Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – November 1, 2016
November 1, 2016
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Mandates Work: Hospitals Hit 91% Flu Vaccination Rate
It's a far cry from the lagging levels of the voluntary flu shot era.
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Dropping Live Nasal Flu Vaccine Leaves Some Disappointed
Some pediatricians and their patients were taken aback by the decision to drop the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) nasal spray as a recommended flu vaccine for the 2016-2017 season in the U.S.
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Recent Studies Complicate Flu Shot Message
Children are at risk of flu complications and can spread the virus to vulnerable populations like the elderly, so they are an important target for annual vaccination. However, a recent study1 found some parents do not seek vaccination for their children based on the perception that it is not needed or their kids don’t get the flu.
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Injection Safety Lapses All Too Common in Ambulatory Care
Injection safety issues related to the improper use of needles, syringes, and vials continue to put patients at risk of bloodborne and bacterial infections in ambulatory care clinics and outpatient surgery centers.
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Did Prostate Cancer Treatment Lead to Fatal Zika Infection?
Most Zika infections are asymptomatic and non-consequential unless the infected person is pregnant or has had unprotected sex while the virus was circulating in the blood or persisting in a human reservoir like semen. Thus, we have seen tragic birth defects, failed or terminated pregnancies, transmission to sexual partners both male and female, and Zika infection following a needlestick.
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Lab Efficacy of Respirators over Masks Undermined by Real-World Use
The notion that surgical masks provide the same protection from respiratory viruses in a hospital is commonly refuted by lab studies, which show the greater effectiveness of a well-fitted N95 in filtering out aerosols and particles that could go through a standard mask.