health News: Use of nanoparticles administered via hair follicles will combat surgical site infections ♦ Gains in health insurance across Texas fall behind rest of US

Use of nanoparticles administered via hair follicles will combat surgical site infections and wounds Many surgery patients develop infections and are a major source of prolonged illness and significant cause of death. Now, a research project is investigating the use of nanoparticles as a way to disinfect wounds. It could prove to be much more effective than existing techniques because the particles would be tiny enough to enter the skin via hair follicles, ensuring much better penetration of the area affected by surgery.

Multiple myeloma drug could revolutionize treatment for sickle cell disease An established drug for recurrent multiple myeloma might effectively be repurposed to improve the survival and day-to-day lives of patients with devastating sickle cell disease.

Gains in health insurance across Texas fall behind rest of US The rate of adults without health insurance across the US dropped nearly twice as much as in Texas from 2013 to 2015, according to a new report. The report found that since enrollment began in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in September 2013, the adult uninsured rate in the U.S. fell by 41 percent. Researchers found Texas' uninsured rate dropped just 21 percent during the same time.

New material developed for accelerated skin regeneration in major wounds Researchers have developed a synthetic biomaterial that fills wounds and aids in regeneration of skin cells, which ultimately improves wound healing.

Children's Health:Early maturing girls at great risk of alcohol abuse without close parental supervision ♦ Birth weight affects social trust, ♦ Blocking light improves preemies' survival rates

Early exposure to tobacco can cause behavioral problems in children Researchers have analyzed data on pre- and postnatal exposure to tobacco in the homes of 5,200 primary school children, and have found that early exposure to tobacco can lead to behavioral problems in children.

Birth weight affects social trust, Low birth weight is statistically correlated with low levels of social trust. The findings deepen our understanding of what keeps society together.

Early maturing girls at great risk of alcohol abuse without close parental supervision Inadequate parental supervision during early adolescence forecasts a host of behavior problems, including problem drinking. Early maturing girls given the most autonomy had the highest rates of alcohol abuse, with intoxication frequency increasing an average of 234 percent.

Early life infections may be a risk factor for Celiac disease in childhood Children with frequent infections in the first 18 months of life have a slightly increased risk of later developing celiac disease compared with children who have few infections, conclude researchers. Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. In recent decades there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of celiac disease and it is believed that one per cent of the population in Western countries.

Blocking light improves preemies' survival rates The survival rate of preemies born between 26 to 31 weeks of gestation is improved by blocking light from reaching the intravenously-fed infused nutritious mixture they depend on for survival.

Health News:83 cases of cyclospora infection reported in Canada ♦ Astronauts set to taste food grown in space ♦ Can music help people with epilepsy?

83 cases of cyclospora infection reported in Canada According to a public health notice issued Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, the Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Health Canada to investigate 83 cases of Cyclospora infection in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.

Astronauts set to taste food grown in space In a pioneering feat that will help astronauts on long-duration space missions like Mars, the crew members on board the International Space Station (ISS) are set to eat fresh food grown in the microgravity environment of space for the first time. Expedition 44 crew members, including Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly, are ready to sample the fruits of their labor after harvesting a crop

Can music help people with epilepsy? The brains of people with epilepsy appear to react to music differently from the brains of those who do not have the disorder, a finding that could lead to new therapies to prevent seizures.

One size does not fit all when it comes to marrow fat, While most of us worry about the fat cells building up on the fleshy parts of our bodies, scientists are paying serious attention to another kind of fat cell deep inside our bones, in the marrow. Now they've published new important clues about it, including a discovery that there are two types.

Important gaps found in evidence for best methods for cleaning hospital rooms to prevent healthcare-associated infections While a new study points to several promising cleaning tactics of “high-touch surfaces,” there’s a lack of evidence as to which is the most effective at reducing healthcare-associated infections

Antibiotic approved for treating infant abdominal infections

The antibiotic was approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for treating abdominal infections in children less than 3 months of age. The approval came after a study by a National Institutes of Health research network evaluated the drug in treating children in this age group.

