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For the latest breaking news - last updated 4/28/2008 - see below or just click here.

Greater New York APIC Chapter 13 (New York City) is a regional chapter of the national organization Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology, Inc. based in Washington, DC.

Our chapter is proud to be the winner of the national 2008 Chapter Excellence Award for Strategic Partnerships. Thank you to all the chapter members and leaders who participate in these professional alliances to make our chapter a great organization.

VISION
APIC Greater New York Chapter improves the health and safety of patients, employees, and the members of the Greater NY community by serving as the premier association for devising, communicating and implementing state of the science infection prevention and safety techniques.

MISSION
APIC Greater New York Chapter improves the healthcare milieu by reducing risks for the transmission of infection and related adverse outcomes.

Links to the rest of the APIC NYC Website:
click here for the chapter homepage
click here for the chapter info page = chapter leaders, meeting location, schedule, & topics
click here for the chapter internet resources = many online IC resources
click here for the extra resource page = journals, other IC info available
click here for the chapter forum page = documents to download, & questions
click here for the chapter jobs page = job postings
click here for chapter pictures: page 1 - page 2 = many meeting & conference pictures

To read about the 3rd ever USA case of
Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA),
right next door in Nassau County, click here.

Avian Flu: April 13, 2008 Update: The CDC & World Health Organization (WHO) periodically update their Avian influenza reports with important new information. Click here to download the Feb 3, 2006 CDC Notice that they are distributing Avian Influenza H5N1 laboratory testing kits (RT-PCR assay) to the 140 Laboratory Response Network labs (there is at least 1 in each state) in Feb. 2006. Click here to download the CDCs Feb. 4, 2005 advisory update that covers hospital infection control guidelines for managing possible / suspected cases as well as how to handle and test clinical specimens.

Epi updates: Avian flu continues to cause sporadic outbreaks in poultry in a wide variety of countries. As of September - December 2007, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Benin, Nigeria, Poland, China, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the United Kingdom have all reported poultry outbreaks of varying sizes in domestic and wild birds. Fortunately, few of these cases were associated with human cases, although two new nations did have human cases for the first time in this time period (Myanmar & Pakistan, both in November 2007).

Back in February-March 2006, a number of other nations had discovered Avian Influenza (H5N1) in wild and domestic/food source poultry. These nations include Niger, Egypt, Malaysia, Iraq, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Iran, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Egypt, India, and France. Public health authorities and other governmental officials have taken a variety of actions in these countries to reduce the risk of further spread to domestic birds.

The WHO continues to conclude that "all available evidence indicates that the virus does not spread easily from poultry to humans. To date, very few cases have been detected in poultry workers, cullers, or veterinarians. Almost all cases have been linked to close contact to diseased household flocks, often during slaughtering, defeathering, butchering, and preparation of poultry for consumption. No cases have been linked to the consumption of properly cooked poultry meat or eggs, even in households where disease was known to be present in flocks." WHO also reports that undetected subclinical cases may be numerous so that the fatality rate based on cases recognized to date may overstate the actual severity of the disease. However, it is obvious that this H5N1 influenza is a highly pathogenic strain that poses a very significant health threat.

Total case counts for these fourteen countries are shown in the table below. Click here to read the most recent CDC report or the WHO reports. The most recent WHO report is dated April 8, 2008.

Country	# Cases	# Deaths	Fatality Rate	Most Recent Case
Turkey	12	4	25%	January 2006
Iraq	3	2	67%	March 2006
Azerbaijan	8	5	63%	March 2006
Djibouti	1	0	0%	April 2006
Thailand	25	17	68%	July 2006
Nigeria	1	1	100%	January 2007
Laos	2	2	100%	February 2007
Cambodia	7	7	100%	April 2007
Pakistan	3	1	0%	November 2007
Myanmar	1	0	0%	November 2007
China	30	20	67%	February 2008
Egypt	48	21	44%	March 2008
Viet Nam	106	52	49%	March 2008
Indonesia	132	107	81%	March 2008
Total (as of 4-13-2008)	379	239	63%	-

The CDC has updated and/or issued new guidance documents regarding Avian Influenza. These include:
1. Key Facts About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus - click here.
2. Interim Guidance for Airline Flight Crews and Persons Meeting Passengers Arriving from Areas with Avian Influenza - click here.
3. Interim Guidance for Airline Cleaning Crew, Maintenance Crew, and Baggage/Package and Cargo Handlers for Airlines
     Returning from Areas Affected by Avian Influenza A (H5N1) - click here

For a large set of WHO references on avian influenza, including fact sheets and interim healthcare facility guidelines, see http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/.

January 25, 2008: Influenza Update
For the latest CDC information on the 2007-2008 influenza season, click here and for the most up-to-date info about cases around the country, click here.

SARS
On July 1, 2004, the Ministry of Health of China released its status report on the investigation. Although not all detailed information has been made available to WHO, the following conclusions have been made about the source of this small outbreak:   1) The National Institute of Virology in Beijing was the most likely source of the outbreak.   2) At least four individuals may have been infected with SARS at the Institute. These include the two laboratory workers reported in April 2004, and two additional laboratory workers who appear to have suffered from SARS-like illnesses in early February 2004.   3) The use of inactivated SARS coronavirus, which was not tested to determine the effectiveness of the inactivation, in a general laboratory at the Institute appears the most likely cause of the outbreak. No cases of SARS has been reported world-wide since April 2004.      last updated 01/25/2008

To see the latest WHO info on SARS, click here. Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report on July 2, 2004 on the state of SARS management . To read that report, click here.

NYCDOHMH has issued the following reminders and guidelines for SARS surveillance. Please share this with all appropriate hospital and clinical staff.

1. Elicit a travel history on all patients being evaluated with respiratory symptoms and fever. Isolate patients who have traveled to Mainland China with above symptoms pending results of medical evaluation.

2. Returning travelers with radiographic evidence of pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome with onset within 10 days of travel from anywhere in Mainland China should immediately be placed in airborne and contact isolation precautions.

3. Immediately report suspect cases to the Bureau of Communicable Disease, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to arrange laboratory testing. During normal business hours call (212) 788-9830 and after hours through the Poison Control Center at (212) 764-7667.

4. Please utilize patient and staff reminders (posters, etc.) to encourage the rapid recognition of individuals meeting the above criteria. Place in conspicuous locations throughout the hospital such as registration, waiting areas, emergency department and outpatient triage and entrances.

material taken from NYCDOHMH, CDC, & WHO

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APIC

GREATER NEW YORK

- CHAPTER 13 -