February 06, 2015
A roundup of news on drug resistance on other topics in global health.
Members of the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP)-India working group held a continuing medical education (CME) seminar on antibiotic stewardship last week for over 1000 students. The two-hour seminar, held at Lady Hardinge Medical College, focused on antibiotic resistance, stewardship and infection control, and was initiated following a related workshop and policy forum in New Delhi last November. Members of the Indian National Curriculum Review Committee for Allied Health Education also unanimously approved a course module on antibiotic resistance and healthcare-associated infections for allied health professions, marking significant progress on resistance education in the country. [CDDEP]
Measles continues to spread in the US after an outbreak that began at Disneyland in December. The CDC’s latest estimate (published on Mondays) points to more than 100 cases of measles spread across 14 states. A day-care center in suburban Chicago reported cases in five infants this week—all younger than one year and susceptible to the disease, as the first measles vaccination isn’t scheduled until 12 months. Lawmakers in California, the state with the most cases, are considering legislation that would limit personal belief exemptions on vaccines, rates of which are over 10 percent in some counties. [CDC, Reuters, Los Angeles Times]
Anti-vaccination debates have dominated US news in light of the measles outbreak. A new post and graphic on the CDDEP blog examines how ideological vaccine exemptions aren’t divided along partisan lines in the US. A Pew survey found little variation in opinions on whether vaccines should be required across US demographics of race, gender, education and income, but a preponderance of skeptics in younger generations. Forty-one percent of U.S. adults aged 18-29 answered that parents should decide whether their children get a vaccine, compared to only 20 percent of those age 65 and older. [CDDEP, Pew Research Center]
The UK government-sponsored Review on Antimicrobial Resistance has advice on how to solve the problem of drug resistance: create a global fund. The Review’s new report, “Tackling a global health crisis: initial steps,” argues that society drastically under-invests in the capital needed to fight resistance and highlights five steps that can be taken to address the problem, including the creation of a global fund for research and innovation, stewardship, surveillance and improved diagnostics. [Review on Antimicrobial Resistance]
An Ebola drug trial in Guinea has shown some effectiveness against symptoms of the disease. In a small trial, the antiviral medicine appears to have halved mortality of patients infected with low to moderate amounts of Ebola virus—from 30 percent to 15 percent. Another Ebola drug trial in Liberia was halted this week, due to a lack of patients available following a sharp decline in disease incidence. [The New York Times, The Guardian]
VA hospitals have made remarkable progress in limiting the spread of hospital-acquired infections, including MRSA. A report found that MRSA infections acquired from VA hospitals fell 68.6 percent between 2007 and 2012—and looks to be falling still. The hospitals initiated a four-part protocol in 2007 to protect against the pathogen, which includes checking each patient for MRSA upon hospital admission, minimizing contact with those infected, increased handwashing, and fostering a culture that encourages workers to think of themselves as infection prevention officers. [American Journal of Infection Control, The New York Times]
Hundreds of people in India have contracted swine flu. The country has seen 476 cases of the H1N1 flu strain over the course of the current outbreak; 62 have died in the state of Gujarat. Health minister Nitin Patel said on Friday that hospitals in the state are opening up numerous isolation wards for flu patients, and that an order has been placed for 1000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. [Times of India]
Children in sub-Saharan Africa who received a dose of vitamin A were 54 percent less likely to contract malaria, according to the results of a new study. Large doses of the vitamin were particularly effective at protecting against infection with the parasite during the rainy season, when malaria-carrying mosquitoes are most prevalent. [eLife]
A study done in Massachusetts found 45 percent of patients in outpatient practices were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The paper, published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, also noted that antibiotics were prescribed more often for women than for men, and more likely to be overprescribed for white patients than black patients. [Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology]
Cities saw a 16% rise in HIV transmissions after Craigslist became available in the area, according to a paper published this week that analyzed data between 1999 and 2008. “Our study results suggest that there is a new social route of HIV transmission that is taking place in this digital era,” said Jason Chan, one of the study’s authors. [MIS Quarterly, Medical Daily]
The United States isn’t the only country with a less effective flu vaccine this year. Mid-season flu vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates from the UK and Canada found a far less effective vaccine than usual. The vaccine doesn’t match well to the circulating strain this season, with no significant effectiveness at preventing flu in the UK or flu hospitalizations in Canada. [CIDRAP]
CDDEP is seeking to hire a Research Analyst in Economics for its New Delhi, India office. For more information and to apply, visit cddep.org/jobs.
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Image of measles via Wikimedia Commons.