The May 28 issue of The Federal Register described the study which supported the approval of meropenem for “complicated intra-abdominal infections” in children under 3 months of age. Among preterm infants, intestinal perforation or leakage — which is part of complicated intra-abdominal infection — may be life threatening. The study was undertaken under the terms of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, which directed NIH to conduct studies on drugs used in children but not previously tested in children or in specific pediatric age groups.

Meropenem is a broad spectrum antibiotic — effective against a wide variety of bacteria. The drug has been previously approved to treat complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated skin infections in adults and older children, and for treating children 3 months of age and older with bacterial meningitis — an infection of the fluid bathing the brain and spinal cord. During the last several years, physicians have begun prescribing meropenem for preterm infants with serious abdominal infections. Because they lacked an effective alternative, many physicians had prescribed the drug for a use other than what the FDA had approved. The NIH study was undertaken in response to a written request from the FDA to evaluate the dosing and safety of meropenem in the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections in infants under 3 months of age.

“This study shows that meropenem is appropriate for treating complicated intra-abdominal infections in very young infants. In addition, we now have dosing guidelines for various age groups of premature infants,” said Anne Zajicek, M.D., Pharm.D., chief of the Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics Branch at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which funded the study.

Dr. Zajicek explained that physicians often need to extrapolate from studies of adults when prescribing for pediatric patients, because many drugs have never been tested specifically for use in children. However, because of their smaller size, differences in metabolism, and other physical differences from adults, many drugs may affect children differently than they do adults. Under the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, NICHD works with FDA to identify drugs not tested in children to determine if they are appropriate for use in children.

The NICHD commissioned the study to investigate meropenem use in 200 infants under 3 months of age, including premature infants. Researchers examined how the drug was absorbed and distributed throughout the body, and used that information to develop dosing recommendations for different age groups of infants, including premature infants of different ages. In addition, the study evaluated side effects. Based on this study, treatment of infants with meropenem was safe and was not associated with increased risk for serious side effects.

CDC data show progress in reducing some foodborne infections

While some diseases decreased, overall infections from foodborne illness remain the same

In 2014, rates of infection from a serious form of E. coli and one of the more common Salmonella serotypes decreased compared with the baseline period of 2006-2008. Meanwhile, some other less common types of Salmonella increased. Campylobacter and Vibrio rose again in 2014, continuing the increase observed during the past few years, according to data published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today’s report summarizes the rates of infection per 100,000 population and tracks illness trends for key foodborne illnesses.

Infection with Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157, which can sometimes lead to kidney failure, decreased 32 percent when compared with 2006-2008 and 19 percent when compared with the most recent three years. These infections are often linked to consumption of undercooked ground beef and raw leafy vegetables. Salmonella Typhimurium, which has been linked to poultry, beef, and other foods, was 27 percent lower than it was in 2006-2008, continuing a downward trend begun in the mid-1980s. Two other less common types of Salmonella, Javiana and Infantis, more than doubled for reasons that are unclear. Salmonella Javiana is concentrated in the southeastern United States, but has been spreading within the Southeast and to other areas of the country. However, when all Salmonella serotypes are combined, there was no change in 2014. Campylobacter increased 13 percent and Vibrio increased 52 percent compared with 2006-2008. Yersinia has declined enough to meet the Healthy People 2020 goal.

The data are from FoodNet, CDC’s active surveillance system that tracks nine common foodborne pathogens in 10 states and monitors trends in foodborne illness in about 15 percent of the U.S. population. Today’s report compares the 2014 frequency of infection with the frequency in the baseline period 2006-2008 and in the three most recent years. Overall in 2014, FoodNet logged just over 19,000 infections, about 4,400 hospitalizations, and 71 deaths from the nine foodborne germs it tracks. Salmonella and Campylobacter were by far the most common– accounting for about 14,000 of the 19,000 infections reported.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that changes in food safety practice are having an impact in decreasing E.coli and we know that without all the food safety work to fight Salmonella that more people would be getting sick with Salmonella than we are seeing now,,” said Robert Tauxe, M.D., deputy director of CDC’s Division of Foodborne Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. “The increasing use of whole genome sequencing to track foodborne illness cases will also help; however, much more needs to be done to protect people from foodborne illness.”  

