Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Infectious Disease for January 2013. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Peds Rotavirus Vaccine Offers Indirect Protection for Adults
THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Pediatric rotavirus vaccinations also decrease the prevalence of the disease in unvaccinated adults, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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CDC: Non-Flu Adult Vaccination Rates Largely Unchanged
THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- In 2011, non-influenza vaccination coverage among adults was similar to that of 2010, except for modest increases in human papillomavirus (HPV) among women and in tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) overall and among household contacts of children, according to a report published in the Jan. 29 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Single, Fractional Dose of Polio Vaccine Induces Priming
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Priming immune responses are induced in most infants after vaccination with a single dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), according to a study published in the Jan. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Flu Vaccine Safe in Children With Severe Egg Allergy
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Children with a history of severe egg allergy, even anaphylaxis, can safely receive a single dose of trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (TIV), according to a study published in the December issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
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Physicians Commonly Report Unsafe Hospital Workloads
TUESDAY, Jan. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians say they often face unsafe hospital workloads, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Brain Scans Show Doctors Empathize With Patients
TUESDAY, Jan. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians who empathize with a patient in pain and feel relief when the patient receives effective treatment show activity in brain regions associated with pain relief and reward, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in Molecular Psychiatry.
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AAP Releases 2013 Child, Teen Immunization Schedule
MONDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The 2013 recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedules have been approved, according to a policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published online Jan. 28 in Pediatrics.
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2013 Guidelines for Adult Vaccination Published
MONDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has released updated adult vaccination recommendations for 2013; these recommendations have been published online Jan. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Chlorhexidine Baths Cut Bacteremia in Critically Ill Kids
MONDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- For critically ill pediatric patients, daily bathing in chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is associated with reduced incidence of bacteremia, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in The Lancet.
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CDC: 1,527 Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in 2009 to 2010
FRIDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- In 2009 to 2010, there were 1,527 foodborne disease outbreaks reported, according to research published in the Jan. 25 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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ACPE Survey Finds Skepticism Relating to Online Doc Ratings
THURSDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians are skeptical of online ratings, and believe that few patients use them, according to a survey published by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE).
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CDC: Novel Norovirus Replacing Former Dominant Strain
THURSDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- A novel strain of norovirus, GII.4 Sydney, which was first detected in Australia in March of last year, was responsible for the majority of norovirus outbreaks in the United States from September through December 2012, according to a report published in the Jan. 25 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Large Teaching Hospitals Face More Readmission Penalties
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Large hospitals, teaching hospitals, and safety-net hospitals (SNHs) are more likely than other hospitals to be penalized under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), according to a research letter published in the Jan. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Care Transition Initiative Decreases Rehospitalizations
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Communities instituting quality improvement initiatives for care transitions see significant declines in the rate of 30-day rehospitalizations and hospitalizations, according to a study published in the Jan. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Prevalence of Undervaccinated Children Increasing
TUESDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of undervaccination in children is increasing with time, with about half of children undervaccinated before the age of 2 years, and these children have different patterns of health care utilization, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in JAMA Pediatrics.
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Most With C. difficile Receive Unnecessary Antimicrobials
MONDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of patients with current or recent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) receive unnecessary antimicrobials, with 26 percent receiving only unnecessary antimicrobials, according to research published in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
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Alcohol Disinfection Cap Cuts Contamination of Central Lines
FRIDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Continuous passive disinfection of central line catheter hubs using an alcohol-containing disinfection cap reduces line contamination, organism density, and the rate of central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
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CDC: Flu Activity Continues to Be High Across the United States
FRIDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Flu remains at epidemic proportions across the United States, but flu activity decreased in some areas during the second week of January, according to FluView, a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by the Influenza Division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Features of Serious Pertussis Progression Identified
FRIDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Rapidly rising white blood cell (WBC) counts and high heart rates and respiratory rates may indicate more serious pertussis progression in infants, according to research published online Jan. 10 in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
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Efforts Failed to Up Primary Care, Rural Resident Training
FRIDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The 2005 redistribution of graduate medical education (GME) funds did little to train more residents in primary care and in rural areas, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.
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FDA: Flublok Approved to Prevent Seasonal Influenza
THURSDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Flublok, a new vaccine that uses recombinant DNA technology to prevent the flu, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people aged 18 to 49.
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Short Course of ART Therapy Delays HIV Progression
THURSDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Early in the course of primary HIV-1 infection, a 48-week session of antiretroviral therapy (ART) delays disease progression versus no ART; and initiation of ART more than four months after the estimated start date of HIV infection reduces the likelihood of CD4+ T-cell count recovery, according to two studies published in the Jan. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Case Study IDs B. miyamotoi As Cause of Meningoencephalitis
THURSDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi, may be an underrecognized cause of meningoencephalitis, according to a case study published in the Jan. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Donor Fecal Infusion Effective for C. difficile Infection
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Duodenal infusions of donor feces are significantly more effective than vancomycin for treating recurrent Clostridium difficile infections, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Influenza Vaccine in Pregnancy May Reduce Fetal Deaths
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal death, and vaccination is associated with a non-significant reduction in the risk of fetal death, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Family Docs Are Early Adopters of Electronic Health Records
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Family practice physicians are adopting electronic health record (EHR) systems at a fast pace, with 68 percent using an EHR system by 2011, and 80 percent expected to be users by 2013, according to research published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Even Brief Interruptions Dramatically Increase Errors
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Even momentary interruptions of two to four seconds can significantly affect a person's ability to accurately complete a task requiring considerable thought, according to research published online Jan. 7 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
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ASCO Issues Guideline for Febrile Neutropenia in Adults
TUESDAY, Jan. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The American Society of Clinical Oncology has issued updated recommendations for both the prevention and management of febrile episodes in neutropenic oncology outpatients; the recommendations have been published online Jan. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Certain Online Behaviors of Docs Warrant Investigation
MONDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- There is high consensus among state medical boards regarding the likelihood of probable investigations for certain online behaviors, according to a study published in the Jan. 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Top Five Issues for Docs and Patients Identified for 2013
MONDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The top five issues that will impact physicians and patients in 2013 have been identified, according to a report published Dec. 10 by The Physicians Foundation.
