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The idea that the Ebola virus may mutate and become transmissible through the air continues to be pushed to the margins of the public health discussion, now all but relegated to the nightmares of a panicked public.
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The World Health Organization recently reported two Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infections in Qatar, with both men reporting exposure to camels.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services does not currently have regulations in place to require antibiotic stewardship programs in hospitals, but the fact that it expanded that section in the final version of its infection control survey suggests that is only a temporary situation.
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U.S. biocontainment facilities that have safely handled Ebola patients now are joined in their preparedness efforts by more than 30 hospitals newly designated as Ebola treatment centers.
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Though the timing with the Ebola outbreak is purely coincidental, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has drafted an infectious disease standard that would mandate infection control measures to protect health care workers.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized its long anticipated infection control survey for hospitals, telling its inspectors the requirements are effective immediately and can be used to issue citations in unannounced inspections.
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An H3N2 A influenza strain not covered in the current vaccine is circulating in the U.S. and threatens high risk groups with severe infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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Nationally, nonblack children with otitis media more frequently receive broad-spectrum antibiotics than black children do. The majority of children with otitis media in the United States receive inappropriate treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics.
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The immunogenicity of trivalent influenza vaccine is attenuated by the administration of A(H1N1)pdm09 4 months before, an effect partially overcome by the presence of an adjuvant in the former.
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In a single academic medical center, changing from a strategy of prior authorization to prospective audit with feedback led to significantly increased total antibiotic use and use of agents with a broad spectrum of gram-negative activity.