http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Live poultry markets can act as hotbeds for H5N1 bird flu, but simple measures such as disinfecting trucks, equipment and market space could help stop the virus from spreading, researchers said Monday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-basic-disinfectant-halt-bird-flu.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 06 May 2013 16:42:13 EST news287077322 With rates and deaths associated with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) at historically high levels, many hospitals have taken extra steps to reduce these infections. New research finds that a dedicated daily cleaning crew who adequately clean and disinfect rooms contaminated by C. difficile using a standardized process can be more effective than other disinfection interventions. The study is published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), in a special topic issue focused on the role of the environment in infection prevention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-dedicated-staff-shown-difficile-contamination.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:31:17 EST news284722113 Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Forsyth Institute published a study today that found that a significant proportion of dental bib clips harbored bacteria from the patient, dental clinician and the environment even after the clips had undergone standard disinfection procedures in a hygiene clinic. Although the majority of the thousands of bacteria found on the bib clips immediately after treatment were adequately eliminated through the disinfection procedure, the researchers found that 40% of the bib clips tested post-disinfection retained one or more aerobic bacteria, which can survive and grow in oxygenated environments. They found that 70% of bib clips tested post-disinfection retained one or more anaerobic bacteria, which do not live or grow in the presence of oxygen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-dental-bib-harbor-oral-skin.html Dentistry Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:00:01 EST news284036686 Phnom Penh on Friday ordered urgent action to stem the "worrying" number of bird flu deaths in Cambodia, following a surge in the number of fatalities from the virus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-cambodia-action-deadly-bird-flu.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:28:16 EST news281338087 Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) dropped by 52 percent when an alcohol-impregnated disinfection cap was used instead of standard scrubbing protocol, according to a new study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-disinfection-caps-clabsi-cases.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:07:03 EST news276433612 New research demonstrates that daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces in isolation rooms of patients with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) significantly reduces the rate of the pathogens on the hands of healthcare personnel. The findings underscore the importance of environmental cleaning for reducing the spread of difficult to treat infections. The study is published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-daily-disinfection-isolation-rooms-contamination.html Health Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:55:35 EST news266759725 Three patients with chronic kidney failure treated at a dialysis center in Los Angeles County, California contracted a bacterial infection in the blood (sepsis) caused by improper cleaning and disinfection of a reusable medical device called a dialyzer – an artificial kidney. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-sepsis-outbreak-la-county-dialysis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 05 Jun 2012 03:40:02 EST news258085474 Looking for an inexpensive and effective way to quickly improve the quality of your drinking water? According to a team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, sunlight and a twist of lime might do the trick. Researchers found that adding lime juice to water that is treated with a solar disinfection method removed detectable levels of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) significantly faster than solar disinfection alone. The results are featured in the April 2012 issue of American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-sunlight-lime-juice-safer.html Health Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:14:35 EST news253883668 A Hong Kong school was closed on Friday after a dead bird found in the southern Chinese city was tested positive for the deadly H5 strain of the bird flu virus, health officials said. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-hong-kong-school-bird-flu.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:34:08 EST news243228805 University of Illinois scientists report the first identification of a cellular mechanism linked to the toxicity of a major class of drinking water disinfection byproducts. This study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, suggests a possible connection to adverse health effects, including neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-links-disinfection-byproducts-adverse-health.html Health Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:27:47 EST news238692457