Tag: candida auris

Update on Childhood Vaccines: Getting Ready for the School Year (July 13, 2023, 12pm CST/ 1PM EST)

Vaccines are among the most significant medical advances in the history of the world. Hundreds of millions of lives have been saved or kept whole through vaccination programs. In our global world, though, all vaccine-preventable diseases except smallpox are a mere 18 hours away by plane. Diseases that were common only 30 years ago now are exceedingly rare, but without continued vigilance in the use of the vaccines that led to this success, we risk the reemergence of these pathogens. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the risks of new viruses spilling over to the human population, and as bad as that was, it would have been that much worse if safe and effective vaccines had not been developed in record time. That said, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine program also illustrated the importance of all of us understanding why we need to be vaccinated – they only work if they are used.

Dr. David Kimberlin
Dr. David Kimberlin

Dr. David Kimberlin is the Sergio Stagno, M.D., Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases, Professor and Co-Division Director in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UAB, Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research with UAB Pediatrics, and Editor of the AAP Red Book Report of Committee on Infectious Disease. His special interests include antiviral therapies, viral diseases, clinical research and trials design.

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance and cosponsored by the Region IV Public Health Training Center and Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety.

*CEU Pending

Evaluation

Antimicrobial Resistance and Multi-Drug Resistant Organism in Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities

Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow. Resistant infections can be difficult, and sometimes impossible to treat. Multidrug-resistant organisms are bacteria’s that have become resistant to certain antibiotics, and these antibiotics can no longer be used to control or kill the bacteria. Antibiotics are important medicines. They help fight infections that are caused by bacteria. Bacteria that resist treatment with more than one antibiotic are called multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs for short), (ct.gov,2023).

Examples of (MDROs), includes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and certain gram-negative bacilli (GNB) which have important infection control implications that either have not been addressed or received only limited consideration (CDC,2015).

Below are recommended resources for hospitals and long-term care facilities on MDROs:

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
The Changing Landscape of Antimicrobial Resistance Following the COVID-19 Pandemic
MULTI DRUG-RESISTANT ORGANISMS (MDROs)
General Recommendations for Routine Prevention and Control of MDROs in Healthcare Settings
Preventing the Spread of Novel or Targeted Multidrug-resistant Organisms (MDROs)
Infection Prevention of MDROs in Long-Term Care Settings

For Some, It’s Far From Over: The Long-Term Symptoms of COVID-19 (May 3, 2023, 12pm CST/ 1PM EST)

Dr. Stella Aslibekyan, PhD

Senior Scientist, Genetic Epidemiology, 23andMe and Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham

On May 11, 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to officially end the COVID-19 public health emergency. Yet by some estimates, at least 10% of the acute COVID-19 cases result in symptoms persisting over months or even years — a condition often referred to as ‘long COVID’ that limits daily lives of millions of people worldwide. According to the CDC (www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/long-covid.htm), 16.7% of all adults in Alabama have experienced long COVID, with additional vulnerability conferred by pre-existing conditions. In this program, we will explore the history and epidemiology of ‘long COVID’ and begin to understand its etiology and manifestations.  In this webinar, Dr. Stella Aslibekyan, Senior Scientist, Genetic Epidemiology, 23andMe and Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Kentucky, will summarize the current scientific debate about long COVID, discuss lived experiences of those with long COVID and more.

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

*CEU credits for this program will be provided by the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety There is no fee to receive CEU credit. Additional information about applying for credit will be provided during the program.

Evaluation Link

                                        

Candida auris: A multi-drug resistant pathogen

Candida auris is an emerging pathogen that results in nosocomial infections and is considered a serious global health problem. It was first observed as a novel  Candida species in 2009 and has been isolated in 35 countries.

C. auris may cause invasive infections associated with high mortality. It is considered a multi-drug resistant species, having variable resistance patterns to many typical antifungal agents used to treat other Candida infections.

The CDC is concerned about C. auris for three main reasons:

  1. It is often multidrug-resistant, meaning that it is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections. Some strains are resistant to all three available classes of antifungals.
  2. It is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. Misidentification may lead to inappropriate management.
  3. It has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings. For this reason, it is important to quickly identify C. auris in a hospitalized patient so that healthcare facilities can take special precautions to stop its spread.

Candida Auris: What is it? Can we stop it? | ARC IPC

Resources for Candida auris:

General Information:
Infection Prevention:
For Healthcare Providers:
Webinars

Candida Auris: What is it? Can we stop it? (March 10, 2023, 12pm CST/ 1PM EST)

Rachael Lee, MD, MSPH

Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases, UAB

The Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance presents Candida auris: What is it? Can we stop it? Candida auris is an emerging, serious, drug-resistant fungal infection that is spreading worldwide. In this webinar, Ms. Mary Duncan (pictured right), Senior Director of Infection Prevention at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Health System, and Dr. Rachael Lee (pictured left), Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases and UAB Health Epidemiologist, will discuss how Candida auris was identified, how it is spread, and why we should be concerned. Dr. Lee and Ms. Duncan will also identify what healthcare facilities can do to identify patients who may be infected/colonized with this fungus and prevent it from spreading within their facility.

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

The Deep South Center for OH&S is an approved provider of continuing education units for nurses by the AL Board of Nursing (Provider ABNP0420 Expiration Date 12/22/2025) and has awarded this program 1.0 CEUs.

Mary Duncan, MSN, RN, CIC

Senior Director of Infection Prevention, University of Alabama-Birmingham Health System

Evaluation Link