STERIS Corporation
(NYSE: STE) announced it has received the first orders for its
VaproSure(TM) Room Sterilizer from several U.S. hospitals. The VaproSure
Room Sterilizer incorporates STERIS patented technologies and is the first
product of its kind for the healthcare market. Since being introduced in
June of this year, systems have been ordered by Wellmont Health System
(Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky) Lake Hospital System (Ohio), and the VA
Boston Healthcare System (Massachusetts). These hospitals are demonstrating
leadership in patient safety and infection control and will use their
VaproSure Room Sterilizers to sterilize all the exposed surfaces in
critical hospital rooms.

As highlighted in recent national news media reports, the persistent
spread of germs and infections in healthcare facilities is a significant
challenge for patient safety and compromises the ability for hospitals to
deliver economically efficient healthcare services. According to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that one
in every 20 patients in the U.S. contracts an infection while in the
hospital, resulting in 99,000 deaths each year with costs to the U.S.
healthcare industry estimated at $30 billion per year.

Earlier this month, The Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA) published study results indicating that drug-resistant staph MRSA is
killing more people in the United States each year than the AIDS virus.

Commenting on JAMA’s findings in The Washington Post, Scott K. Fridkin,
a medical epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said, “This is a significant public health problem. We should be
very worried.”

Modern hospitals are the highest expression of life-saving skill and
yet these environments can harbor unseen threats that compromise health,
life and institutional integrity. Despite the best efforts of the
environmental services department, traditional cleaning practices are
limited in their effectiveness. With the VaproSure Room Sterilizer, it is
now possible to sterilize all of the exposed pre-cleaned surfaces within a
sealed room. STERIS is the only company to offer a complete hygiene
solution to hospitals as a way to enhance their infection control programs
and improve the efficiency of their operations.

The VaproSure Room Sterilizer utilizes Vaprox(R) Sterilant (EPA
Registration No. 58779-4) to create a dry sterilization vapor that
inactivates the full spectrum of biological contaminates on dry,
pre-cleaned, exposed, porous and non-porous surfaces within a sealed
hospital room. The chemistry is recognized as sporicidal, bacteriacidal,
fungicidal and virucidal. Additionally, the technology is environmentally
friendly, reducing to water vapor and oxygen at the conclusion of the
cycle.

Wellmont Hospital System

“We became the first health system in the nation to purchase STERIS
VaproSure Room Sterilizers for our hospitals because we believe this
technology is a breakthrough advancement for patient safety and infection
control,” said Dr. Richard Salluzzo, president and chief executive officer
of Wellmont Health System and the founder of the national Safest Hospital
Alliance. “As a founding member of the Safest Hospital Alliance, Wellmont
is committed to utilizing processes, programs and technologies that bring
about real, measurable improvement in patient safety. The VaproSure
technology will dramatically enhance our existing infection prevention
programs by eliminating biological threats that exist on the many surfaces
within a hospital environment. This purchase is another example of our
overarching commitment to achieve complete patient safety in our
hospitals.”

Lake Hospital System

Lake Hospital System is the first community-based healthcare system to
purchase VaproSure Room Sterilizers. “Community-based hospitals are the
backbone of the U.S. healthcare infrastructure,” states Cynthia
Moore-Hardy, president and chief executive officer of Lake Hospital System.
“The World Health Organization states that with over two billion passengers
flying each year an outbreak in any part of the world is only a few hours
from becoming an imminent threat somewhere else. That could be our
community and we want to be prepared. At Lake Hospital System, infectious
disease prevention is one of most important things we can do to safeguard
the health of our patients, employees and community. The ability to
sterilize all of the exposed surfaces in rooms where vulnerable patients
receive care is a significant step forward in the ongoing battle against
infections at their source.”

The ER One Institute and Washington Hospital Center

“The ER One Institute trialed the VaproSure Room Sterilizer within days
of STERIS expanding the registration for Vaprox and the VaproSure Room
Sterilizer enabling the first use of the technology in healthcare
settings,” said Dr. Mark Smith, chairman of Emergency Medicine at
Washington Hospital Center and professor of Emergency Medicine at
Georgetown University School of Medicine. “We were so impressed with its
ability to sterilize all of the exposed surfaces within a hospital room,
that we designed our new Emergency Room expansion with integrated VaproSure
Room Sterilizer capabilities. The expanded ER will be operational by year’s
end and will include the ability to sterilize individual ER rooms with the
VaproSure Room Sterilizer. I believe that the VaproSure Room Sterilizer can
be one of the key components of a comprehensive program for infection
control. As germs become more sophisticated, so does our need for
technology to address them. I am personally tremendously excited by the
possibilities of this new approach to eliminating contamination in
hospitals.”

