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In a surprise finding, an analysis of US hospitals today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology has found that meeting all seven of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) core elements of hospital antibiotic stewardship programs is associated with higher use of certain antibiotics than meetings six or fewer elements.
Nearly half of respondents (45%) haven't taken antibiotics as prescribed.
The Illinois-based Joint Commission, which accredits healthcare facilities for receipt of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, has created five new performance measures for antimicrobial stewardship requirements in ambulatory care centers, the commission announced yesterday.
Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans
Two countries in Africa and Pakistan have recorded new polio cases in the past week, according to an update today from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
Pakistan has reported two wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Shangla and Bannu districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with onset of paralysis on May 18 and 24. The cases raise Pakistan's total in 2019 to 24.
The WHO reports a worrying spike in activity in Mabalako, one of the smaller hot spots, as cases top 2,200.
Antimicrobials are needed to ensure food security, but they need to be used responsibly, an FAO official says.
Health officials in Saudi Arabia today reported another MERS-CoV case, which involves a 70-year-old man from Medina who had recent contact with camels.
The country's Ministry of Health (MOH) classified the patient's illness as primary, meaning he likely didn't contract MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) from another patient. Contact with camels is a known risk factor for contracting the disease.
A study involving nine emergency departments and acute care centers in California and Colorado found that educating physicians and patients about safe antibiotic use was tied to a 34% drop in inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, but the absolute reduction was fairly small because levels were already low to begin with.
Skepticism remains in some high-income nations, with France having the lowest trust in vaccines.
Most samples from wildlife in Nairobi carried multidrug-resistant E coli.
A study over four flu seasons of influenza and other respiratory illnesses at nine Canadian hospitals found that 95% of health providers have worked while sick, often when symptoms were mild or began during the workday. Researchers reported their findings yesterday in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).
WHO director: "All countries must strike a balance between ensuring access to life-saving antibiotics and slowing drug resistance."
With 13 new cases today, the DRC outbreak has reached 2,181 infections, 1,459 deaths.
A diagnostic accuracy study has determined that the T2Bacteria Panel rapidly and accurately diagnoses bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by five common pathogenic bacteria, according to a study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean regional office (EMRO) recently published its monthly snapshot of MERS-CoV activity, which covers 14 cases reported for May and one cluster, all in Saudi Arabia.
Of the 14 patients, 4 died from their MERS-CoV Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infections, all of them men who had underlying health conditions.
CDC experts also highlight the spread of measles in Europe, consequences for travelers, and advice for clinicians.
With 48 cases in 3 days in the DR Congo, totals have grown to 2,168 cases, including 1,440 deaths, for a 66% fatality rate.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) recently reported a new MERS-CoV case, which involves a 71-year-old woman from the capital city of Riyadh.
The woman's contact with camels isn't known, and authorities have classified her exposure to MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) as primary, meaning she probably wasn't exposed to another sick patient, according to an update to the MOH's epidemiologic week 24 report.
The panel expressed serious worry over the threat to the region and over funding.
