News
Hygienics Biosecurity announce Strategic Alliance with the STERIS Corporation
Hygienics Biosecurity and the STERIS Corporation have signed an agreement under which STERIS will take global responsibility for sales and marketing of the Hygienics Biosecurity product BioGienie®. To find out more download the Press Release here.
Infection 2009:
We look forward to seeing existing customers and visitors at the Healthcare Estates Conference & Exhibition being held at The International Conference Centre, Birmingham, 11-13 November 2009. We will be on stand 72.
James Hayes joins as Finance Director:
James Hayes has joined Hygienics Biosecurity as Finance Director. Alan Wright, Managing Director commenting on this said “James joins as at an exciting period in our growth and I know his expertise will contribute greatly to our success”. James joins us from Compass Accounting where he was a Junior Partner.
Four in hospital after outbreak on cruise ship:
Four people are being treated in hospital after an outbreak of suspected Norovirus on board a cruise liner. NHS Highland said 340 passengers and 40 crew had been assessed by doctors after feeling unwell.
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8137550.stm for more details.
WHO publishes guide for H1N1 (Swine Flu):
New Influenza A (HIN1). World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes guidelines for patient care which includes advice that you should clean and disinfect dedicated patient equipment and personal equipment that has been in contact with a patient.
To read the full story go to http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/ah1n1_checklist.pdf
Infection Control guidelines published by the CDC in the USA:
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, approximately 46.5 million surgical procedures and even more invasive medical procedures are performed each year. Each procedure involves contact by a medical device or surgical instrument with a patient’s sterile tissue or mucous membranes. A major risk of all such procedures is the introduction of pathogens that can lead to infection.
To download the guidelines go to http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/guidelines.html
UK Health secretary Andy Burnham has promised to "deep clean the target regime":
UK Health secretary Andy Burnham has promised to “deep clean the target regime”. Speaking at the NHS Confederation conference, he said patients should now be the “pre-eminent force” driving health policy instead. “Existing targets would either be converted into minimum standards for services or “removed”, he said. More.
To read the full story go to Andy Burnham promises to overhaul NHS targets.pdf
Next Superbug? Scientists Fear Combo of Bird Flu, Swine Flu:
The next superbug to emerge could very well be a mix of bird flu and swine flu, scientists are whispering among themselves. Several factors make this VERY possible – and, if this occurs, the new super bug could start our next true pandemic!
To see the full story go to http://www.pandemic-flu-guide.com/superbug.html
APIC applauds Obama's 2010 Healthcare budget:
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) applauds the Obama Administration for introducing the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Act aimed at providing $22 million to address healthcare-associated infections(HAIs) and also the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which includes $50 million for states to implement strategies to reduce HAIs, which claim 99,000 lives each year and add more than $20 billion to the nation’s healthcare bill.
To see the full story go to http://www.apic.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Featured_News_and_Events&CONTENTID=13385&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
ECDC says HCAIs are responsible for 37,000 deaths
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), HCAIs are directly responsible for approximately 37,000 deaths annually and contribute to a further 110,000 across the EU. The burden on healthcare systems is immense, resulting in an additional 16 million days of hospital stays per year. Assuming the average daily cost of a hospital stay is €334, the total annual healthcare cost for the EU-27 can be estimated at €5.5 billion.
To read the full article go to: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147275.php
Health Protection Agency report says 4.1% increase in C.Difficile since 2006
The HPA report,dated 20 March 2009, covers voluntary reports of Clostridium difficile positive faecal samples made to the HPA in 2007 for all ages from laboratories in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Age specific rates of C. difficile were calculated using Office of National Statistics 2007 mid-year resident population estimates as denominators. There were 57,247 reports in 2007, comprising 52,980 from England, 2,883 from Wales and 1,384 from N. Ireland. This was a 4.1% increase in the number of C. difficile laboratory reports compared to 2006
To see and download this document go to: www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1237448990494
The Health Protection Agency publishes its guidelines "Clostridium difficile infection - How to deal with the problem". Date: January 2009
This comprehensive guide to all healthcare professionals includes recommendations on environmental cleaning and disinfection, including the statement that "consideration should be given to the use of vaporised hydrogen peroxide to provide total disinfection of the environment/equipment in single rooms/isolation wards". It also describes previous testing that showed the efficacy of HPV.
To see and download this document go to: www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1232006607827