About Wellmont Health System

Wellmont Health System is a premier provider of healthcare services for
Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky. Comprised
of 13 owned and affiliated not-for-profit hospitals, Wellmont delivers top-
quality, comprehensive healthcare and wellness services across the
Tri-State region. Wellmont hospitals are founding members of the Safest
Hospital Alliance, a national organization created to define and achieve
safety in the healthcare setting.

About Lake Hospital System

For six consecutive years NorthCoast 99 has named Lake Hospital System
one of the 99 Best Places to work in Northeast Ohio. In 2006, HealthGrades
also named Lake Hospital System among the top five percent of all hospitals
in the nation. A leader in community-based health care in Northeast Ohio,
Lake Hospital System provides high-quality, accessible health services for
all stages of life. Lake Hospital System delivers progressive,
compassionate health care through eight state-of-the-art facilities staffed
by more than 500 physicians and 2,600 health care professionals.

About Washington Hospital Center

Washington Hospital Center is one of the 25 largest hospitals in the
United States and is the busiest Emergency Department in Washington DC.
Washington Hospital Center was also one of the few hospitals in the country
that was a major emergency receiving hospital for Pentagon victims on 9/11
and one month later experienced first hand the frightening effect of the
Anthrax attacks of 2001.

About STERIS

The mission of STERIS Corporation is to provide a healthier today and
safer tomorrow through knowledgeable people and innovative infection
prevention, decontamination and health science technologies, products and
services. The Company’s more than 5,000 dedicated employees around the
world work together to supply a broad array of solutions by offering a
combination of equipment, consumables and services to healthcare,
pharmaceutical, industrial and government customers. The Company is listed
on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol of STE. For more
information, visit steris

This news release may contain statements concerning certain trends,
expectations, forecasts, estimates, or other forward-looking information
affecting or relating to the Company or its industry that are intended to
qualify for the protections afforded “forward-looking statements” under the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other laws and
regulations. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this
report, and may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as
“may,” “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,”
“projects,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “confidence,” and “seeks,” or the
negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable
terminology. Many important factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, without
limitation, disruption of production or supplies, changes in market
conditions, political events, pending or future claims or litigation,
competitive factors, technology advances, and changes in government
regulations or the application or interpretation thereof. Other risk
factors are described in the Company’s Form 10-K and other securities
filings. Many of these important factors are outside STERIS’s control. No
assurances can be provided as to any future financial results or timing or
pattern of financial results. Unless legally required, the Company does not
undertake to update or revise any forward- looking statements even if
events make clear that any projected results, express or implied, will not
be realized. Other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements include, without limitation, (a) the potential for increased
pressure on pricing that leads to erosion of profit margins, (b) the
possibility that market demand will not develop for new technologies,
products or applications, or the Company’s business initiatives will take
longer, cost more or produce lower benefits than anticipated, (c) the
possibility that application of or compliance with laws, court rulings,
regulations, certifications or other requirements or standards may delay or
prevent new product introductions, affect the production and marketing of
existing products, or otherwise affect Company performance, results, or
value, (d) the potential of international unrest or effects of fluctuations
in currencies, tax assessments or rates, raw material costs, benefit or
retirement plan costs, or other regulatory compliance costs, (e) the
possibility of reduced demand, or reductions in the rate of growth in
demand, for the Company’s products and services, and (f) the possibility
that anticipated cost savings may not be achieved, or that transition,
labor, competition, timing, execution, regulatory, governmental, executive
transition or other issues or risks associated with the matters described
in this release may adversely impact Company performance, results, or
value.

STERIS Corporation
steris Continue reading →

Monday marks the 20th year for World AIDS Day, and the virus is continuing to affect the black community and men who have sex with men at disproportionate rates, the McClatchy/Detroit Free Press reports (Satyanarayana [1], McClatchy/Detroit Free Press, 11/29). An estimated 56,300 people in the U.S. contract HIV annually, and the black community accounts for almost half of new HIV/AIDS cases nationwide, the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune reports.