The recent decline in the incidence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 follows several years of increasing scrutiny for beef products. Since 1994, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken STEC O157:H7 extremely seriously and made a number of changes in its regulatory oversight of the beef industry to protect public health.

"We are encouraged by the reduction of STEC O157:H7 illnesses, which reflects our science-based approach to beef inspection, and we look forward to seeing further reductions in Salmonella and Campylobacter infections as our improved standards for poultry take effect later this year, " said Al Almanza, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA. "Data sources like FoodNet allow us to be strategic in developing our food safety policies, and we will do everything within our power to keep reducing cases of foodborne illness from all meat and poultry products."

Under the provisions of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to publish major new regulations in 2015. The regulations are geared toward ensuring produce safety, implementing preventive controls on processed foods, and improving the safety of imported foods.

“Prevention of illness is the fundamental goal of our new rules under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA.  “We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders to devise rules that will be effective for food safety and practical for the many diverse elements of our food system. Once the rules are fully implemented, FoodNet will help us evaluate their impact.”

The FoodNet report also includes results of culture-independent diagnostic tests (a new method for diagnosing intestinal illnesses without needing to grow the bacteria) done in the many hospital laboratories in the FoodNet sites. In 2014, the results of more than 1,500 such tests were reported. More than two-thirds of the tests were for Campylobacter. Other tests performed were for STEC, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio. Some of the tests had a positive result. However, the infections were not confirmed by culture, and so CDC experts did not include them in the overall FoodNet results for 2014.

For more information on avoiding illnesses from food, please visit www.foodsafety.gov

Health News:Taiwan: DDT tainted tea ♦ Swine farming a risk factor for drug-resistant staph infections ♦ New mechanism controlling cell response to DNA damage

Taiwan: DDT tainted tea Routine food safety inspections were conducted by the Chiayi City Government at a PX mart on May 1, which resulted in the discovery of DDT contaminations in 3:15 Milk Tea's Jhihuo Oolong Rose Tea teabags. Tipped off by the Chiayi City Government, the Taichung Health Department then sent investigators to the headquarters of Shih Chen.

Spinal cord axon injury location determines neuron's regenerative fate A previously unappreciated phenomenon has been reported in which the location of injury to a neuron's communication wire in the spinal cord -- the axon -- determines whether the neuron simply stabilizes or attempts to regenerate. The study demonstrates how advances in live-imaging techniques are revealing new insights into the body's ability to respond to spinal cord injuries.

Swine farming a risk factor for drug-resistant staph infections Swine farmers are six times more likely to be carriers of staph bacteria, including the MRSA strain, than others, new research shows. S. aureus is a type of bacteria commonly found on the skin as well as in the noses and throats of people and animals.

New mechanism controlling cell response to DNA damage discovered DNA can be damaged by different environmental insults, such as ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, oxidative stress or certain drugs. If the DNA is not repaired, cells may begin growing uncontrollably, leading to the development of cancer. Therefore, cells must maintain an intricate regulatory network to ensure that their DNA remains intact. Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism that controls a cell's response to DNA damage

9/6/14 Health News: MOST CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO FOOD DYES ♦ Breastfeeding Reduces Children’s risk of Infections and Allergies ♦ High-Tech Chopsticks

FDA ASSESSMENT: MOST CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO FOOD DYES

Exposure assessments conducted by the Food and Drug Administration find that most American kids are exposed to food dyes. FDA has not yet published the full results, but according to results presented Aug. 13 at the 248th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, at least 96 percent of children aged 2-5 years are exposed to... Continue Reading

Breastfeeding can Reduce Children’s risk of Infections and Allergies

Update Date: Sep 03, 2014 11:32 AM EDT Children who were breastfed for nine or more months had a 53 percent reduced risk of contracting a sinus infection in comparison to children who were not breastfed for a long period of time. (Photo : Getty Images News/ Andrew Burton) Several studies have concluded that breastfeeding at the beginning of an infant's life can lead to many …  continue reading

Can High-Tech Chopsticks Improve Food Safety in China?

