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Confidentiality and testing concerns about HIV-infected health care workers are starting to surface as the government moves ahead with its plan to offer smallpox vaccine to hospital staff. Those with HIV would be at risk of dangerous complications, including potentially fatal progressive vaccinia, if they receive smallpox vaccine.
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Deciding that the risk of smallpox vaccine outweighs the current benefit of immunization, an increasing number of hospitals are refusing the governments offer to vaccinate key health care workers. Though public health authorities still are expecting widespread compliance, the move has raised concerns that the nonparticipants will undermine bioterrorism preparedness.
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Israel reports 4 hospitalized among 18,000 smallpox immunizations; Smallpox Vaccine Alert: Use only three needle sticks for first-time vaccinees; IOM: Set trigger before a vaccine death occurs; How not to run a bioterror immunization campaign
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Pneumococcal vaccination rates in the United States are reported to be 28% to 47%, well below the desired 90% levels, with the result that many patients are denied effective protection against a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study demonstrates that an ED-based vaccination strategy would protect most patients at risk for pneumococcal bacteremia in an inner-city public hospital, with a best-case scenario showing cost savings.
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Use of an alcohol-based product was associated with significantly improved hand hygiene in a study of neonatal intensive care units (NICU), a new study had found.
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While the flap continues over fire safety and placing alcohol hand hygiene dispensers in hospitals, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has developed some interim guidelines to help infection control professionals.
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The following questions and answers are summarized with permission from an educational brochure developed at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, for patients who are being placed in contact isolation:
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Draft guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ratchet up increasing infection control and administrative measures depending on whether severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has appeared globally, within a community, or within a facility.
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Editors note: As this issue of Hospital Infection Control went to press, these studies were presented in Chicago at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Look for more in-depth coverage of this conference in our next issue