HIV infections are growing fastest among black women, who are 15 times more likely to contract the virus than white women, according to CDC. AIDS-related causes are the leading cause of death among black women ages 25 to 34, and the third leading cause of death among black women ages 35 to 44. Andrea Perez, communities of color program manager for the Indiana Department of Health, said the No. 1 method of HIV transmission among black women is heterosexual sex. She added that it is unclear why the rate for black women is so high (Snelling, Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune, 12/1).

In Detroit, between 2002 and 2006, half of all new infections each year were among black men, according to the McClatchy/Free Press. In addition 84% of people ages 13 to 24 in the city diagnosed with HIV are black. Michigan next year plans to launch a new awareness effort targeting the group. Over the next year, the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion is hoping to partner with 50 churches to help administer 15,000 HIV tests and educate church members on prevention measures.

Renee McCoy, the city’s HIV/AIDS director, said, “Our goal is to figure out what our culture needs” (Satyanarayana [1], McClatchy/Detroit Free Press, 11/29).

Related articles
The Free Press published several articles about HIV/AIDS and the black community. Headlines appear below.

“The Doctors: New Approaches Give Patients Hope” (Satyanarayana [2], Detroit Free Press, 11/29).

“An Advocate: He Aims To Stop Stigma, Fight HIV” (Satyanarayana [3], Detroit Free Press, 11/29).

“An Activist: She Works To Educate High-Risk Women on HIV Prevention” (Satyanarayana [4], Detroit Free Press, 11/29).

“A Supporter: He Uses His Story To Spread Word on Getting Tested” (Satyanarayana [5], Detroit Free Press, 11/29).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

Some HIV/AIDS advocates in Burundi and international human rights groups have expressed concern about a new law that criminalizes homosexuality in the country, IRIN/PlusNews reports. Although Burundi’s Senate voted against the draft bill in February, the lower parliament house reversed the decision last month, and President Pierre Nkurunziza signed the bill into law on April 22. According to the new statute, people found guilty of engaging in consensual same-sex relations could face two to three years in prison and a fine of about $84.

Several advocacy and international rights organizations — including Human Rights Watch, Burundi’s National Association To Support HIV-Positive People, or ANSS, and the local rights group Ligue Iteka — in response to the law issued a statement describing the potential consequences of the statute. “We regret that the law will hamper Burundi’s attempts to fight AIDS by further marginalizing an at-risk population,” they wrote, adding, “We urge the government to act promptly to decriminalize homosexuality.” Georges Kanuma, chair of the Association for the Respect and the Rights of Homosexuals, or ARDHO, said his organization’s activities “will be hampered by this law.” ARDHO — which has operated since 2003 despite never gaining official recognition as a nongovernmental organization — distributes condoms and lubricants and also raises awareness of HIV among men who have sex with men. Kanuma said the group is closing its offices in Burundi’s capital of Bujumbura “because we are afraid that with the new law we may be arrested.”

According to Kanuma, most Burundians are not aware of the existence of MSM in their communities. Kanuma said ARDHO hopes to meet with Burundi’s National AIDS Control Council, or CNLS, to see if the council also intends to halt activities targeting MSM. According to IRIN/PlusNews, CNLS in its most recent national strategic plan identifies MSM as vulnerable to HIV and acknowledges the need for prevention activities targeting this community (IRIN/PlusNews, 4/28).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

New research conducted at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) suggests that it may be possible to develop a vaccine that protects against the myriad strains of the HIV virus. HIV is extremely variable, so an effective vaccine may need to stimulate the body to produce cross-reactive antibodies that will neutralize multiple viral strains. These results demonstrate that induction of truly broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies may be an achievable goal. This groundbreaking study titled: “Extensively Cross-Reactive Anti-HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibodies Induced by gp140 Immunization” appears this week in the Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences pnas/papbyrecent.shtmlpnas/papbyrecent.shtml.

To be effective, an HIV vaccine must induce the body to produce cross-reactive antibodies that can neutralize multiple strains. USU Professors CAPT Gerald Quinnan, Jr., M.D., USPHS, and Christopher Broder, Ph.D., and their colleagues at USU attempted to elicit these broad-range antibodies in an animal model by immunizing with a particular HIV-1 surface protein, designated R2 gp140, and an immune response-boosting component. The researchers tested antibodies generated by the immunizations to determine their effectiveness in neutralizing the infectivity of a variety of HIV-1 strains. Antibodies produced as a result of immunization neutralized all 48 strains of HIV-1 tested. The results are encouraging for vaccine development, because they showed that it is possible to elicit a broad-spectrum antibody response.

