Infection Control News and Research

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Hospital strapped for cash may offer radiotherapy facilities to pets

A British hospital has come under attack over its plans to earn desperately needed cash, by offering its radiotherapy facilities for the treatment of pets suffering from cancer.

31 Oct 2006

Stigma, discrimination in India hindering HIV/AIDS treatment, care

The stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS in India is delaying treatment and care for HIV-positive people, according to a study conducted by the Population Council's Horizons program; Sharan, an Indian nongovernmental organization; and the New Delhi-based Institute of Economic Growth, IRIN/Kenya London News reports.

30 Oct 2006

Eminent scientists support jailed medics in Libya

The case of the six medics currently on trial in Libya on charges that they deliberatly infected more than 400 children with HIV 1998, has hit international headlines due to the action of a group of prominent American scientists.

26 Oct 2006

Measures to combat XDR-TB worldwide

Health experts have confirmed that the emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) poses a serious threat to public health, particularly when associated with HIV.

17 Oct 2006

Health workforce exodus will push health systems to the brink of collapse

What will happen if the Western Pacific's health workforce, seeking better-paying jobs and professional advancement abroad, continue to migrate as the region's population ages, the burden of chronic disease rises and new health threats emerge?

21 Sep 2006

British tourist in Hong Kong has mad cow disease

A British tourist in Hong Kong has been struck down with what appears to be mad cow disease.

30 Aug 2006

Inadequate hospital hand hygiene is spreading MRSA

Unwashed hands in England's hospitals are contributing to the spread of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and will continue unless healthcare professionals are taught to assess risk, reveals new research.

24 Jul 2006

Overcrowding in hospitals could be responsible for increasing rates of MRSA infection

Overcrowding in specialist hospitals across England could be responsible for increasing rates of MRSA infection

26 Jun 2006

Surveillance could cut number of blood stream infections

A study from Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust shows how a surveillance programme designed to monitor blood stream infections in dialysis units could cut the number of infections among patients.

19 Jun 2006

Chickens may be silent carriers of bird flu

Health officials are on alert again in Hong Kong following reports of a suspected case of bird flu just over the border with China in Shenzhen.

14 Jun 2006

Hospitals, dirty hands and the risk of disease

Thousands of patients in hospitals each year are at risk of potentially fatal infections because health care workers do not wash their hands on enough occasions.

13 Jun 2006

Amoebe promote persistence of epidemic strains of MRSA

Scientists in the UK have found that a type of amoeba acts as an incubator for MRSA bacteria. As amoebae are often found in healthcare environments this discovery has implications for the infection control strategies adopted by hospitals.

31 Mar 2006

Will the next pandemic be tuberculosis?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis (TB) are on the rise and present the threat of a pandemic.

26 Mar 2006

Scientists show how MRSA sidesteps hospital protection measures

The MRSA 'superbug' evades many of the measures introduced to combat its spread by infecting a common single-celled organism found almost everywhere in hospital wards, according to new research published in the journal Environmental Microbiology.

1 Mar 2006

Improving access to STI diagnosis and treatment services must be a public health priority at all levels

The 48 hour access target for all sexual health clinics will be impossible to meet on the basis of current evidence, claims an editorial in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

7 Feb 2006

Community Based Assessment Centres - roles and functions in a flu pandemic

The expected roles and functions of Community Based Assessment Centres (CBACs) in the event of an influenza pandemic have been outlined by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, in a draft document sent to District Health Boards for comment and to assist with local planning.

15 Dec 2005

Hospitals a good place to catch bird flu

While U.S. officials continue to urge states and businesses to get ready for an outbreak of serious disease, issuing checklists of preparations, and Congress battles with funding a federal plan before the end of the year, a report has been released that declares that because most U.S. hospitals do not follow good hygiene practices

12 Dec 2005