First-Wave COVID-19 Data Underestimated Infections
The number of total daily infections reported during the first wave is much lower than that of the second, but the total number of daily deaths reported during the first…
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Study Indicates Tree Pollen Carries SARS-CoV-2 Particles Farther, Facilitates Virus Spread
Study Evaluates Potential Causes of Increased Transmission in SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Teamwork Saves Lives: COVID-19 Hospital Network Shares Key Findings to Improve Care
Scientists Develop New Therapeutic Target for C. Difficile Infection
Health System Establishes Way to Prioritize Surgeries During COVID-19
Using a Spatial Methodology for Early Detection of Hospital Outbreaks
Predicting the Evolution of a Pandemic
SARS-CoV-2 Worldwide Replication Drives Rapid Rise and Selection of Mutations
COVID-19 Re-infection Rate Less Than 1% for Those With Severe Illness
Research News
COVID-19 Dual-Antibody Therapies Effective Against Variants in Animal Study
New Universal Vaccine Targets Coronaviruses to Prevent Future Pandemics
Engineering Nanobodies as Lifesavers When SARS-CoV-2 Variants Attack
Researchers Explore Microbial Ecosystem in Search of Drugs to Fight SARS-CoV-2
Blood Cancer Patients with COVID-19 Fare Better with Convalescent Plasma
One-Third of Older Americans Surveyed Delayed Healthcare Over COVID-19 Concerns
Mathematicians Construct COVID-19 Spread Model to Show How Vaccination Affects Pandemic
Protective Population Behavior Change in Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Evolve Different Strategies to Resist Pesticides
Secondary Use of COVID-19 Symptom Incidence Among Hospital Employees as an Example of Syndromic Surveillance of Hospital Admissions
COVID-19 Vaccines Pre-Prepared in Syringes Can Be Transported Safely
‘Mosquito Smoothie’ Innovation Boosts Future Malaria Vaccine Potential
Public Health
Analysis Reveals Link Between Birthday Celebrations and COVID-19 Spread During the Height of the Pandemic
In counties with already high COVID-19 infection rates, birthday bashes may have fueled infection spread during the peak months of the pandemic, according to a new analysis led by researchers…
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Idea of COVID-19 Immunity Passports Decreases People’s Compliance With Restrictions, Study Says
NIH Study Offers New Evidence of Early SARS-CoV-2 Infections in U.S.
People with Health Insurance Vaccinated More Than Those Without, Survey Finds
Research Shows Link Between Politics, Boredom and Breaking Public Health Protocols
Containing Pandemics Through Targeted Testing of Households
NIH-Funded Study Tests “One-Stop” Mobile Clinics to Deliver HIV Care
Warmer Temperatures Mitigate COVID-19 Spread, but Control Measures Still Needed, Researchers Say
Antibiotics/Antimicrobials
Common Antibiotic Useful in Accelerating Recovery in Tuberculosis Patients
Globally, an estimated 10 million people develop tuberculosis (TB) each year and the disease remains a leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Standard short-course anti-TB treatment still…
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Research Establishes Safe Water Thresholds for Antimicrobials to Help Mitigate Resistance
Trained Viruses Prove More Effective at Fighting Antibiotic Resistance
Global Microbiome Study Discovers Thousands of New Species, Maps Urban Antimicrobial Resistance and Reveals New Drug Candidates
No Lasting Benefit to Tubes Over Antibiotics for Childhood Ear Infections
Monthly Magazine
June 2021 Issue of Healthcare Hygiene Magazine is Now Available
The June 2021 issue of Healthcare Hygiene magazine examines lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how to improve readiness for the future, with perspectives from nursing leadership around how…
Read MoreEnvironmental Hygiene
Research Says SARS-CoV-2 Detectable, Although Likely Not Transmissible, on Hospital Surfaces
Watching what was happening around the world in early 2020, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers knew their region would likely soon be hit with a wave…
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Use of a UV-C Disinfection Robot in the Routine Cleaning Process in an Academic Hospital
Texas Biomed Scientists Partner with DoD to Test Decontamination Technologies Against SARS-CoV-2
Negligible Detection of SARS-CoV2 Found in Environmental Surface Testing of Hematology, Oncology Inpatient and Outpatient Settings
Researchers Conduct Review on Use, Cost and Clinical Efficacy of Automated Decontamination Devices
Scientist Develops and Validates a Method to Test Surfaces for Virus Particles
Bacterial Contamination of NICUs
Bacterial but No SARS-CoV-2 Contamination After Terminal Disinfection of ICUs Treating COVID-19 Patients