###

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (usuhs.edu/) is located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The University provides military and public health-relevant education, research, service and consultation to the nation and the world. USU is a typical academic health center with a unique focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and with the specialized mission of educating health care practitioners to deal with peace- and wartime casualties, natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases and other public health emergencies.

This research was supported by a grant from a number of collaborators including the National Institutes of Health/NIAID and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF; hjf/) is a not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to support military medical research and education at USU and throughout military medicine. HJF’s technology transfer staff and the USU-HJF Joint Office of Technology Transfer encourage scientists and private industry to collaborate on research and development projects, with the goal of making innovative medical technologies available for public use.

Contact: USU Office of External Affairs
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Continue reading →

Cryptosporidium enteritis is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the parasite cryptosporidium.

The infection affects the intestines of mammals and is typically an acute short-term infection. It is spread through the fecal-oral route, often through contaminated water. The main symptom is self-limiting diarrhea in people with intact immune systems. In immunocompromised individuals, such as AIDS patients, the symptoms are particularly severe and often fatal. Cryptosporidium is the organism most commonly isolated in HIV positive patients presenting with diarrhea.

According to Medilexicon’s medical dictionary:

Cryptosporidiosis is an enteric disease that is transferred by waterborne or fecal contamination routes; caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium; characterized pathologically by villous atrophy and fusion and clinically by diarrhea in humans, calves, lambs, and other animals; disease in immunocompetent people is usually manifest as a self-limiting diarrhea, whereas in immunocompromised people it is manifest as a prolonged severe diarrhea that can be fatal.

The organism was first described in 1907 by Tyzzer, who recognized it was a coccidian.

Many species of Cryptosporidium exist that infect humans and a wide range of animals. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine disinfection.

Cryptosporidium has recently been recognized as a worldwide cause of diarrhea in all age groups. Crypto is spread by having contact with feces containing crypto. Crypto is not spread by contact with blood. One can get crypto by putting anything in the mouth that has touched the feces of a person or animal infected with crypto.

Cryptosporidiosis causes 50.8% of water-borne diseases that are attributed to parasites. In developing countries, 8 to 19% of diarrheal diseases can be attributed to Cryptosporidium. Ten percent of the population in developing countries excretes oocysts. In developed countries, the number is lower at 1 to 3%. The age group most affected is children from 1 to 9 years old.
What are the symptoms of Cryptosporidiosis?
A symptom is something the patient senses and describes, while a sign is something other people, such as the doctor notice. For example, drowsiness may be a symptom while dilated pupils may be a sign.

Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis appear from two to ten days after infection, with an average of seven days, and last for up to two weeks, or in some cases, up to one month.

There are three possible forms of the illness in immunocompetent people. The disease can be asymptomatic or cause acute diarrhea or persistent diarrhea that can last for a few weeks. Diarrhea is usually watery with mucus. It is very rare to find blood or leukocytes in the diarrhea. As well as watery diarrhea, there are often stomach pains or cramps and a low fever.

Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, malabsorption and dehydration. The individuals who are asymptomatic are nevertheless infective, and thus can pass on the infection to others. Even after symptoms have finally subsided an individual is still infective for some weeks.
What are the causes of Cryptosporidiosis?
Infection is through contaminated material such as earth, water, uncooked or cross-contaminated food that has been in contact with the feces of an infected individual or animal.

Millions of Crypto organisms (oocysts) can be released in the bowel movement of an infected human or animal. You can become infected after accidentally ingesting the oocysts.

Contact must then be transferred to the mouth and swallowed. It is especially prevalent amongst those in regular contact with bodies of fresh water including recreational water such as swimming pools.

Other potential sources include insufficiently treated water supplies, contaminated food, or exposure to feces. The high resistance of Cryptosporidium oocysts to disinfectants such as chlorine bleach enables them to survive for long periods and still remain infective.

Some outbreaks have happened in day care related to diaper changes.
Diagnosing Cryptosporidiosis
There are several steps a doctor may take to properly diagnose this infection.