Gadgets that test food for "gutter oil" are part of a growing industry. Aly Song/Reuters Baidu, the Chinese Internet search giant, showed off an intriguing prototype at its annual Beijing conference yesterday. Baidu Kuaisou is a set of “smart chopsticks” that can tell you whether your food was cooked with potentially toxic recycled cooking oil—better known as “gutter oil … continue reading

6/18/14 Health News: Chinese food safety is worse than you think ♦ War Wound Infections ♦ Resveratrol, Causes Pancreatic Abnormalities in Fetuses ♦ Early Vaccines Save Lives in Flu Pandemic

Chinese food safety is worse than you think

In April, I began an email correspondence with an American I’ll call Susan (she prefers to remain anonymous), who has lived in China for 15 years while working in publishing. She currently resides in Beijing and also lived in a small town in Hubei province. Susan came across our Change.org petition (322,000+ signatures) asking Congress to “Keep Chinese Chicken Out of Our Schools …continue reading

Veterans to Benefit From Better Identification of War Wound Infections

War wounds that heal successfully frequently contain different microbial species from those that heal poorly, according to a paper published ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.These and other findings have important implications for improving wound healing, Continue Reading

'Healthy' Component of Red Wine, Resveratrol, Causes Pancreatic Abnormalities in Fetuses

New research suggests that although resveratrol improved blood flow through the placenta of macaque monkeys and protected against harmful aspects of obesity, resveratrol injured the fetal pancreas. Here's more evidence that pregnant women should be careful about what they eat and drink: This study has direct relevance to human health — resveratrol, found in red wine and frequently taken as a supplement, is widely used for its recognized health benefits, and is readily available over the counter. Continue Reading

Vaccination During 'Optimal Window' Is the Key to Saving Lives in Next Flu Pandemic

Early vaccination could reduce morbidity, mortality, and health care costs associated with pandemic flu, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Response to a 2009 H1N1 pandemic was not optimal, with large-scale vaccination not occurring until nine months after outbreak.. A delay of just four weeks leads to substantial increases in infection, deaths, and costs. Continue Reading

4/5/14 health News: Transfusion Linked to Infection Risk ♦ SHELLFISH CONTAIN DANGEROUS TOXIN LEVELS ♦ Official Food Poisoning Numbers are Dramatically Below Estimates

RECREATIONALLY HARVESTED SHELLFISH FROM TWO CA COUNTIES CONTAIN DANGEROUS TOXIN LEVELS

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers not to eat recreationally harvested bivalve shellfish (such as mussels, clams or whole scallops) from Monterey or Santa Cruz counties due to dangerous levels of a naturally occurring toxin that can cause illness or death. Dangerous levels of domoic acid have been detected in mussels... Continue Reading

CASE COUNTS: WHY OFFICIAL NUMBERS FALL FAR BELOW ESTIMATES

When news broke this past fall of two separate Salmonella outbreaks tied to Foster Farms chicken, one of the most noteworthy aspects of each outbreak was the number of patients sickened. To date, the outbreaks have been connected to 615 reported Salmonella infections altogether, making Foster Farms chicken the largest known source of foodborne Salmonella... Continue Reading

Transfusion Strategy Linked to Infection Risk

A restrictive approach to red blood cell transfusion is safer for many patients than a more liberal strategy, researchers reported. In a meta-analysis of 18 randomized trials, the risk of serious nosocomial infection was cut 18% among patients whose doctors ordered a transfusion at a lower hemoglobin level, compared with those whose caregivers used a higher cutoff,  Widespread use of more restrictive transfusion strategies might help reduce the rate of healthcare-associated infections in hospitals, Continue Reading

