Infection Control News and Research

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Electromagnetic waves disrupt SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and lower infectivity

Researchers demonstrated that specific electromagnetic wave frequencies can disrupt the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein structure in virus-like particles, leading to reduced infectivity in cell models. This proof-of-concept study suggests new avenues for non-chemical viral inactivation methods.

18 May 2025

New evidence shows long COVID’s toll on health across all U.S. states

A nationally representative U.S. study of over 100,000 adults found that post-COVID conditions (PCCs) significantly reduce quality of life. Key risk factors for poor health outcomes include obesity, inactivity, chronic disease, and socioeconomic disadvantage.

8 May 2025

H5N1's evolutionary leap could undermine vaccines and heighten human infection risk

From egg prices to pet food recalls – and now, confirmation that another strain of bird flu has infected a large commercial flock of broiler chickens on a Mississippi farm – headlines are capturing escalating concern over H5N1's spread.

24 Apr 2025

Why measles is back in the U.S. and what doctors must know now

Measles is making a troubling comeback in the U.S., driven by declining vaccination rates and rising vaccine hesitancy. Pediatric infectious disease experts provide clinical guidance to help healthcare providers recognize, manage, and prevent measles in today’s outbreak-prone environment.

14 Apr 2025

Singapore launches a strategic new standard to strengthen disinfectant market

As public awareness of hygiene and infection control grows in a post-pandemic world, Singapore has launched a strategic national standard to strengthen public health and industry accountability in the rapidly expanding disinfectant market.

4 Apr 2025

Breakthrough peptide inhibitor effective against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, infects cells by binding its spike protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors.

14 Mar 2025

How perception of risk affects COVID-19 infections in aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel

One category of first responders had close, daily contact with travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic: aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel.

11 Mar 2025

A runner was hit by a car, then by a surprise ambulance bill

Jagdish Whitten was on a run in July 2023 when a car hit him as he crossed a busy San Francisco street. Whitten, then 25, described doing "a little flip" over the vehicle and landing in the street before getting himself to the curb.

28 Feb 2025

Hospital sink drains found to harbor dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria

We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such 'healthcare-associated infections' (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets.

14 Feb 2025

International travel and health care networks drive Candida auris outbreaks

In just a decade, the drug-resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris (C. auris) has emerged as one of the most formidable threats to health care settings worldwide.

10 Feb 2025

New mechanism regulates the immune response against parasites

Researchers at the University of Liège (Belgium) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the immune response against parasites.

8 Feb 2025

Understanding infection risks in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a vital treatment for both malignant and non-malignant disorders in pediatric patients.

7 Feb 2025

New tool improves TB isolation decisions and streamlines workflows

Patients with suspected tuberculosis (TB) require special precautions in healthcare facilities, and cases of TB have been rising in the US over the past several years.

3 Feb 2025

TBorNotTB: A novel AI-driven tool to streamline tuberculosis evaluation in hospitals

This study presents TBorNotTB, a CDSS designed to improve TB evaluation and streamline isolation decisions, reducing labor while maintaining detection accuracy.

31 Jan 2025

Drawn-out overhaul of troubled Montana hospital leaves lawmakers in limbo

Montana lawmakers are grappling with what they can do to improve patient care and operations at the state's psychiatric hospital since realizing that the efforts underway to restore the troubled facility's good standing could take more time.

31 Jan 2025

Innovative TB risk scoring tool enhances patient care and workflow

Caitlin Dugdale, MD, MSc, and Kimon Zachary, MD, physicians in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and assistant professors of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, are co-lead authors of a new study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, TB or Not TB? Development and Validation of a Clinical Decision Support System for the Evaluation of Suspected Tuberculosis.

29 Jan 2025

Review highlights the pathogenesis and clinical spectrum of Nipah virus infection

Nipah virus (NiV), a zoonotic paramyxovirus with significant human health implications, has garnered considerable attention due to its high fatality rates and potential for human-to-human transmission, posing a global public health threat.

15 Jan 2025

New skin-like material could revolutionize infection testing

In the holiday movie The Grinch, makeup artists are reported to have spent several hours each day encasing Jim Carrey's face with prosthetics to create the iconic grumpy, green-furred creature.

20 Dec 2024

Rwanda successfully controls Marburg virus outbreak

An outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Rwanda has officially been declared over by the Government of Rwanda, with no new cases recorded since the last patient tested negative on 7 November 2024, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

20 Dec 2024

Reducing hand hygiene monitoring could save hospitals time and money

Hand hygiene (HH) monitoring in hospitals could be reduced significantly, allowing infection preventionists to redirect efforts toward quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

20 Dec 2024