First they may observe the first symptoms of cryptosporidiosis after an incubation period of five to 10 days. The patient experiences watery diarrhea that may be accompanied by a mild fever and abdominal cramps. This lasts for five to 10 days in immunocompetent individuals.

Second a doctor will examine a stool sample microscopically. Cryptosporidium will show as red-stained oocysts on a blue-green background when subjected to a modified acid-fast stain but blood cells should be absent. The stool culture also should be used to rule out other pathogens.

Antigen-detection assays to confirm a diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis may be performed. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is the most sensitive but it is not always available. Other tests include an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, an immunochromatographic assay and an immunofluorescent assay.

A physician may use an ultrasound to check for biliary cryptosporidiosis. Infection of the bile system may be indicated by dilated or irregular bile ducts and a thickened gallbladder.

Finally a doctor will attempt to confirm a diagnosis of biliary cryptosporidiosis with an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP.) The ERCP is often required to detect an inflammation of the bile duct and papillary stenosis.
What are the treatment options for Cryptosporidiosis?
There are several treatments for cryptosporidium enteritis.

Drugs such as nitazoxanide have been used in children and adults. However, these drugs often only help for a little while. It is common for the infection to return.

The best approach is to improve the immune status in people who have a weakened immune system. This can be done by using highly active antiviral therapy in people with AIDS. It can lead to a complete remission of cryptosporidium enteritis.

A lactose-free diet should be taken as tolerated. In rare situations, intravenous fluids may be required. Antibiotics are not usually helpful, and are primarily reserved for persons with severe disease and a weak immune system. Sometimes relapses happen.
Preventing Cryptosporidiosis
The best way to prevent getting and spreading cryptosporidiosis is to have good hygiene and sanitation. An example would be hand-washing. Prevention is through washing hands carefully after going to the bathroom or contacting stool, and before eating.

People should avoid contact with animal feces. They should also avoid possibly contaminated food and water.

Additionally, people should refrain from engaging in sexual activities that can expose them to feces.

People who have cryptosporidiosis should not swim in communal areas because the pathogen can reside in the anal and genital areas and be washed off. They should wait until at least two weeks after diarrhea stops before entering public water sources, since oocysts can still be shed for a while.

Immunocompromised people should take care to protect themselves from water in lakes and streams. They should also stay away from animal stools and wash their hands after touching animals. To be safe, they should boil or filter their water. They should also wash and cook their vegetables thoroughly at all times.

Sy Kraft (B.A.)

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Fewer than half of all substance abuse treatment facilities surveyed nationwide reported that they conduct on-site infectious disease screening, according to a new study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Rates of HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, and hepatitis C are high among drug users. Injection drug users, in particular, are at increased risk for contracting HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. These diseases, if not identified and treated, can pose a significant health threat to both the individual with the disease and to the community.

“Arranging for screenings for infectious diseases should be a routine part of substance abuse treatment services,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. “People enter treatment for different needs and screening provides an opportunity to identify additional healthcare needs as part of the recovery process.”

This study was based on data from the 2007 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), an annual census of all known facilities in the United States, both public and private, that provide substance abuse treatment. The survey solicits information regarding the provision of on-site screening for the following infectious diseases: hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. Key findings include:

The facilities that were most likely to provide infectious disease screening were operated by the federal government, followed by a state government.

More than half of the approximately 1,100 opioid treatment programs provided on-site screening for hepatitis B (62.1 percent), hepatitis C (64.1 percent), HIV (69.8 percent), sexually transmitted diseases (67.8 percent), or tuberculosis (93.3 percent).

Facilities that provided hospital inpatient treatment were more likely than facilities providing outpatient or non-hospital residential treatment to offer screening for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, or tuberculosis

Where available, the most common types of on-site screening were for tuberculosis, (34.3 percent), and HIV (29.7 percent).

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health services delivery system.

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Continue reading →

A booster vaccination for parents of new babies and other household members may be the most effective way of preventing the fatal form of whooping cough in young infants, say a group of paediatric intensive care doctors on bmj today.

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a distressing infectious disease which affects infants and young children. Vaccination is effective and is usually given to infants at two to four months of age, with a further booster after three years. But evidence is growing that the incidence of pertussis is rising in adolescents and adults.

Infectious adults within a family are the main source of infection for unimmunised infants.

