Clostridium difficile infecting one in 100 patients

With all the attention on antibiotic-resistant staph, or MRSA, you may have overlooked Clostridium difficile, the nasty bacterium behind a growing number of hospital-acquired infection, the Wall Street Journal reports. Turns out C. diff is infecting more than 1 in 100 inpatients, a nationwide survey just found.

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Infection control group announces support to vaccinate health care workers

In response to the low rates of influenza immunization among healthcare personnel, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) today announced its support for requiring flu immunization for healthcare workers who have direct patient contact as well as ancillary staff. APIC further recommended that healthcare facilities obtain informed statements acknowledging the risk to patients from employees who decline the vaccine for reasons other than medical.

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Groups release compendium of evidence-based strategies to fight hospital infections

Several health care organizations released a compendium of strategies to help prevent the most dangerous infections that hospitals face. The compendium uses the latest guidelines and scientific evidence to identify what hospitals should be doing, and how, to prevent staph and C difficile infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, bloodstream infections caused by central-line catheters, and urinary tract and surgical site infections.

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