Contaminated Surfaces as a COVID-19 Risk Factor
Regardless of Product Type, All Disinfectant Wipes had Some Sporicidal Effect but Transferred C. difficile Spores
Influenza
Lessons From the Last Pandemic Point the Way Toward Universal Flu Vaccines
A new study from the University of Chicago and Scripps Research Institute shows that during the last great pandemic–2009’s H1N1 influenza pandemic–people developed strong, effective immune responses to stable, conserved…
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NIH Launches Clinical Trial of Universal Influenza Vaccine Candidate
How to Predict Severe Influenza in Hospitalized Patients
Patients of Women Doctors More Likely to be Vaccinated Against the Flu, Research Indicates
New Research Shows Substantially Higher Burden of COVID-19 Compared to Flu
HHM Special Editions
SHEA Decennial Day 2021 Special Issue is Now Available
This special issue of Healthcare Hygiene magazine presents key highlights shared by some of the world’s best and brightest minds who fuel the research and advance the evidence-based agendas of…
Read MoreBreaking News
FDA Recommends Transition From Use of Decontaminated Disposable Respirators
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending healthcare personnel and facilities transition away from crisis capacity conservation strategies, such as decontaminating or bioburden reducing disposable respirators for reuse. Based…
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NIH Clinical Trial Evaluating Moderna COVID-19 Variant Vaccine Begins
CDC Issues First Set of Guidelines on How Fully Vaccinated People Can Visit Safely with Others
ASTM International Announces Barrier Face Covering Standard
New ACIP Adult Immunization Schedule Recommends Changes to Several Vaccines
Clinical Trial in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Evaluates Long-acting Antibody Therapy
Outcomes of COVID-19 Among Hospitalized Healthcare Workers in North America
HAIs
Impact of COVID-19 on HAIs in ICU Patients
Researchers Find Water Reservoirs in Water-Containing Medical Devices Can be a Source of Microbial Growth, Transmission to Patients
Femoral Site of Catheter Insertion Associated With a Higher Rate of Bloodstream Infection
Increase in Hospital-Acquired CRAB Infection and Colonization During a Surge in COVID-19 Admissions
Low Health Literacy May be a Risk Factor for Postoperative Infection
Three Antiseptic Paints May Be Superior in Reducing Microbial Skin Colonization Prior to Surgery
Modifiable Healthcare Factors Affecting Survival in Bloodstream Infection
Certain Scores May Predict Which Trauma Patients Face High Risk of Multiple Infections
Regulatory & Compliance
Sharps Safety & Occupational Exposure: 20th Anniversary of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act Reminds Us Progress Still Necessary
By Kelly M. Pyrek Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Healthcare Hygiene magazine. Twenty years ago, the federal Needlestick Safety & Prevention Act (NSPA)…
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Moving the Needle on Occupational Exposures: A Q&A with Lydia Crutchfield
FDA Convenes Advisory Panel for Further Understanding of the Duodenoscope-Related Infection Risk
Bacterial/Viral Research
Researchers Exploring How Ebola Virus Spreads in the Body, With Implications for Targeted Viral Treatments
Scientists have a general idea of how viruses invade and spread in the body, but the precise mechanisms are actually not well understood, especially when it comes to Ebola virus….
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New Studies Identify How TB Destroys the Lungs and How to Protect Them
Rhinovirus Combats SARS-CoV-2
Bacteria Adapt to a Lifestyle in Flux
Bacteria Hijack Latent Phage of Competitor
Novel Tuberculosis Regimen Shortens Treatment Course
Scientists Develop Novel Therapy for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
Francisella tularensis Remains Virulent for Months in Cold Water
Diagnostics
Researchers Develop SARS-CoV-2 Test Utilizing AI and Nanopore Technology
A team of scientists headed by SANKEN (the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) at Osaka University has demonstrated that single virus particles passing through a nanopore could be accurately…
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Researchers Categorize Existing COVID-19 Detection Tools, Identify What’s Missing in the Diagnostic Arsenal
COVID-19 PCR Tests Can Be Freeze Dried
Saliva Can Be More Effective Than Nasopharyngeal Swabs for COVID-19 Testing
Researchers Develop Method for Rapid, Accurate Detection of Viruses
Rapid, At-Home Blood Test Could Confirm COVID-19 Vaccination in Minutes
Ultrafast, On-Chip PCR Could Speed Diagnosis During Current and Future Pandemics