Doctors at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh report two fatal cases of invasive pertussis in unvaccinated young infants.

In the first case, a one-month old boy presented to hospital with a five-day history of cough, runny nose and difficulty feeding. Both parents, and an elder sibling, reported coughing spells with vomiting in the previous two weeks.

The sibling was fully vaccinated. There was no record of the parents’ childhood vaccination status but the mother received a pertussis booster in 1986.

The child was transferred to intensive care, but despite maximum therapy, died within 24 hours.

In the second case, a six-week old girl presented to hospital with a five-day history of cough and breathlessness. Her mother had a persistent cough for more than two weeks. The mother had received all her childhood immunisations including pertussis, there was no record of the father’s pertussis immunisation status.

The child died within 30 hours despite maximum therapy. The patient’s mother subsequently tested positive for pertussis infection.

This report demonstrates the devastating course of invasive pertussis in young infants, say the authors.

Pre-vaccination infants now account for the majority of pertussis-related complications, hospitalisations and deaths and most infants catch the disease from affected household members, with parents accounting for more than half of the cases.

As a result, several countries, including the USA and Australia, have introduced booster doses for adolescents and adults. France and Germany also recommend a targeted booster for parents and healthcare workers in contact with young children.

Mortality remains high for young infants developing invasive pertussis despite modern paediatric intensive care, say the authors. The best solution is to prevent infection. The introduction of an adult booster or more targeted vaccination of household contacts of young infants should be considered, they conclude.

“Lesson of the Week: Rapidly Fatal Invasive Pertussis in Babies-how can we change the outcome?”
BMJ Online
Click here to view Extract online.

British Medical Journal
bmj Continue reading →

Every 9 ?? minutes another person in America becomes infected with HIV. Officials from the White House, Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today a new five-year national communication campaign, Act Against AIDS, which highlights this alarming statistic and aims to combat complacency about the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States.

According to CDC data released last year, about 56,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV each year – significantly more than was previously known – and more than 14,000 people with AIDS die each year in the United States.

“Act Against AIDS seeks to put the HIV crisis back on the national radar screen,” said Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. “Our goal is to remind Americans that HIV/AIDS continues to pose a serious health threat in the United States and encourage them to get the facts they need to take action for themselves and their communities.”

The campaign will feature public service announcements (PSAs) and online communications, as well as targeted messages and outreach to the populations most severely affected by HIV/AIDS, beginning with African-Americans, with subsequent phases focusing on Latinos and other communities disproportionately impacted.

To help achieve widespread use of the campaign messages within African-American communities, the Obama Administration also announced today the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI), a partnership with 14 of the nation’s leading African-American civic organizations to integrate HIV prevention into each organization’s outreach programs.

To promote broad use of the campaign messages, CDC is also collaborating with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation to focus on outreach and technical assistance to the media and the entertainment industry.

The Act Against AIDS campaign will be supported by a CDC budget of roughly $45 million over the next five years, as well as the efforts of community, media and public health partners across the country to promote and utilize campaign materials and messages.

Campaign’s Initial Phase to Target General Public and Specific Communities at Risk

The first phase of the Act Against AIDS campaign, called “9 ?? Minutes,” uses a series of video, audio, print and online materials to increase knowledge about the severity of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States. The campaign highlights the simple fact that every 9 ?? minutes someone in the United States becomes infected with HIV.

The materials released today direct Americans to “get the facts” by going to the Web site www.NineAndaHalfMinutes as a first step toward learning how they can help protect themselves and others. The site provides basic education about HIV/AIDS as well as referrals to HIV prevention and testing services and organizations throughout the nation.

“Right here in the United States, every 9 ?? minutes someone’s brother, sister, best friend, father or mother becomes infected with HIV,” said Jeffrey Crowley, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. “Yet, research shows that many of those becoming infected do not recognize their risk. This is a major concern, because lack of knowledge contributes to increased risk behaviors.”

The next phase to launch will focus on African-Americans, who, by far, bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. While accounting for just 12 percent of the U.S. population, blacks represent roughly half of new HIV infections and AIDS deaths every year. Targeted communications to encourage increased HIV testing among the two groups of African-Americans most severely affected, gay or bisexual men and women, will begin shortly.

