October 18-24 is 2009’s International Infection Prevention Week (US) and National Infection Control Week (Canada).

About National Infection Control Week (Canada)

In Canada, Infection Control Week originated in 1988 to highlight infection control efforts in Canadian hospitals, long-term care facilities and in the community. It was an opportunity for infection control professionals to educate staff and the community about the importance of infection prevention and to promote the important work that was being done by infection control professionals in a visible and fun way. In 1989 the federal government proclaimed Infection Control Week as an annual event. (from CHICA-CANADA)

About International Infection Prevention Week (US)

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the third week in October as National Infection Control Week and called all ‘federal, state, and local government agencies, health organizations, communications, media, and people’ to take part in educational activities and programs during this designated week. (from APIC)

To mark Infection Prevention Week, APIC is hosting live webinars on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, each dedicated to a particular “theme” in infection prevention. Tuesday’s webinar will be on “Collaboration“; Wednesday is “Hand Hygiene“, with a special focus on guidelines; and Thursday is “Surgical Site Infection/ OR Safety“.

If you don’t attend the webinars, you can still check out APIC’s educational brochures and guides, such as Tips to Prevent and Fight the Flu, Clean Hands Save Lives and Infection Control in an Emergency/Disaster Situation.

Google Flu Trends tool comes to Canada

Google Flu Trends, an internet search tool that tracks the spread of influenza as an early warning of outbreaks, expanded to Canada and 15 other countries on Thursday.

The company said it launched the tool in the U.S. last November after finding a close relationship between how many people searched for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms.

Full article: here.

Scotland funds nurses returning in swine flu pandemic

Nurses and midwives returning to work in Scotland to help in any worsening of the H1N1 outbreak will have their re-registration costs paid for by the Scottish government.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has written to former members whose registration has lapsed in the previous four years to encourage them to re-register. This would make them available to employers in the event of a surge in the pandemic.

Full article: here.

Singapore launches program to ensure business continuity during flu pandemic

Singapore launched on Tuesday a program to help businesses remain undisrupted in times of a possible flu pandemic.

The Flu Pandemic Business Continuity Program targets to help at least 1,000 companies become flu pandemic prepared by the end of 2010.

It is part of a 30 million Singapore dollars (20.98 million U.S. dollars) National Business Continuity Management Program announced last year.

Full article: here.

MDs, nurses pressing for more specific pandemic plan

Canada’s doctors and nurses pressed MPs to help fill the gaps in the national pandemic plan Monday, urging them to ask the government for more consistent communication. They also warned they do not yet feel prepared for a second wave of the H1N1 pandemic.

Representatives from three doctors’ and nurses’ professional organizations, along with the Canadian Medical Association, appeared before the House of Commons health committee and did not hold back in expressing their concerns.

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“We urge you to protect health-care workers and make SARS lessons national lessons. If the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) won’t do it, nurses will.”

Full Article: here.

Nasal spray flu vaccine becoming available

The long-awaited first vaccinations against swine flu — the squirt-in-the-nose kind — begin early next week in parts of the country, and states are urging people to be patient until more arrives.

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“We’re moving this out as quickly as we can,” said Oregon’s public health director, Dr. Mel Kohn, who hopes shipments arrive in time to begin some vaccinations on Monday. “This doesn’t do any good sitting in a warehouse.”

Most states are aiming their first small batches at health care workers, hoping to keep them well enough to be on the job as cases of swine flu — what doctors prefer to call the 2009 H1N1 strain — are rapidly increasing nationwide.

In Chicago, firefighters will share first doses with hospitals, to get some emergency responders protected, too.

Full article: here.

Italy considers vaccinating players for swine flu

Italian soccer officials are considering large-scale vaccinations for players to protect against swine flu.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi told the ANSA news agency Friday that “the possibility of vaccinating all the players on every team is being considered.”

Full article: here.

School nurse shortage hampers swine flu response

As schools grapple with a resurgence of swine flu, many districts have few or no nurses to prevent or respond to outbreaks, leaving students more vulnerable to a virus that spreads easily in classrooms and takes a heavier toll on children and young adults.

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When the swine flu emerged last spring, it was a school nurse in New York City — Mary Pappas at St. Francis Preparatory School — who helped identify and curtail the country’s first major outbreak after she noticed large numbers of students complaining of high fevers and sore throats.

Full article: here.

U.S. doubles early supply of swine flu vaccine

U.S. health officials said on Thursday more than 6 million doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine will be available the first week of October, twice as many as they expected only a week ago.

But even as officials ramp up vaccine production, they say most Americans tend not to bother getting vaccinated — especially the children and young adults most at risk of being infected by the new H1N1 virus.
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She said that typically, fewer than 25 percent of children and pregnant women get vaccinated against seasonal flu, which kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people a year worldwide.

Vaccination rates are also below 30 percent for young adults and around 40 percent for healthcare workers.

Full article: here.

MOH cautious on flu shot fears

Unpublished Canadian data are raising concerns about whether it’s a good idea to get a seasonal flu shot this season.

Drawn from a series of studies from British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario, the data appear to suggest that people who got a seasonal flu shot last year are about twice as likely to catch swine flu as people who didn’t.

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Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Arlene King said she is concerned about the study but cautions that it is too early to jump to conclusions.

“We are obviously concerned about the information that has occurred and we have certainly seen no higher illness or death rates here in Ontario or anywhere else in the country compared to the rest of the world, so it’s very important for that information to be peer reviewed.”

Full Article: here.