WHO advisors extend polio public health emergency
The World Health Organization (WHO) polio emergency committee met for the 21st time last week and unanimously agreed that the spread of polio still remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) under International Health Regulations.
The meeting took place on May 14 at WHO headquarters in Geneva by teleconference, and members reviewed the most recent data on wild poliovirus and vaccine-derived poliovirus spread, the WHO said yesterday in a statement. The group expressed grave concerns about the global increase in wild poliovirus type 1 cases, especially in Pakistan, where 15 illnesses have already been reported this year. They took note of a cluster of cases in Lahore, hinting at vulnerability outside high-risk areas, and increasing numbers of cases during a time of the year when few cases are typically reported. Another big concern was recent attacks on vaccinators and security teams protecting the workers.
Equally concerning are multiple circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks in Africa, with new strains emerging and the virus spreading into southern Nigeria, including densely populated Lagos, and evidence of missed transmission in Nigeria and Somalia. Taken together, the cVDPV2 situation continues to deteriorate, the advisors said.
The group's decision to extend the PHEIC and their temporary recommendations for 3 more months was unanimous.
May 29 WHO statement
Study finds MRSA transmission varies within and between VA facilities
A study involving more than 230 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and nursing homes has found significant differences in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission dynamics within and between the facilities, researchers reported yesterday the journal Epidemics.
In the study, researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine and the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System set out to evaluate the epidemiology of MRSA infection and transmission in the VA system since the VA's MRSA Prevention Initiative was launched at hospitals in 2007 and extended to nursing homes in 2009. The aim of the study was to better understand variation in MRSA transmission within and between facilities, and to identify trends in the transmission since the initiative was implemented. To do that, they looked at electronic health records for patients admitted to 122 VA hospitals from October 2007 through July 2011, and for patients admitted to 111 VA nursing homes from January 2009 through December 2010.
The analysis showed that the median baseline MRSA transmission rate in VA hospitals was approximately quadruple that in nursing homes and declined in 46% of hospitals compared with 9% of nursing homes, resulting in 43% reduced transmission across hospitals and a 2% increase across nursing homes. First-time admission prevalence was 18.7% in nursing homes compared with 10.5% in hospitals. In addition, the estimated MRSA clearance rate was much lower in nursing homes than in hospitals.
The authors of the study say future research will look at detailed patient and facility characteristics to better understand specific mechanisms and factors that are driving transmission within these facilities.
May 29 Epidemics study
UK pig industry sees decline in antibiotic use
New data show a third straight year of reduced antibiotic use in pig operations in the United Kingdom, the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) announced today.
Data collected using the electronic medicine book (eMB), a private antibiotic reporting website for UK pig producers, show that antibiotic use in 2018 dropped by 16% from 2017 to 110 milligrams per population correction unit (mg/PCU). Use of critically important antibiotics in pigs fell to 0.06 mg/PCU.
Data taken from eMB represent 89% of all pigs slaughtered in the United Kingdom. The website has a benchmarking function that allows pig producers to compare their antibiotic use with other producers.
"The latest reductions in antibiotic use in the UK pig sector reflect the great efforts of pig producers and their vets to champion responsible antibiotic use," AHDB senior veterinary manager Mandy Nevel, PhD, said in an AHDB press release.
The reductions in antibiotic use bring the UK pig industry closer to the 2020 target of 99 mg/PCU.
May 30 AHDB press release
