WHO launches hand hygiene campaign
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new hand hygiene program in which hospitals can register to receive a number of hand hygiene and infection prevention resources that will be available starting May 5.
The “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands” program is part of an effort to invite hospitals and healthcare facilities around the world to take part in raising hand hygiene awareness and reducing healthcare-associated infections.
WHO has set a number of patient safety goals for the launch of the program on May 5. The organization aims to have 5,000 hospitals worldwide registered by May 5, 2010. By 2020, WHO wants to have 100% of the world’s countries signed up and have an increase in country-wide hand hygiene campaigns.
On May 5, WHO will also launch a revised hand hygiene implementation toolkit, available to those hospitals that register. So far, 280 hospitals from 52 different countries have already registered.
Visit WHO’s Web site to register.
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Flu strain becoming resistant
A new CDC study reports that virtually all cases of the common influenza strain, H1N1 are resistant to Tamiflu, the main drug used to treat it. The research report and an editorial were released online by the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/2009.297
According to the research, more than 98% of H1N1 cases tested by the CDC were resistant to the drug. The accompanying editorial calls into question the value of stockpiling drugs for a pandemic if they won’t work.
In other flu news, The Washington Post reports that two Maryland teens, ages 13 and 15, have died as a result of the flu.. Although it was not clear whether the two boys had received flu shots, it appears both were healthy young adults.
The Post also notes that an increasing number of cases are coupled with bacterial infections, such as MRSA. Symptoms of these infections are hard to distinguish from flu symptoms. By the time the bacterial infection is recognized, it is often too late for antibiotics.
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MRSA infections on the rise in children
Although a recent study shows reports that MRSA central line-associated bloodstream infections in hospital ICU’s are declining, a CNN article reports MRSA cases are on the rise among children.
According to CNN, doctors are seeing more and more MRSA among children in the last few years. CDC records show that in an eight year period leading up to 2005, hospital visits among those under 18 had the greatest increase in MRSA..
Doctor’s are attributing community MRSA to the increase of cases in children, as well as the increasing resistance to antibiotics.
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Tip of the Week: Keep your dishwasher limited to dishes
Occasionally, particularly in a physician’s office, staff members will use a dishwasher to sterilize medical equipment such as vaginal speculums. Some staff members argue that if a dishwasher can clean knives and forks, it can clean other equipment.
Although it might convince some, it doesn’t live up the CDC’s sterilization guidelines as high level disinfection. This week on OSHA Healthcare Advisor, infection control expert Peg Luebbert, MS,MT(ASCP), CIC, CHSP, blogs about best practices in sterilization of medical equipment.
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