authors of a before-and-after intervention study and a meta-analysis found that probiotics reduce the incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The strategy seems to work best in hospital settings where the incidence of CDI is ≥ 5% and for patients receiving two or more antibiotics.
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Inappropriate Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing: The Need to Target Urgent Care Centers
Urgent care centers, which are part of a growth industry, are responsible for a large proportion of antibiotic prescriptions, including inappropriate prescriptions for acute respiratory diagnoses.
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Eosinophilic Meningitis Caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the United States
Excluding Hawaii, eosinophilic meningitis due to the rat lungworm rarely is encountered in the United States. Ordinarily, the infection is acquired in Asia and the South Pacific, but it also may be acquired in the southern United States.
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Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Risk Behavior and Toxoplasma; Embolic Risk and Vegetation Size; Recertification: Is There a Better Way?