International Journal of Infection Control最新文献

{"title":"Mild respiratory illness in SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination in healthcare workers","authors":"H. Guanche Garcell, Reynaldo Barban Arias","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v18.22256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v18.22256","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 after vaccination is a consequence of multiple factors, including the variable vaccine efficacy and the emergence of new viral variants. Sixteen cases of infection after completing the primary series of vaccination in healthcare workers (HCWs) are described. Ten cases had symptoms, mainly loss of smell (four cases), cough (four cases), fever (two cases), nasal discharge or obstruction (three cases), general malaise (two cases), and dyspnea and loss of taste in one case each. The median time between the second dose of the primary vaccination and the positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) was 132.5 days, and the median cycle threshold value at the time of diagnosis was 25.1. Laboratory tests performed at diagnosis showed results mostly in normal parameters, and in 10 cases, pulmonary findings suggestive of COVID-19 were described. The clinical course of the disease was satisfactory, without complications or sequelae at discharge. Conclusion: COVID-19 after vaccination in HCWs was mild, with a favorable course of the disease.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89959865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges faced in the conversion of a tertiary healthcare centre into a COVID-19 hospital and developing a free-standing isolation centre in India","authors":"Brajesh Kumar Ratre, B. Kumar, Rakesg Garg, S. Vig, A. Pandit, Shweta Arun Bhopale, S. Bhatnagar","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v18.20476","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v18.20476","url":null,"abstract":"Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is a highly virulent disease associated with high mortality. Its outbreak into a pandemic has challenged the healthcare system of most countries around the world. A large number of infectious diseases hospitals are the need of hour to counteract this worrying infection. However, it is not possible to build such hospitals on a large scale within a short period of time; the only possibility is to convert existing healthcare facilities into COVID-19 facilities. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has released guidelines for the preparation of COVID-19 hospitals, but execution at the ground level comes with many challenges. Here, we share our experience and the challenges we faced during the preparation of a tertiary healthcare centre into a COVID-19 centre, with the hope that it will help other institutions to prepare.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82197468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The challenges of COVID-19 vaccination in a war-torn country – Syria","authors":"Rahim Abo Kasem, Faiz Kassab","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v18.22429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v18.22429","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82917942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Descriptive analysis of central line-associated bloodstream infections in a pediatric hematology–oncology unit in Montevideo, Uruguay","authors":"F. Morosini, Anaulina Silveira, Beatriz Irigoyen, M. Homsi, L. Castillo, M. Caniza","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v18.22309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v18.22309","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Central lines are essential for the care of children with cancer. Aims: To determine the risk factors, characteristics, cost of hospital care, and antibiotic use in pediatric oncology patients with central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). Methods: During 2018–2019, we calculated the rate of CLABSIs in our pediatric hematology–oncology unit. Findings: Between 2018 and 2019, we detected 34 CLABSIs at our pediatric hematology–oncology unit. We identified neutropenia as the main risk factor for CLABSI (3.74 infections per 1,000 catheter days vs. 1.15 infections per 1,000 catheter days in patients without neutropenia). Three patients died of septic shock. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, and Pseudomonas species were frequently isolated. The total healthcare cost of the 34 CLABSIs was more than US$1.2 million. Conclusions: CLABSI is an avoidable disease among children with cancer. Investing in CLABSI prevention will save lives and financial resources of the hospital. Preventive measures, surveillance, and reporting the rate of CLABSIs are essential for quality assurance and patient safety during cancer-directed treatment of children.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87180193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of body fluid exposures and associated risk factors amongst healthcare workers at Avicenne Military Hospital, Morocco","authors":"Y. el Kamouni, Touria el Bardi, Kenza el Bazi, Youssra el Amrani, Imane el Khannouri, Ali Meskini, Mouhcine el Miloudi, S. Zouhair, L. Arsalane","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v18.21399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v18.21399","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of body fluid exposures (BFE) and associated risk factors amongst healthcare workers (HCWs), and to evaluate hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination coverage, at Avicenne Military Hospital. Materials and methods: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted over 6 months amongst HCWs at the Avicenne Military Hospital. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire. Blood samples were collected from consenting participants, for assaying HBV surface antibodies. Results: One hundred thirty-four HCWs were interviewed, and 86 (64.2%) reported at least one BFE. The median age was 28 (27–34) years, with male gender predominating (54%). Percutaneous exposure was the most common BFE (95%), and the hollow bore needle the most implicated (45%). Only 34% of victims reported their BFE. The multivariate analysis showed that HCWs in a surgical department are 10 times more exposed to BFE (P = 0.003; odds ratio [OR] = 10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2–47) compared to HCWs in medical departments (P = 0.009; OR = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.007–0.49) and laboratories (P = 0.04; OR = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.01–0.88). The HBV vaccination rate was 67%. Amongst HCWs tested, 42% were immune to HBV. Immune status between physicians and paramedical staff was significantly different (P = 0.005; OR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.04–0.55). The immunization rate rose significantly with seniority (P = 0.016; OR = 17, 95% CI: 1.67–169). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of information and continuous training on BFE for HCWs, and the development of strategies to promote and simplify access to the HBV vaccine.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74891322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is a stable positive rate of <0.1% an indication of a fresh outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection?","authors":"A. Boretti","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v17.20927","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v17.20927","url":null,"abstract":"This letter gives a short analysis of the rate of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in New Zealand and the restrictions that were implemented in response to these rates changing. Concerned about the growth of the number of positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the New Zealand government introduced stricter lockdown measures on August 16, 2020, and on August 18, 2020, it postponed elections planned for September. Growth in the number of positive cases was an artifact of the number of tests growing at a higher rate than the number of positive cases. The positive rate on August 16 was 0.05% (13 positive cases from 26,014 tests). On August 2, the positive rate was higher at 0.18% (three positive cases from 1,692 tests), despite the government considering that the virus was eradicated at this time. A better approach to this pandemic would be the development of policies based on the positive rate, not solely on positive case numbers, and to include viral load using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests with an appropriate cycle threshold to properly identify infectious cases. It is also advised to protect vulnerable populations and avoid unnecessary limitations to the healthy population. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic will last longer than several months, and the sooner life gets back to nearly normal, the better.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78170136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges and opportunities for scaling up infection prevention and control programmes in rural district hospitals of Tamil Nadu, India","authors":"Maya Guhan, Mohan Kumar, Zachary Butzin-Dozier, J. Graham","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v17.20628","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v17.20628","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the barriers to implementing an infection prevention and control (IPC) programme in three public district hospitals in Tamil Nadu by interviewing key stakeholders involved in the roll-out of the programme. Materials and methods: Investigators conducted interviews (n = 17) with chief medical officers (CMOs), physicians, and IPC nurses at three secondary public district hospitals and their affiliated primary health centres (PHCs). Results: Six major themes emerged from the interviews: (1) prevalent IPC practices before the programme began; (2) barriers to implementation; (3) perceptions of the effectiveness of the IPC programme; (4) suggestions for future expansion of the programme; (5) the role of healthcare sanitation workers, and (6) water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure. Stakeholders noted improvements in IPC knowledge, infection control related behaviour, and overall healthcare quality in the three hospitals. In regards to the future of this programme, stakeholders noted the need for more institutional support, a staff nurse solely dedicated to IPC, and the continued training of all staff members. Discussion: The results of this study highlight the importance of having high-functioning WaSH infrastructure and training for hospital sanitary workers in order to have an effective IPC programme. While the scale-up of this IPC programme is warranted, the barriers to implementation outlined in this study should be considered. To achieve a more effective IPC programme, we suggest that the following steps be carried out: (1) dedicate at least one full-time nurse to implementing IPC activities at each district hospital; (2) ensure that state and national policies for IPC are synchronised, and (3) provide sufficient and consistent funding for IPC activities.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77924547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comparison study of COVID-19 outbreaks in the United States between states with Republican and Democratic Governors","authors":"Wenshun Tang, Shuqi Wang, Liyan Xiong, Mengyu Fang, Chi-Yang Chiu, C. Loffredo, R. Fan","doi":"10.3396/ijic.v17.20940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/ijic.v17.20940","url":null,"abstract":"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused devastating public health, economic, political, and societal crises. We performed a comparison study of COVID-19 outbreaks in states with Republican governors versus states with Democratic governors in the United States between April 2020 and February 2021. This research study shows that 1) states with Democratic governors had tested more people for COVID-19 and have higher testing rates than those with Republican governors; 2) states with Democratic governors had more confirmed cases for COVID-19 from April 12 until the end of July 2020, as well as from early December 2020 to February 22 2021, and had higher test positivity rates from April 12 until late June 2020, and the