At least I hope this is my last word on the superbug CRE.
Now reported is an outbreak of CRE in North Carolina of eighteen cases. The good news is that in this instance only three of the people were exposed in the hospital. The bad news is that the infection is active in the general population. It was not reported if there were fatalities.
But the North Carolina hospital involved has taken two approaches to the problem. First they have instituted a screening program looking for the infection as the patient is admitted and, if found, making appropriate arrangements to isolate the bug and patient. And they have changed to a gas sterilization process. It is, perhaps, a better method but the gas used, ethylene-oxide can be very toxic to hospital workers and patients. That may necessitate outsourcing the sterilization process, expensive and inconvenient. And no less toxic to the "outsourced" facility worker.
The CDC called this infection a "nightmare" bacteria. It certainly sounds like it is.
Now reported is an outbreak of CRE in North Carolina of eighteen cases. The good news is that in this instance only three of the people were exposed in the hospital. The bad news is that the infection is active in the general population. It was not reported if there were fatalities.
But the North Carolina hospital involved has taken two approaches to the problem. First they have instituted a screening program looking for the infection as the patient is admitted and, if found, making appropriate arrangements to isolate the bug and patient. And they have changed to a gas sterilization process. It is, perhaps, a better method but the gas used, ethylene-oxide can be very toxic to hospital workers and patients. That may necessitate outsourcing the sterilization process, expensive and inconvenient. And no less toxic to the "outsourced" facility worker.
The CDC called this infection a "nightmare" bacteria. It certainly sounds like it is.
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