The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a new fact sheet, “Control of Pandemic Flu Virus on Environmental Surfaces in Homes and Public Places,” which explains how cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in homes and public places can help to prevent the spread of pandemic influenza. How Flu Viruses Spread A flu pandemic is an outbreak of illness ...
A study from researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston published in Pediatrics found that a simple infection control intervention in elementary schools – disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers – helped reduce illness-related student absenteeism. Illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses account for millions of lost school days each year.(1) According to Thomas Sandora, MD, MPH, a pediatric infectious ...
The headlines alone are enough to make any parent’s head spin: “Cold Meds Send 7,000 Children a Year to the ER,” “FDA Warns Cold Drugs Are Too Risky for Babies,” and “Flu Drugs Causing Problems in Kids.” But then add such alarming reports as “Common Cold Virus Turns into a Killer,” “Flu Deaths Associated with Staph Infections Increase Five-Fold Over ...
Some students are wearing surgical masks on the University of Michigan campus and in the dormitories starting this week as the second year of the M-Flu study gets underway, now that the first confirmed flu case hit campus. Students from four dormitories on the Ann Arbor campus volunteered to participate in the study, which looks at the efficacy and feasibility ...
Alert parents know that small children should not take over-the-counter cough medications. Now researchers say the stuff might not help adults much, either. Over-the-counter medicine is commonly and casually used by millions of cold sufferers every year, but there is no good evidence for or against the effectiveness of OTC cough medicines, concludes a new systematic review of studies. “I ...
A Nevada television station reporter tested two Las Vegas homes for various kinds of disease-causing bacteria, swabbing tile floors, carpeted areas, the soles of shoes, and even the family pet’s paws. The samples were taken to the Silver State Analytical Labs and scientists there found mold, fungus and coliform found ...
BALTIMORE -- New vaccine requirements will affect anyone who is applying for an immigrant visa for entry into the U.S. and anyone seeking adjustment of status for permanent residence. Applicants must show proof of vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases, as recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Passport Health, ...
As Midwest floodwaters recede and clean-up efforts get underway, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) offers advice to help reduce the risk of infection:Nothing beats hand hygiene – It’s critical to remember to practice basic hand hygiene during the emergency period. Always wash your hands with ...
Georgia Tech associate professor Pinar Keskinocak, graduate student Faramroze Engineer and executive secretary of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC Larry Pickering (left to right) display the new online tool they developed that allows parents and pediatricians to ensure that the missed vaccines and future vaccines are ...
Research shows that only 20 percent of consumers use thermometers, and a mere 30 percent are aware that they should have them in their refrigerators. Several experts addressed home-based food safety issues in “Consumers’ Refrigerators: A Danger Zone” Monday at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food expo ...
Bacteria and viruses are the microscopic organisms – otherwise known as germs -- that are responsible for causing and transmitting illness and disease. These microbes are so small, that according to the American Society for Microbiology, if the smallest of all microbes was the size of a baseball, an average bacterium would then be the size of the pitcher's mound, and just one of the millions of cells that make up your body would be the size of the ballpark!