Antibiotic Prescribing Putting Patients at Risk

Antibiotics can be lifesaving, but poor prescribing practices put hospital patients at risk for preventable allergic reactions, super-resistant infections, and deadly diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile.  These practices also drive antibiotic resistance, further endangering the future of these miracle drugs and the patients who need them.  For some hospital patients, it is already too late.  We must change prescribing practices now.

According to a new CDC Vital Signs report:

• About one-third of the time, prescribing practices to treat urinary tract infections and prescriptions for the critical and common drug vancomycin included a potential error. This means that many patients are given drugs without proper testing or evaluation, or were given drugs for too long.
• Clinicians in some hospitals prescribed three times as many antibiotics as clinicians in other hospitals, even though patients were receiving care in similar areas of each hospital. This difference suggests the need to improve prescribing practices.
• A 30 percent reduction in the antibiotics most likely to cause C. difficile infections can reduce these deadly infections by more than 25 percent.

C. difficile infection is a growing problem in healthcare facilities. Outbreaks occur when humans accidentally ingest spores in a medical facility. The infection kills 14,000 people a year in America aloneWhen the bacteria are in a colon in which normal gut flora has been destroyed (usually after a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as clindamycin has been used), the gut becomes overrun with C. difficile. The bacteria release toxins that can cause bloating and diarrhea, with abdominal pain, which may become severe.

Latent symptoms of C. difficile infection often mimic some flu-like symptoms and can mimic disease flare in patients with inflammatory bowel disease-associated colitis. Mild cases of C. difficile infection can often be cured by discontinuing the antibiotics. In more serious cases, oral administration of, first, oral metronidazole and—if that fails—then, second, vancomycin and if unsuccessful again, intravenous metronidazole can be used. Relapses of C. difficile have been reported in up to 20% of cases]

3/5/14 Health News: Hospitals Fall Short in Preventing Infections - Cancer Kills 50% More Men - Fertility Method That Raises Ethical Questions - Dog DNA Database

Many U.S. Hospitals Fall Short in Preventing Infections

Many U.S. hospitals don't follow rules meant to protect patients from preventable and potentially deadly infections, a new study shows. Researchers examined adherence to infection control policies in more than 1,600 intensive care units at 975 hospitals across the nation. They focused on three of the most common types of preventable infections in hospitals: central line-associated bloodstream infections; catheter-associated urinary tract infections; and ventilator-associated pneumonia.Continue Reading

Globally Cancer Kills 50% More Men Than Women

Figures published by Cancer Research UK reveal that more than 4.6 million men and 3.5 million women die of cancer worldwide every year, putting the global rate of cancer death among men (126 per 100,000) 50% higher than that of women (82 per 100,000). The figures also show every year, more than 14 million people worldwide find out they have cancer, with men 24% more likely to be among them than women. Continue reading

FDA Weighs Fertility Method That Raises Ethical Questions

The Food and Drug Administration is weighing a fertility procedure that involves combining the genetic material of three people to make a baby free of certain defects, a therapy that critics say is an ethical minefield and could lead to the creation of designer babies. The agency has asked a panel of experts to summarize current science to determine whether the approach — which has been performed successfully in monkeys by researchers in Oregon and in people more than a decade ago — is safe enough to be used again in people.Continue Reading

Dog Database to Limit Droppings

By developing a database of dog DNA linked to the dogs' owners, Naples hopes to eliminate dog waste from its sidewalks. "Now, when I walk the streets, the presences have greatly diminished," says Captain Enrico Del Gaudio from the Municipal Police, referring to droppings. "Before, it was like an obstacle course. Every day, a child would walk into school with a little gift under her shoe." Continue Reading

2/25/14 Health News: Large Protein Stops Bacterias Ability To Cause Disease - Infections Harm Memory in Older Persons - Could Statins Be Used to Fight a Deadly Viral Infection?