Future phases of the Act Against AIDS campaign will focus on reaching specific populations at greatest risk with HIV prevention messages tailored to meet their unique needs including Latinos and other high risk groups.

Innovative Partnership with Kaiser to Increase Participation from Media

To encourage broad use of Act Against AIDS campaign materials and messages, CDC is partnering with the Kaiser Family Foundation – a leader in health policy and communications – to enlist widespread participation in the campaign from the media and entertainment industries. The initiative will establish a coalition of media partners who are committed to increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS in the United States. Industry partners will be encouraged to use the PSAs, and to undertake their own additional efforts.

“The media and entertainment industries are powerful forces in breaking through complacency and focusing national attention on important issues,” said Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Kaiser is pleased to partner with the Obama Administration and the CDC to help build and sustain a coordinated national media response to HIV and AIDS in the United States with particular focus on the most impacted communities.”

Partnership with National African-American Organizations Extends Reach of Campaign

The Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) will work with leading organizations in multiple sectors of the black community – civic, business, media and education – to deliver campaign messages and conduct community outreach activities.

The initiative’s participants include: 100 Black Men of America, American Urban Radio Networks, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, National Action Network, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Council of Negro Women, National Medical Association, National Newspaper Publishers Association, National Organization of Black County Officials, National Urban League, Phi Beta Sigma and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

While many of the organizations funded today have long been committed to addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis among African-Americans, the new initiative will enable each organization to support a full-time HIV/AIDS coordinator to promote the use of the Act Against AIDS campaign materials and messages through the organizations’ national and local networks; enhance their HIV prevention activities; and collaborate with other AAALI partners, members of the African American faith community and the CDC.

“Reducing the disproportionate toll of HIV in black communities is one of CDC’s top domestic HIV prevention priorities, and African-American leaders have long played an essential role in this fight,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP). “This new initiative will further harness the collective strength of some of the nation’s leading African-American organizations to reach directly into the communities they serve with critical, life-saving information.”

The Act Against AIDS campaign is only one component of CDC’s HIV prevention efforts for African-American and other communities at risk, which include tracking the course of the HIV and AIDS crisis, conducting research to develop new HIV prevention approaches, expanding access to HIV testing and delivering proven prevention programs for those at greatest risk through its nationwide partnerships with state and local health departments and community-based organizations.

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ABCNews’ NIGHTLINE on Wednesday as part of its ongoing series on HIV/AIDS in India interviewed AIDS advocate and actor Richard Gere during a recent trip to the country (McFadden, “Nightline,” ABCNews, 12/14). Gere in October joined Indian actors to host “A Time for Heroes,” an entertainment program sponsored by the Heroes Project, which is partners with the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Avahan Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The program, which aimed to educate the public about HIV/AIDS and reduce the stigma associated with the virus, marked the launch of the Heroes Project in Southern India. The project includes celebrities from Bollywood films, sports figures, business leaders and government officials as spokespeople and aims to increase public discussion of the Indian HIV/AIDS epidemic with television, radio and print advertisements (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/24). In the interview, Gere explained that the fight against HIV/AIDS is “deeply personal,” as he has had several friends and colleagues die of AIDS-related illnesses. Gere also explained how he encouraged the Indian entertainment industry to discuss HIV/AIDS publicly. According to Gere, it is “easy” to communicate facts, “[b]ut changing attitudes about others, changing attitudes about diseases, how we feel about each other, those are really difficult things” to change. Gere said that it is important to energize entertainers, who can “speak to people in a very direct way.” The “Nightline” segment also includes comments from Kamal Hassan, an Indian actor who participates in the Heroes Project, and Suniti Solomon, who is a leading HIV/AIDS physician in the country and who in 1986 identified India’s first cases of HIV (“Nightline,” ABCNews, 12/14). The first segment in the “Nightline” series, which aired on World AIDS Day, featured Solomon discussing HIV transmission and stigma in India (McFadden, “Nightline,” ABCNews, 12/1). A video excerpt of the interview with Gere is available online in RealPlayer.

More information about HIV/AIDS in India is available online on GlobalHealthReporting.

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

Leading experts have agreed that Surgical Site Infections (“SSIs”) continue to present a significant burden for patients and healthcare services, with new and effective strategies to reduce this burden are greatly needed. An expert group of over 20 renowned clinicians and researchers met recently over a two-day period in Reykjavik, Iceland, to discuss the unmet needs of patients and debate what changes could be introduced to reduce the occurrence of SSIs.