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More Local Reactions With DTaP Shot in Infants' Arms
MONDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Among children aged 12 to 35 months, receipt of the diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine in the arm is associated with a significantly increased risk of medically attended local reactions, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in Pediatrics.
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In Oropharyngeal Cancer, HPV Status Impacts Distant Mets Risk
MONDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), human papillomavirus (HPV) status and T and N staging categories affect the rate of distant control (DC) and may help identify candidates for treatment deintensification strategies, according to research published online Jan. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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CDC: Flu Activity Remains High in the United States
FRIDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Flu activity remains elevated, according to FluView, a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by the Influenza Division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; however, the annual flu vaccine is moderately effective at preventing the disease, according to a report published in the Jan. 11 early-release issue of CDC's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Malaria Drug Association With Hemolytic Anemia Unclear
FRIDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Artesunate, a drug used in the treatment of severe malaria, may or may not be associated with hemolytic anemia, so the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends close monitoring of patients treated with the drug for four weeks after administration of the agent, according to a report published in the Jan. 11 issue of the CDC's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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National U.S. Health Care Spending Relatively Stable
FRIDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The growth in national U.S. health care spending was relatively stable in 2011, but growth in personal health care spending accelerated, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.
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CDC: Rare Blood Disorder Found in Intravenous Drug Users
THURSDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In 2012, 15 intravenous drug users within a relatively small geographic area developed thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), possibly due to reformulating and injecting an oral pain reliever, according to a report published in the Jan. 11 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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SPIRIT 2013 Clinical Trial Protocol Guidelines Issued
THURSDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A panel of experts, including trial investigators, trial coordinators, and representatives from ethics and regulatory agencies, has developed the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 guidelines for the minimum content of a clinical trial, according to a statement published online Jan. 8 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Trends Presented From Two Years of Haiti Cholera Epidemic
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- During the first two years of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, the cumulative attack rate was 6.1 percent, with a consistent downward trend seen in cumulative case fatality rates, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Multiple Stressors Contribute to Readmission Within 30 Days
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one-fifth of Medicare patients discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days, which seems to arise from a combination of factors contributing to patient vulnerability, according to research published in the Jan. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Failure Rate of Cefixime for N. gonorrhoeae Infection Explored
TUESDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDay News) -- For Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) infections, the rate of clinical treatment failure with cefixime is 6.77 percent, and is associated with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.12 µg/mL or more, according to a study published in the Jan. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Health Care Use Dropped Among All During Recession
TUESDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Health care use declined significantly among all races and ethnicities during the recession from 2007 to 2009, with the only ethnic disparity being fewer physician visits by Hispanics compared with whites, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Fewer Than One-Third of U.S. Teen Girls Vaccinated for HPV
MONDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The national prevalence of three doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescent girls is about 32.0 percent, and incidence rates for some HPV-associated cancers are increasing, according to a report published online Jan. 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Shared Savings May Promote Care Coordination Entity Use
MONDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Use of shared savings could encourage individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid to enroll in state-designed care coordination entities (CCEs), according to a perspective piece published online Jan. 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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CDC: Influenza Activity Increasing Across the U.S.
FRIDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Flu season descended on the United States early and hard this winter, with significant increases in flu activity observed over the past month, according to an update issued Jan. 4 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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FDA Proposes New Food Safety Standards
FRIDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing two new food safety rules as part of the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act in an effort to shift the focus of food safety from reactive to preventive measures, according to a Jan. 4 news release issued by the agency.
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Improved Staffing Cuts Medicare Patient Readmissions
FRIDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital nurses with good work environments who are caring for fewer patients have significantly fewer elderly Medicare patients with heart failure, acute myocardial infarction (MI), and pneumonia who are readmitted to the hospital within the first 30 days, according to research published in the January issue of Medical Care.
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High-Dose Flu Vaccine Better Protects HIV-Infected Adults
THURSDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- HIV-infected adults achieve higher rates of seroprotection when immunized with a high-dose of the influenza trivalent vaccine compared to the standard dose, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Association Between Health Care Cost, Quality Inconsistent
THURSDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The direction of the association between health care cost and quality is unclear, with inconsistent evidence indicating positive, negative, mixed, and indeterminate associations, according to a review published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Fulyzaq Approved for ART-Related Diarrhea in HIV/AIDS
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The first medication to treat diarrhea in people with HIV/AIDS who take antiretroviral drugs has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Sirturo Approved for Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Sirturo (bedaquiline) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use with other drugs to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) when alternative treatments aren't available.
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Interferon-Free Therapies for Hep C Virus Look Promising
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) -- For untreated patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV), treatment with an oral nucleotide inhibitor of HCV polymerase, sofosbuvir, plus ribavirin seems effective for genotypes 1, 2, and 3; and the HCV NS3 protease inhibitor ABT-450, combined with low-dose ritonavir (ABT-450/r) plus the nonnucleoside NS5B polymerase inhibitor ABT-333 and ribavirin, seems effective for genotype 1, according to two studies published in the Jan. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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House Joins Senate to Avert Medicare Cuts
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The House of Representatives settled on an 11th-hour agreement late Tuesday night that has averted the widespread tax increases and spending cuts that would have gone into effect January 1. This agreement occurred 21 hours after the U.S. Senate did its part to steer the country clear of the "fiscal cliff."
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