states with Republican governors had more confirmed cases from August to early December 2020 and had higher test positivity rates since late June 2020; 3) states with Democratic governors had more deaths for COVID-19 and higher mortality rates than those with Republican governors; 4) more people recovered in states with Democratic governors until early July 2020, while the recovery rate of states with Republican governors is similar to that of states with Democratic governors in May 2020 and higher than that of states with Democratic governors in April 2020 and between June 2020 to February 22 2021. We conclude that our data suggest that states with Republican governors controlled COVID-19 better as they had lower mortality rates and similar or higher recovery rates. States with Democratic governors first had higher test positivity rates until late June 2020 but had lower test positivity rates after July 2020. As of February 2021, the pandemic was still spreading as the daily numbers of confirmed cases and deaths were still high, although the test positivity and mortality rates started to stabilize in spring 2021. This study provides a direct description for the status and performance of handling COVID-19 in the states with Republican governors versus states with Democratic governors, and provides insights for future research, policy making, resource distribution, and administration.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84498427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Burden of central-line-associated bloodstream infections in 106 Ministry of Health hospitals of Saudi Arabia: a 2-year surveillance study","authors":"K. Alanazi, Mohammed Alqahtani, Tabish Humayun, Adel Alanazi, Y. Aldecoa, Nasser Alshanbari, A. El-Saed, G. B. Saleh","doi":"10.3396/IJIC.V17.20978","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/IJIC.V17.20978","url":null,"abstract":"Background : Although the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) is managing the majority of inpatient bed capacity in Saudi Arabia, surveillance data for central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) have never been reported at a national level. Objectives : To estimate unit-specific CLABSI rates along with central line utilization ratios in MOH hospitals. Additionally, to benchmark such rates and ratios with recognized regional and international benchmarks. Methods : A prospective surveillance study was conducted in 106 MOH hospitals between January 2018 and December 2019. The data from 14 different types of intensive care units (ICUs) were entered into the Health Electronic Surveillance Network (HESN) program. The surveillance methodology was similar to the methods of the US National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Center for Infection Control. Results : During the 2 years of surveillance in ICU setting covering 1,475,177 patient-days and 475,913 central line-days, a total of 1,542 CLABSI events were identified. The overall CLABSI rate was 3.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.08–3.40) per 1,000 central line-days, and the overall central line utilization ratio was 0.32 (95% CI, 0.322–0.323). CLABSI-standardized infection ratios in HESN hospitals were very similar (1.01) to GCC hospitals, but 3.2 times higher than NHSN hospitals and 36% lower than International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) hospitals. Central-line-standardized utilization ratio in MOH hospitals was 15–30% lower than the three benchmarks. Conclusions : The overall CLABSI rate was 3.24 per 1,000 central line-days, and the overall central line utilization ratio was 0.32. MOH CLABSI rates were very similar to GCC hospitals, but higher than NHSN hospitals and lower than INICC hospitals. MOH central line utilization is slightly lower than the three benchmarks.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77347142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasibility and safety of a symptom-based strategy to discontinue infection control precautions for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 – a retrospective study","authors":"G. Grandmaison, Marine Baumberger, Charlotte Pellaud, V. Erard, C. Chuard","doi":"10.3396/IJIC.V17.20601","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3396/IJIC.V17.20601","url":null,"abstract":"Background : Various recommendations exist concerning the discontinuation of contact and droplet precautions (CDP) for patients hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some are based on repeated negative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results, whereas other are based on clinical criteria. The feasibility and safety of these recommendations are poorly documented. Method : We conducted a retrospective study to assess the feasibility and safety of a symptom-based strategy to discontinue CDP for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. We reviewed the clinical charts of all symptomatic patients hospitalised in our institution with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 to assess the application of a symptom-based strategy for the implementation and discontinuation of CDP. The patients with discontinuation of CDP in accordance with the symptom-based strategy were cross-referenced with patients with potential hospital-acquired COVID-19 in order to assess the safety of this strategy. Results : Among the 147 patients included in our study, our symptom-based strategy was respected in 95 cases (64.6%). Discontinuation of CDP in accordance with the recommendations occurred in 39 patients (26.5%). After the discontinuation of CDP, patients remained hospitalised for a median time of 18 days, with exposure to a median number of three patients, resulting in a total number of 588 days ‘patient-day-exposition’. No hospital-acquired COVID-19 was detected in contact patients. Discussion : The use of a symptom-based strategy to discontinue CDP is applicable and safe. This symp-tom-based strategy was applicable regardless of patient’s age or COVID-19 severity.","PeriodicalId":13991,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Infection Control","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78945198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}