BCCDC Influenza Update: Sporadic Flu Detections in BC
Sporadic influenza activity has been detected in BC and elsewhere in Canada this summer, with some provinces reporting summer outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Influenza A(H3N2) had been the predominant subtype during this period. In the southern hemisphere where they are in the midst of their winter seasonal epidemic, influenza activity has increased or peaked in most countries in recent weeks. In Australia and New Zealand, influenza activity predominately due to...
Canadian scientists find new way to attack antibiotic-resistant lung infections
Excerpted from CBC.ca Enzymes used to break down the walls built by microbes Canadian scientists have discovered a possible way to break through the defences of some antibiotic-resistant respiratory infections. It's hoped that the findings could someday benefit people with cystic fibrosis and other chronic lung diseases who are at greater risk of infections. The research looked at biofilms, which are one of the main causes of hospital-acquired infections. Microbes form biofilms on...
Stethoscope hygiene failures can lead to patient infections
Excerpted from: Outbreak News Today You can lead a doctor to disinfection, but how do you get them to clean…or wipe ….or swab a stethoscope? That’s the question raised by a new quality improvement project published in the July issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). It is the latest report to find that health-care providers rarely perform stethoscope hygiene between...
Multidrug-resistant Candida auris: PHAC interim guidance
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has recently been informed of a case of multidrug-resistant Candida auris. Whole genome sequence analysis performed by the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) was consistent with C. auris. Further analyses to compare the isolate with global strains are pending. A case report will be published in the Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR). Candida auris is an emerging fungal infection that can cause invasive health-care-associated infections,...
Paul Webber: recipient of IPAC-Canada’s 2017 Moira Walker Award for for International Service
Paul Webber, the creator of Webber Training and Teleclass Education Africa, is the recipient of IPAC-Canada’s 2017 Moira Walker Award for for International Service. Paul on his international work: "The organization that I helped to create 15 years ago is Webber Training Inc. The 3-fold mandate of the original Teleclass Education was then, and still remains: (1) To bring the best possible infection control information, (2) to the widest...
PICNet presentations at IPAC-Canada Conference
Bruce, Guanghong, and Helen presented at this year's IPAC-Canada conference; you can download their slides via the links below. Bruce Gamage: Getting the (Red) Dirt Out: A Review of BC's Environmental Cleaning Guidelines Guanghong Han: The impact of vancomycin-resistant enterococi (VRE) policy and practice change in British Columbia Helen Evans (on behalf of the BC Hand Hygiene Communications Group): Many Hands Make Light Work: A Year of Hand Hygiene Campaigns (The campaign materials...
PICNet staff at IPAC-Canada Conference
All PICNet staff will be away from the office June 19-23. For any urgent infection control issues, you can contact Linda Hoang, PICNet Co-Medical Lead, at Linda.Hoang@bccdc.ca. Any media-related enquiries should be directed to the PHSA Media Pager at 778-867-7472. Bruce and Guanghong will be back in the office on June 26, and Joanne, Helen, and Romi on June 27....