Disruption of Services in an Internal Medicine Unit Due to a Nosocomial Influenza Outbreak

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 615-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Sartor ◽  
Christine Zandotti ◽  
Fanny Romain ◽  
Véronique Jacomo ◽  
Sophie Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Hospital Charges ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Acute Care Settings ◽  
Internal Medicine Unit

Objective:To describe a nosocomial influenza A out-break, how it was managed, what impact it had on subsequent delivery of health care, and the additional charges attributable to it.Design:Prospective cohort study and microbiological investigation.Setting:One internal medicine unit in an acute care, university-affiliated hospital.Participants:Twenty-three patients and 22 staff members from February 28 to March 6,1999.Results:Attack rates were 41% (9 of 22) among patients and 23% (5 of 22) among staff members, with 3 of 14 cases being classified as “certain”. The influenza virus isolates were typed as A/SYDNEY/5/97 (H3N2). The index case was a patient who shared a room with the first nosocomial case. Vaccination rates for influenza virus were 43% (10 of 23) among patients and 36% (8 of 22) among staff members. The outbreak resulted in staff members' taking 14 person-days of sick leave. Furthermore, 8 scheduled admissions were postponed and all emergency admissions were suspended for 11 days. Hospital charges attributable to the influenza outbreak totaled $34,179 and the average extra charge per infected patient was $3,798.Conclusions:Nosocomial influenza outbreaks increase charges and alter the quality of care delivered in acute care settings. Strategies for their prevention need to be evaluated in acute care settings. (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:615-619).

scholarly journals 1263. Managing an Influenza Outbreak Which Spilled Over to an Acute Care Hospital from a Behavioral Health Unit

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S385-S385
Author(s):  
Colleen M Clay ◽  
Leonardo Girio-Herrera ◽  
Faheem Younus
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
Hospital Acquired

Abstract Background Behavioral health units (BHU) have been implicated in influenza outbreaks due to group activities, low availability of alcohol-based hand gels and unique host factors. We describe the management of an unusual influenza outbreak, which started in the BHU and then spilled over to the acute care hospital (ACH). Methods University of Maryland Harford Memorial Hospital is a 95-bed ACH with a 14-bed closed-door adult BHU located on the fifth floor. Two cases each of hospital-acquired influenza were identified in our BHU during 2016 and 2017. In January 2018, however, hospital-acquired influenza cases in the BHU spilled over to the adjacent ACH to cause an outbreak. A case was defined as a patient with fever of >100.4°F, presence of influenza-like illness, and a positive influenza test >72 hours after admission. Outbreak control measures included twice daily fever screening, enhanced droplet precautions, visitor restrictions, discontinuing community activities, enforcing hand hygiene at all hospital entrances, and hospital-wide chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir. Results On January 15, 2018, the index patient developed influenza in the BHU followed by a second case in BHU 4-days later. Over the next 10 days, five more patients on the third and fourth floors of ACH tested positive. Attack rate was 3% and average length of stay was 8.9 days. Chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir 75 mg orally once a day was given to 71% of all eligible hospitalized patients for a week (at a cost of $17,000). All seven patients yielded influenza A, subtype H3N2 and were successfully treated with oseltamivir 75 mg orally twice a day for 7 days. The outbreak lasted 11 days. Figure 1 shows the epidemiologic curve. Conclusion Special attention should be paid to influenza prevention in the BHUs due to the risk of spillover effect to sicker patients in the adjacent ACH. A short, 7-day course of hospital-wide oseltamivir chemoprophylaxis, in addition to promptly implementing the infection prevention measures was effective in controlling the outbreak. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals Structure of Influenza A Virus Promoter and its Implications for Viral RNA Synthesis

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 812-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Hun Bae ◽  
Byong-Seok Choi
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Influenza A Virus ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Rna Synthesis ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
Spanish Influenza ◽  
Virus Promoter

Since the worst worldwide pandemic ever recorded — the 1918 Spanish influenza outbreak that killed more than 20 million people — we have achieved significant advances in understanding the influenza virus. However, the fear of such a pandemic remains strong. For example, in 1997, when a lethal influenza variant afflicted eight people in Hong Kong, contributing to the death of six, officials feared the next wave had begun. They managed to solve the problem quickly, however, by destroying all of the poultry in Hong Kong[1].

scholarly journals EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SEASONAL INFLUENZA OUTBREAK AMONG IRAQI POPULATION:2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aufi & et al.
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Infection ◽  
Nasal Swabs

This study aimed to highlight the prevalence of the seasonal influenza in the different Iraqi provinces during 2018 year to study the epidemiological aspects, and their effect on the  frequency of disease and death cases caused by influenza virus. A total of 1359 throat and nasal swabs was collected from individuals suffering from influenza like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) for testing influenza virus type A (H1N1 and H3N2) and type B. RNA extracted and amplification with specific primers and probes. Results showed the incidence rate of flu A 16.7 (227/1359) and 4.7 of flu B per 100000 people-year that included 14.9 for H1N1, 1.5 for H3N2 and the remaining value for mixed infection of H1N1 and H3N2. Regarding, the mortality rate 1.6 (21/227) with influenza A and 0.15 (2/64) with influenza B infections per 100000 person-year. The prevalence of flu A between the months showed significant differences, especially in the first two months of the year. The distribution of influenza infections in Baghdad province, which appeared the highest peak, then followed by Babyl, Waist and  Salahaddin provinces. In conclusion, more surveillance studies are needed each year to provide database more important for  WHO Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) of influenza surveillance.

Improving Patient Safety and Patient–Provider Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Hurtig ◽  
Rebecca M. Alper ◽  
Karen N. T. Bryant ◽  
Krista R. Davidson ◽  
Chelsea Bilskemper
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Provider Communication ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Patient Provider Communication ◽  
Acute Care Settings ◽  
Nurses Perceptions ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many hospitalized patients experience barriers to effective patient–provider communication that can negatively impact their care. These barriers include difficulty physically accessing the nurse call system, communicating about pain and other needs, or both. For many patients, these barriers are a result of their admitting condition and not of an underlying chronic disability. Speech-language pathologists have begun to address patients' short-term communication needs with an array of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. Method This study used a between-groups experimental design to evaluate the impact of providing patients with AAC systems so that they could summon help and communicate with their nurses. The study examined patients' and nurses' perceptions of the patients' ability to summon help and effectively communicate with caregivers. Results Patients who could summon their nurses and effectively communicate—with or without AAC—had significantly more favorable perceptions than those who could not. Conclusions This study suggests that AAC can be successfully used in acute care settings to help patients overcome access and communication barriers. Working with other members of the health care team is essential to building a “culture of communication” in acute care settings. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9990962

Impact of influenza virus during pregnancy: from disease severity to vaccine efficacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 441-453
Author(s):  
Ana Vazquez-Pagan ◽  
Rebekah Honce ◽  
Stacey Schultz-Cherry
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Influenza Virus Infection ◽  
Severe Influenza ◽  
The Impact

Pregnant women are among the individuals at the highest risk for severe influenza virus infection. Infection of the mother during pregnancy increases the probability of adverse fetal outcomes such as small for gestational age, preterm birth and fetal death. Animal models of syngeneic and allogeneic mating can recapitulate the increased disease severity observed in pregnant women and are used to define the mechanism(s) of that increased severity. This review focuses on influenza A virus pathogenesis, the unique immunological landscape during pregnancy, the impact of maternal influenza virus infection on the fetus and the immune responses at the maternal–fetal interface. Finally, we summarize the importance of immunization and antiviral treatment in this population and highlight issues that warrant further investigation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document