Sewage sampling has turned up circulating variant type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) in two sites in the Gaza Strip, though no related paralysis cases have been detected, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said in a July 19 statement.

Genetic analysis suggests the viruses from the two locations are related to each other, and are closely related to the variant circulating in Egypt in the last half of 2023. GPEI said the virus could have been introduced to Gaza as early as September 2023. 

The health ministry is conducting a risk assessment to assess how well the surveillance system is doing at detecting acute flaccid paralysis and wastewater sampling and to more clearly assess subnational immunity levels.

"The ongoing crisis continues to pose a significant challenge to the ability to implement full disease surveillance and outreach with immunization services," the group said, adding routine immunization rates in the occupied Palestinian territory were optimal before the conflict began in 2023. Polio vaccine coverage was estimated to be 99% in 2022, declining to 89% in 2023, according to the latest estimates from global health groups.

GPEI said only 16 of 36 hospitals are partly functional and only 45 of 105 primary health facilities are operational. "The impact on health system, insecurity, inaccessibility, population displacement, and shortages of medical supplies, coupled with poor quality of water and weakened sanitation, have contributed to reduced routine immunization rates and an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, the group said.

The World Health Organization considers the risk of further spread within Gaza as high.

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who required intensive care unit (ICU) treatment were more likely to acquire infections than those hospitalized with influenza, according to a new study in Scientific Reports.

The study was based on outcomes seen among Swedish adults treated with invasive mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 between January 2020 and March 2022 and those with flu between January 2015 and May 2023 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

In total, 480 participants were included in the final analysis, and 436 had COVID-19. The median age in both cohorts was 63 years.

Corticosteroid treatment linked to infections

During the first wave of the pandemic, the authors wrote, approximately 14% of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were admitted to the ICU, and compared to influenza, COVID-19 patients had longer ICU stays. Risk of infection also increased with length of ICU stay. 

The incidence rates of ICU-acquired infections were 31.6 per 1,000 and 9.9 per 1,000 ICU-days in the COVID-19 and influenza cohorts, respectively, the authors said. Infections were associated with corticosteroid treatment, which was given more frequently to COVID-19 patients. 

Secondary infections among ICU patients with COVID-19 are a common complication associated with a more complex course of disease.

"Secondary infections among ICU patients with COVID-19 are a common complication associated with a more complex course of disease," the authors concluded, finding that COVID-19 patients were more likely to have difficult-to-treat gram-negative infections.

Implementation of a Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) intervention program at a university referral hospital in Spain was associated with improved management of CDI patients and less use of hospital resources, researchers reported last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

The CDI intervention program implemented at the 900-bed hospital (Hospital A) provides real-time advice from an infectious disease specialist to each patient with a positive CDI test and promotes continuity of care by providing a phone number to contact the specialist. To assess the impact of the program, researchers compared the proportion of patients who were not treated with antibiotics, compliance with clinical guidelines, accessibility to new medications, use of hospital resources, and recurrence and mortality rates at Hospital A and another hospital in the same region without a CDI intervention program (Hospital B).

Avoiding unnecessary antibiotic treatment

During the study period, there were 295 CDI cases identified at Hospital A and 130 identified at Hospital B. At Hospital A, 19.3% of cases were identified as being colonized or having self-limited CDI and avoided unnecessary antibiotic treatment, compared with 11.5% at Hospital B. Hospital A also provided access to novel therapies more frequently (35.3% vs 13%) and adhered more closely to current guidelines (95.8% vs 71.3%) than Hospital B. 

Although mortality and recurrence rates did not show a statistically significant difference between the two hospitals, the absence of an intervention program at Hospital B was associated with greater odds of any admission due to recurrence (odds ratio [OR], 4.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 16.05) and greater odds of visits to the emergency department due to CDI (OR, 8.74; 95% CI, 2.54 to 30.04).

The study authors say the findings suggest oversight of CDI patients by an infectious disease specialist may result in better outcomes and resource management.

"In this study, we observed a greater proportion of patients who did not receive antibiotics because they were evaluated as colonized, better adherence to clinical guidelines, easier access to novel therapies and a decrease in hospital resource utilization," they wrote.            

A study conducted in South Africa highlights the impact that COVID-19 lockdowns had on drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) diagnoses and incidence patterns. The findings were published late last week in Annals of Epidemiology.

For the study, a team of US and South African researchers compared the number, spatial distribution, and characteristics of DR-TB diagnoses in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province before and after the initial COVID-19 lockdown on March 26, 2020. Previous research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted rates of TB case notifications worldwide, resulting in an 18% decline in the number of diagnoses reported in 2020 compared with 2019, and a 26% decline in South Africa. The decline has been attributed in part to disruptions to TB services and hesitancy among TB patients to visit healthcare facilities out of fear of contracting COVID-19.

Poverty linked to increased incidence

From October 2018 through February 2022, 693 individuals were diagnosed with DR-TB in the province. The rate of diagnosis per year was 274 prior to the initial lockdown and 155 after, corresponding to a 43% decrease in the notification rate. Analysis of detailed sociodemographic data of a subgroup of DR-TB cases showed that, compared with cases diagnosed before the lockdowns, cases diagnosed after were associated with worse living conditions. Specifically, they were less likely to have a fuel source for heating, piped water, a flush toilet, or own a phone. DR-TB cases diagnosed after the lockdowns also reported more adults living in their household compared with cases diagnosed prior to the lockdowns.

"These findings are similar to those found in a previous cohort study conducted in the region, and depict that indicators of poverty at both the individual and municipality level are associated with increased DR TB incidence, which may have worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic," the study authors wrote.

The authors suggest prevention strategies such as targeted active case finding, along with allocation of resources to at-risk regions, could be implemented in areas identified as at higher risk for DR-TB after the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report a 12-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has hospitalized all 28 people affected and killed 2 since late May.

In an investigation notice posted late last week, the CDC said 16 of 18 people sickened (89%) reported eating meats sliced at deli counters (not packaged meats). The two deaths were reported from Illinois and New Jersey. Other affected states are Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

"This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely higher than the number reported," the notice said. "This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria."

The investigation is ongoing to determine the specific products that may have been contaminated. No products have been recalled.

At-risk people should avoid or heat sliced deli meats

The CDC recommends that people at high risk for severe Listeria infections (pregnant women, those aged 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems) avoid eating deli-sliced meats or heat them to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming before consuming. Any containers and surfaces that may have touched the meats should be thoroughly cleaned with hot, soapy water.

Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands and food.

"Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands and food," the notice said. "Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating to a high enough temperature before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats."

Infection usually causes fever, muscle aches, and fatigue but can also feature headache, stiff neck, confusion, balance problems, or seizures. Listeria can also lead to pregnancy loss or premature delivery in pregnant women, and life-threatening illness in newborns. 

Symptoms typically begin within 2 weeks of eating contaminated food, but can start the same day or as late as 10 weeks later. Anyone with Listeria symptoms who recently ate sliced deli meats should call their healthcare provider, the CDC said.