People unvaccinated against COVID-19 were at up to four times the risk of infection, finds a JAMA Network Open study based on tests taken at US retail pharmacies, most of them after the emergence of the Delta (B1617.2) variant.
A team of pediatricians in Massachusetts has developed a new metric for capturing the range of antibiotic prescribing among pediatricians for common clinical scenarios.
Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans
Originally published by CIDRAP News Dec 22
United States flu activity jumped again the week ending Dec 18, with eight states reporting high or very high activity and the first two pediatric flu deaths reported for the season, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its regular update.
A retrospective study of a large cohort of US pregnancies during the COVID-19 pandemic found that infection with SARS-CoV-2 was associated with increased risks for poor pregnancy outcomes, an international team of researchers reported today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Full vaccination against COVID-19 was associated with reduced risk of breakthrough infection, but risk of breakthrough infection was much higher among fully vaccinated people with immune dysfunction than those without, US researchers reported today in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The incubation period for the Omicron variant may be shorter than for Delta and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, Nebraska researchers reported yesterday, based on an analysis of the first known Omicron cluster in the United States. The team reported its findings yesterday in an early online edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Originally published by CIDRAP News Dec 29
US flu markers rose again last week, though reporting may be impacted by holiday-related delays, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update, which covers the week ending Dec 25.
Late last week the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted an outbreak notice about an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak related to mixed leafy greens.
Nonhospitalized patients who recovered from asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 can experience small but measurable drops in dynamic lung volume, Danish researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. They note that lower lung function, even within the normal ranges, is a risk factor for higher respiratory morbidity and mortality.
A large multistate cohort study of more than 40,000 pregnant women and their nonpregnant peers found no link between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and preterm or small-for-gestational-age births.
The results of a randomized trial in Papua New Guinea suggest three rounds of mass administration of azithromycin led to a greater reduction in the prevalence of yaws than a single round, researchers reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Yesterday a new preprint study out of Israel showed the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine waned in 12- to 17-year-olds in a similar pattern seen in adult recipients. Within 5 month after completing the initial two-dose vaccinations series, protection against infection with SARS-CoV-2 dropped to 58%. The study was published on the preprint server medRxiv.
For the week ending Jan 1, most US flu indicators rose, with the season still dominated by H3N2 and now affecting a range of age-groups and hitting the northeastern and central regions hardest, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update.
Despite anecdotal reports of alternations in menstrual cycle following COVID-19 vaccination, a study looking at the connection found little impact. A research team based at Oregon Health & Science University published their findings this week in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
A new report from the AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA) highlights some of the efforts that life sciences companies are pursuing to deliver on commitments to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
The 2021 AMRIA Progress Report draws on a survey completed by 53 alliance members and looks at efforts across four strategic pillars—research and science, access, appropriate use, and manufacturing and the environment.
The corticosteroid dexamethasone was associated with a 56% lower risk of death and intensive care unit (ICU) admission among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and is safe to use in monitored diabetes patients, according to research presented at this week's Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Non-prescription and irresponsible antibiotic use are prevalent across the world and are largely influenced by non-biomedical factors, an international team of researchers reported this week in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
Positive COVID-19 test results were more than 10 times more common among unvaccinated, asymptomatic healthcare professionals (HCP) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) long-term care facilities than among their fully vaccinated counterparts, according to a research letter yesterday in JAMA Network Open.
Though the nation's flu activity is still at low levels, the number of detections has increased in recent weeks, mostly due to the H3N2 strain and with 90% of cases in people ages 5 to 24, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in an update that covers last week.
A UK study yesterday in The Lancet finds that flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be safely co-administered.
Originally published by CIDRAP News Nov 11
Antibiotic prescribing in general practice in England fell significantly during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the previous year, according to data released last week by Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK).
Most respiratory protective equipment (RPE) used in healthcare is not designed for women or racial minorities amid a dearth of research into how facial dimensions across sex and race affect respirator performance, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published late last week in BMJ Global Health.
