Development of universal flu shot: two articles
Canadian researchers developing one-time flu vaccine from CTVNews.ca: Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. are developing a flu vaccine that would be administered only once, eliminating the need for the annual shot. Dr. Matthew Miller, an assistant professor of biochemistry at McMaster, is part of the team of researchers developing the universal vaccine. The basis of its success, he said, is that it targets an unchanging part of the flu virus. “The...
Mapping the human epigenome
The following news release was issued by PHSA on November 17, 2016. BC scientists play major role in international effort to map the human epigenome Vancouver – BC scientists and their colleagues from across the globe have made a major leap forward in understanding how the human body’s trillions of cells develop from a single genetic template, and how those genes interact with the environment. By mapping the epigenome (a series of...
Joanne Archer receives Excellence in Nursing Education award from ARNBC
Joanne Archer, PICNet’s Education and Practice Coordinator, is the recipient of the Excellence in Nursing Education Award for 2016 from the Association of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (ARNBC). From the ARNBC website: Joanne is currently the Education and Practice Coordinator for the Provincial Infection Control Network for BC (PICNet). She has integrated all the accumulated knowledge, skills and judgement from her nursing positions and uses them in her current role to...
BC reduces antibiotic use: BCCDC article in BCMJ
The BC Centre for Disease Control issued the following news release on November 15, 2016: BC reduces antibiotic use, but still more to be done The rate of antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia fell 15 per cent between 2005 and 2014, according to a new analysis conducted by the BC Centre for Disease Control. “We’re seeing some good progress when it comes to reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescription in the community, which not only saves the...
World Antibiotic Awareness Week
Nov 14-20, 2016 Below are some resources for World Antibiotic Awareness Week: World Health Organization materials Government of Canada resources Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI) Antibioticwise.ca website Do Bugs Need Drugs? website Centers for Disease Control resources There are also two antibiotic-related webinars taking place this week: NPSF webcast: Taking action to combat antibiotic resistance and improve antibiotic use - Nov 14 PHAC webinar: Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Canada - Highlights from the CARSS Report (2016)...
Infections, not antibiotics, may be tied to childhood obesity
From The New York Times: Is the use of antibiotics in infancy tied to childhood obesity? Some studies suggest so, but a new analysis suggests the link may be with infections rather than antibiotics. Using records of a large health maintenance organization, researchers tracked 260,556 infants born from January 1997 through the end of March 2013. The database included details on antibiotic use, diagnosis, and height and weight from birth through age...
Explanatory article on recent reporting on ‘serial’ flu shots causing higher flu risk
On November 5th, CTV ran a story about new research showing that 'serial' flu shots may lead to reduced immunity. Although the article and video both state that more research is needed, some social media posts (often due to their brevity) implied that the findings were more conclusive. If you receive questions from patients or staff, here is a good article that further explains the findings (and lack of conclusive evidence). From the...