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Report: Illinois Elizabethkingia outbreak likely reflects ongoing sporadic cases

The investigation into a cluster of Elizabethkingia anopheles infections in Illinois that were distinct from outbreaks reported in neighboring Wisconsin and Michigan found that the illnesses probably reflect ongoing sporadic infections in critically ill patients, a team from Illinois and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today in Morbidity and Mortality

Metrics developed for assessing antimicrobial stewardship impact

A panel of experts has identified six metrics that hospitals can use to assess the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs).

US flu vaccine coverage about 40% early in the flu season

About 40% of people in the United States had received a flu vaccine by early November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today, adding that it estimated the intervention prevented an estimated 5 million flu illnesses, 71,000 flu hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Metrics developed for assessing antimicrobial stewardship impact

A panel of experts has identified six metrics that hospitals can use to assess the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs).

Two Chinese provinces report 5 more H7N9 cases

Routine disease surveillance reports for November from two of China's provinces reveal five more H7N9 avian flu cases, according to official reports translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

Breastmilk, semen carry Ebola virus for extended periods

An international group reporting in Clinical Infectious Diseases said a 9-month-old who died of Ebola in Guinea after her parents showed no signs of the illness likely contracted the virus through her mother's breastmilk. Both the mother's milk and the father's semen tested positive for Ebola virus.

Toolkit aims to help messaging around HAIs, antibiotic resistance

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have collaborated on a toolkit to help public health departments communicate information about healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antibiotic resistance to the public.

Macao announces its first-ever H7N9 avian flu case

Macao has reported its first human H7N9 avian influenza case, involving a 58-year-old man who owns a poultry market stall, according to a Xinhua report today in Chinese translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary (AFD), an infectious disease news blog. AFD said there are multiple media outlets reporting the finding, which was announced in an early morning media briefing by the local health department.

ECDC report warns of rising threat from carbapenem-resistant A baumannii

European health officials are warning about an increase in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections in hospitals across the continent.

Two new local Zika cases confirmed in Miami Beach

The Florida Department of Health (Florida Health) reported two new locally acquired Zika cases in Miami-Dade County residents yesterday, while the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance for Brownsville, Tex., after state officials recently reported five local cases there, the first in the state.

Study finds wider spread, longer persistence in 4th wave of H7N9 cases

The fourth wave of H7N9 avian flu infections in China (from September 2015 through August 2016) saw continued geographic spread of the virus, a longer epidemic period, and a higher proportion of case-patients living in rural areas compared with the first three waves, a report today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) noted.

Rare community-associated CRE reported in Colorado

Investigators with the Colorado Department of Public and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are reporting community-associated cases of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in patients without known risk factors.

Zika count declines in Mexico; virus may be circulating in Angola

Yesterday the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) released its epidemiologic survey of Zika virus and said the mosquito-borne illness was on the decline in Mexico but increasing in Anguilla, Paraguay, and Peru. Zika cases in the United States, meanwhile, topped 4,600.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Rare community-associated CRE reported in Colorado

Investigators with the Colorado Department of Public and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are reporting community-associated cases of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in patients without known risk factors.

Hong Kong reports first imported H7N9 case of the new season

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today announced its first imported H7N9 avian influenza case of the new season, in a 75-year-old man who started having symptoms in Guangdong province in southern China, according to a statement.

WHO offers more details on H7N9 infections in China, Macau

The World Health Organization (WHO) released two reports today detailing the six human cases of H7N9 in mainland China and one in Macau that were previously confirmed by local officials. All but one patient had direct exposure to live poultry.

Pew releases recommendations for reduced antibiotic use in food animals

The Pew Charitable Trusts has released a set of recommendations for how to ensure more appropriate use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

Saudi Arabia reports 2 MERS cases in Mecca

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two new MERS-CoV cases in Mecca, one of whom is an asymptomatic household contact, according to separate updates yesterday and today.

Hospitals penalized for high rates of MRSA and C difficile

The federal government is for the first time cutting Medicare payments to hospitals that have high rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, according to Kaiser Health News.

Study: 25% of K pneumonia in long-term care resistant to carbapenems

A new study has found that a quarter of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from a nationwide network of hospitals are resistant to carbapenem antibiotics.

Saudi Arabia reports three new MERS cases

Saudi Arabian health officials have reported three new MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infections in recent days, two of them involving exposure to camels. All three patients have symptoms and are in stable condition, officials said.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & ant

Three more MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia late yesterday announced three more MERS cases in three cities, raising the total over the past week to six cases.

All three cases are listed as primary, meaning there are no known links to other MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) cases, the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) said. None of the patients work in healthcare or had exposure to camels.

The MOH listed the patients as:

Saudi officials report MERS in 2 healthcare workers

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced two new MERS-CoV illnesses, both of them involving expat women working as healthcare workers in Aseer, located in the southwestern corner of the country.

CDC reports accelerated flu activity as year winds down

Influenza activity in the United States picked up its pace in the penultimate week of 2016, according to an update today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).