Production of an Exceptionally Large Surface Protein Prevents Bacteria From Forming Clumps and Reduces Their Ability to Cause Disease

A genetic mechanism that controls the production of a large spike-like protein on the surface of Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria alters the ability of the bacteria to form clumps and to cause disease, according to a new University of Iowa study. The new study is the first to link this genetic mechanism to the production of the giant surface protein and to clumping behavior in bacteria. It is also the first time that clumping behavior has been associated with endocarditis, a serious infection of heart valves that kills 20,000 Americans each year. The findings were published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. "Our study suggests that clumping could be a target for therapy," says Horswill. "If we could find drugs that block clumping, I think they would be potentially really useful for blocking staph infections." Continue Reading

Could Infections Harm Memory in Older Adults?

Exposure to several types of common infections could be associated with memory problems, a new study suggests. The authors caution, however, that further research is needed to draw concrete conclusions. Scientists from the University of Miami and Columbia University in New York City were scheduled to present their research at an American Stroke Association meeting in San Diego. Continue Reading

Could Statins Be Used to Fight a Deadly Viral Infection?

Two Perelman School of Medicine microbiologists may have found a way to use statins, the well-known blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drugs, to fight the hantavirus, a mysterious and lethal microorganism that appeared suddenly in the US southwest over 20 years ago. That first outbreak led to the deaths of more than a dozen people, most of them in their prime. The last reported outbreak happened in Yellowstone Park in 2012. A PLOS Pathogens paper by Penn microbiologists Paul Bates, PhD, and Kenneth Briley, PhD, published reports that four proteins key to cholesterol synthesis and uptake are highjacked by the hantavirus to enter human host cells.Continue Reading

New Ways to Control Bacterial Diseases

In Scotland University of Strathclyde scientists have developed a way of chemically bonding Bacteriophage to nylon. Most of the time Bacteriophage is stored in a liquid but when it is attached to nylon it can be stored dry. The nylon can be in the form of strips, beads and thread. The thread are used by surgeons to suture the cuts after an operation. The nylon strips can be laid over a open wound. Both  methods  are very good at stopping infections.

They are now going through the approval process and expect to have the new product available in Great Britain in 2015. I don’t know if they will be able to get the new product approved for use in the United States unless the FDA changed their policy on mutations.  Currently the FDA has stated that any product that mutates in the body will not be approved as medicine. It is true that the Bacteriophage bonded to the Nylon won’t mutate but  offspring still can mutate.

In India GangaGen Biotechnologies has attached  a protein that will kill the MRSA bacteria to a Bacteriophage. When the Bacteriophage attacks the MRSA virus the the protein emits an infrared light which kills the bacteria. Sense the bacteria is killed before the Bacteriophage can produce offspring.

Are these two inventions better than Phage Therapy. Bacteriophage can be sprayed  on  the area that the surgeon cut open making the Bacteriophage available to the entire wound, not just in the area where the wound is sutured.  In the second instance the Bacteriophage can insert their DNA into a bacteria and creates 50 or more offspring right in the area where the infection is located.

GangaGen Biotechnologies is also working on a Bacteriophage in which they have changed the DNA.  This Bacteriophage Can kills the bacteria but is unable to split the bacteria open. This could be a real advance because there are some types of bacteria  that have poison inside. When these bacteria are broken open they can cause a fever or in severe cases toxic shock. For these type of bacteria this seems like it could be a real breakthrough.

Hospital-Acquired Infections Rack Up $9.8 billion a Year

At least 15 people may have been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from neurosurgery instruments that had first been used at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N.H.