As part of the meeting, ‘New non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce SSIs’, attendees discussed SSIs rates and current SSIs targets whilst agreeing that although SSIs rates would ideally be zero, overriding factors such as age, disease status and type of surgery mean that this is not a realistic target. Overall, across a range of surgery types experts believed that an SSI rate of 0.7% – 1% should be realistic and that this should be considered by healthcare institutions in future.

The participating clinicians had spent time discussing what practical changes to the surgical procedures could be made to reduce or, indeed, prevent SSIs, focusing particularly on the following points:

- improve hospital discharge follow-up procedures (it was agreed that these vary markedly from country to country)
- standardise protocols for patient evaluation, risk assessment and data collection
- further and improved education for healthcare administrators and patients on SSIs

To further the last bullet point above, some of the participants commented that improving patient education could be a very important factor in reducing SSIs. Patients should be made aware of steps that they can take to reduce their susceptibility to SSIs; for example by stopping smoking or by managing their weight. “Although these can be difficult for patients,” commented Professor John Fairclough, LLandough Hospital, Cardiff, UK, “this could be a way in which all healthcare professionals can offer support and information to patients; educating them that overall the benefits of losing weight or stopping smoking, for example, can ensure their operation runs more smoothly, with less chance of complications such as SSIs”.

Clinicians at the meeting also agreed that there are a number of simple new measures that they themselves could implement which could reduce SSIs, including using washable surgical shoes rather than disposable overshoes and ensuring experienced surgeons either supervise or conduct wound closure procedures.

SSIs have a major impact on patients and healthcare settings, in terms of both morbidity and mortality. Notably, patients who develop SSIs are twice as likely to die1. They usually lead to increased hospital stays or re-admissions and more needs for hospital stays within intensive care or high dependency units. Not only do SSIs impact negatively upon the patients’ lives but they also add substantially to healthcare costs such as bed occupancy.

It was also noted by the attending clinicians that SSIs can occur days or even weeks after surgery. Therefore it is not just the time spent by the patient while being attended to in hospital that needs to be taken into account; risks would also need to be minimised for the period after the patient leaves the hospital.

The symposium ‘New non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce surgical site infections’, took place in Reykjav?­k, Iceland, in June 2007. This meeting brought together an international group of clinicians and researchers from a number of highly specialised fields such as surgery, anaesthesia and orthopaedics, to review current and emerging strategies for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs), a common post-operative complication that imposes a high (and largely avoidable) burden of morbidity and mortality. The meeting was sponsored by an educational grant by Kimberly-Clark.

Kimberly-Clark is a leading global health and hygiene company that is home to some of the world’s most trusted and recognised brands – including Kleenex®, Andrex®, Huggies®, Pull-Ups®, Kotex® and Poise® – and holds the No. 1 or No. 2 position in more than 80 countries. In addition to its successful consumer brands, Kimberly-Clark is also a leader in products that clean, care and protect people in their work place or while they are away from home. From hotels to hospitals, the washroom to the workplace, Kimberly-Clark offers a range of innovative products that are driven by insights from customers and end-users.

Two new and innovative products which Kimberly-Clark provide to the healthcare professional community are aimed at the prevention of SSIs, the microbial sealant InteguSeal® and the unique Patient Warming System®. As part of the recent symposium in Reykjavik, clinicians spent time discussing the use of both in the prevention of SSIs.

For more information regarding InteguSeal®, please see here.

For more information on the Kimberly-Clark Patient Warming System please see here.

Around the world, medical professionals turn to Kimberly-Clark for a wide portfolio of solutions that improve the health, hygiene and well-being of their patients and staff. As part of their healing mission, caregivers rely on Kimberly-Clark to deliver clinical solutions and educational resources that they can depend on to prevent, diagnose and manage a wide variety of healthcare-associated infections. This over $1 billion global enterprise of Kimberly-Clark Corporation holds the No.1 and No.2 market share positions in several categories, including infection control solutions, surgical solutions and digestive health. For more information please visit kchealthcare.

References

1. Kirkland KB, Briggs JP, Trivette SL, Wilkinson WE, Sexton DJ. The impact of surgical-site infections in the 1990′s: attributable mortality, excess length of hospitalization, and extra costs. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1999; 20:725-30

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