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Ebola Clinical Care Guidelines
The Public Health Agency of Canada has published Interim Clinical Care Guildelines for the Ebola virus. The interim guidelines were created in collaboration with the Canadian Critical Care Society, The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, and the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada (AMMI). There are also links to more information on Ebola virus disease (EVD): What do health professionals need to know about EVD? National case definition:...
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PICNet welcomes Linda Hoang
Dr. Linda Hoang has joined PICNet as Medical Co-Lead, following the retirement of Dr. Judy Isaac-Renton. This medical leadership position is a shared position with Dr. Elizabeth Bryce to lead and deliver the strategic goals of PICNet. Linda is the Program Head of the Public Health Advanced Bacteriology & Mycology for the BC Public Health Microbiology & Reference Laboratory, which is part of the BC Centre for Disease Control. She...
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Canada’s Ebola vaccine in Guinea
Excerpted from the Ottawa Citizen: The World Health Organisation is running phase III clinical trials for Ebola virus disease vaccine in Guinea. The technique being used is “ring vaccination” which was used in the 1970s to eradicate smallpox. Co-ordinated by the World Health Organization, the vaccine trial employed the same ring vaccination strategy that was used to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. Contacts were vaccinated in a “ring” around an...
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Comparison of VRE infection rates in Ontario hospitals
This paper was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on April 4, 2017 (vol.5 no.2 E273-E280) Abstract Background: Some Ontario hospitals have discontinued active screening and isolation programs for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). The aim of this study was to determine whether this practice change is associated with a change in the rate of rise of VRE-positive blood cultures. Methods: All Ontario hospitals are mandated to report VRE bacteremia...
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New study: Nursing home staff often fail to change gloves
From Infection Control Today: The failure to change gloves is common among certified nursing assistants, and may be a significant cause of the spread of dangerous pathogens in nursing homes and long-term healthcare settings, according to a new study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are often the main providers of care in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), with significant...
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