This is one example of our  nation's hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient clinics continue to fall short when it comes to performing necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection that can cause illness or death, new data from the Joint Commission show.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) cost $9.8 billion per year, with surgical site infections alone accounting for one-third of those costs, followed closely by ventilator-associated pneumonia at devices and supplies. Among ambulatory care operators, such as outpatient surgery centers, 37% failed to meet the same standard.  One out of five long-term care providers and one out of four home care providers did not meet guidelines for hand hygiene.

The Joint Commission accredits the quality and safety of healthcare operators. It released its ranking of standards that proved most problematic for healthcare companies in the first six months of 2013.   Preventing infection and hand washing were standards where ambulatory care, hospital and long-term-care providers struggled. There had been no improvement over the previous two years.

47% of hospitals did not comply with processes to reduce the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices and supplies. Among ambulatory care operators, such as outpatient surgery centers, 37% failed to meet the same standard.

Infections spread by medical devices or health care providers have long been identified as a major source of cost, illness and death. A growing body of research has sought to pinpoint the cost and harm from healthcare-associated infections and ways to prevent their spread.

Hand washing ranks highly as a way to prevent patients from acquiring infections in healthcare facilities, but compliance remains a stubborn problem among healthcare providers. Reasons for the lack of progress are unrealistic and inflated appraisal by providers of their own performance. Also time pressures on the staff or floor plans that tuck sinks in out-of-the-way locations.

Some organizations now deploy staff to secretly observe adherence and provide feedback to the organization or problematic individuals.

That type of accountability is necessary to improve performance, said Patricia McGaffigan, a nurse, chief operating officer and senior vice president of the National Patient Safety Foundation. “A true culture of safety will not tolerate these misses in hand hygiene and they will hold people accountable for not practicing their hand hygiene appropriately,” many organizations now deploy staff to secretly observe adherence and provide feedback to the organization—or problematic individuals.

One Company has come out with a badge for caregivers to wear. By using GPS the badge rings if the caregiver goes to a patient without stopping by the sink to wash their hands.

You Can Catch MRSA from Going Swimming in Florida

Some Florida beaches and some beaches along the west coast of the United States are infected with MRSA. Around Ft.Lauderdale, where I live, they regularly check the water for the bacterial infection. If they find harmful bacteria, they will close the beach. The ocean is not the only place you can catch MRSA. Football Players have a higher rate of MRSA infections.than the general public.They can get infected from grass burns from the artificial turf. People who spend a lot of time in crowded gyms can get infected. Other places where people can get infected are Child Care centers, nursing homes, military barracks, prisons, and hospitals,

The people most likely to get MRSA are those with weakened immune systems. Such as people with cancer, AIDS, bad cases of asthma or diabetes  Also people who are having  invasive surgery such as hip or knee replacement are at risk of having MRSA infections. People who work with animals such as Veterinarians are also in danger.

MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics. Many people have MRSA infestations in their noses. Most of these people show no symptoms sometimes for many years. Their immune systems keep the MRSA under control, but if there immune system gets weakened because of another disease the MRSA can spread to their lungs and cause bacterial pneumonia. Pneumonia is hard to treat. If a doctor treats the pneumonia with the wrong antibiotic, one that doesn't affect MRSA, the doctor has a very short time to find an antibiotic that will work.before the patient dies.

The other way MRSA  infects the body is through a scratch or a cut in the skin. If it is caught quickly it can be treated with surgery. The surgeon cuts out the infection Many times that is all the treatment necessary. But if the MRSA gets into the bloodstream it can infect internal organs, joints and bones.

MRSA  kills more Americans than AIDS and costs more than $20 billion to treat. Globally  about 53 million people are infected with MRSA each Year. Several Pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine for MRSA. It is difficult to develop.  So far two companies have failed in late stages of trials. Any possible vaccine is at least 10 to 15 years out.  

In the Republic of Georgia they have been able to treat MRSA with Phage Therapy. In one of their trials they had a 95%.success rate. Sense phage is unaffected by drug resistance it is more effective than antibiotics in treating MRSA. Hopefully it will be made legal in the United States soon.