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For the latest breaking SWINE FLU news - last updated 04/26/2009 - 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.

Swine Flu Information: On Friday, April 24, 2009, CDC & NYCDOH health officials announced that the H1N1 Swine Influenza that had been identified earlier in the week as the cause of illness in several cases of flu in California and Texas was now suspected of causing illness in Queens, NY high school students from one private parochial school.

Subsequently, several possible/probable cases have been identified in Kansas and Ohio, as well as in Nova Scotia and New Zealand. In Mexico, however, CDC and public news sources suggest over 1500 people have been stricken with influenza in the past 1 - 2 weeks with approximately 85 deaths and 20 confirmed outbreak strain cases. Eight students from the Queens, NY high school have had their illnesses confirmed as the outbreak strain. NYCDOH officials have emphasized that none of the NY cases have resulted in serious illness or hospitalization. Many of the cases have already recovered. None of the US cases has been fatal. Some of the cases from NY and from New Zealand, in particular, seem to involve persons who had recent travel to various parts of Mexico.

The CDC issued on Saturday, April 25, a Health Advisory regarding this outbreak of swine flu. To read the advisory, download it here. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

Avian Flu: March 04, 2009 Update: The CDC & World Health Organization (WHO) periodically update their Avian influenza reports with important new information.

Epi updates: 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 March 2, 2009.

Country	# Cases	# Deaths	Fatality Rate	Most Recent Case
Turkey	12	4	25%	2006
Iraq	3	2	67%	2006
Azerbaijan	8	5	63%	2006
Djibouti	1	0	0%	2006
Thailand	25	17	68%	2006
Nigeria	1	1	100%	2007
Laos	2	2	100%	2007
Pakistan	3	1	0%	2007
Myanmar	1	0	0%	2007
Bangladesh	1	0	0%	2008
Indonesia	141	115	82%	2008
Cambodia	8	7	100%	2008
China	38	25	67%	2009
Egypt	56	23	41%	2009
Viet Nam	109	54	50%	2009
Total (as of 03-02-2009)	409	256	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/. 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.

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APIC

GREATER NEW YORK

- CHAPTER 13 -