The number of COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant continues to rise. Consistent with current understanding of the disease trajectory, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is releasing updated guidance for isolation and quarantine for healthcare workers, decreasing their isolation time after infection with COVID-19. Additionally, CDC is releasing an update to guidance for contingency and crisis management in the setting of significant healthcare worker shortages. These updates provide healthcare facilities with strategies to limit the effects of staff shortages caused by COVID-19 on patient care and note that: Healthcare workers with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic can return to work after 7 days with a negative test, and that isolation time ...
Viruses are a type of germ that can infect a host body and cause illness, like a cold or COVID-19. A virus uses living things, like animals and people, to make copies of themselves. Then they keep spreading from one living thing to another. Viruses can lead to numerous illnesses, including: bronchitis, the flu, the common cold, and COVID-19. Fortunately, if you know a little bit about viruses, then it’s easier to understand why the things we do for infection control work to stop them from spreading and making people sick. CDC’s Project Firstline, an initiative to inform and train healthcare workers about infection prevention and control, helps us explore the three main parts of viruses:
1. The Genes of Viruses
Genes are the first main part of a ...
COVID-19 worsened the many health disparities already facing people of color. The pandemic revealed long-standing gaps in infection control knowledge and understanding among the frontline healthcare workforce. This is why CDC launched Project Firstline, a training and education collaborative designed to ensure all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, have the infection control knowledge and understanding they need and deserve to protect themselves, their patients, and their coworkers. Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio is now working with the National Hispanic Medical Association to bring Project Firstline content to frontline healthcare workers to protect themselves, their facilities, and their patients (from Latino and all communities) from ...
As COVID-19 cases from the recent Omicron variant surge across the country, health professionals are also detecting a rise in “Flurona,” which is a combination of the common flu and coronavirus. What really is Flurona and how can you avoid it? Let’s explore the facts.
What is Flurona?
Technically, Flurona isn’t a new disease. It occurs when someone contracts both COVID-19 and the flu simultaneously or one after the other. “Health experts have been warning about the possibility of a ‘twindemic,’ a scenario in which spikes in cases of COVID-19 and a simultaneous rough flu season overwhelm the country’s hospital systems, since early on in the pandemic,” according to Fortune Magazine.
Why is Flurona Happening Now?
Flurona has been happening throughout the ...
We love our frontline healthcare workers. That's why we are excited to share Project Firstline, a training and education collaborative from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, have the infection control knowledge and understanding they need and deserve to protect themselves, their patients, and their coworkers. Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio is working with the National Hispanic Medical Association to bring Project Firstline content to frontline healthcare workers. Project Firstline creates resources, including videos and shareable images, web buttons, posters, and print materials. They also have facilitator toolkits to help workers lead trainings even if they are not ...
Cancer can affect anyone. But Latinos experience higher rates of infection-related cancers, ones that are preventable, than their white peers, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society (ACS). In fact, Latinos suffer two times higher rates of liver and stomach cancers—infection-related but preventable cancers—than their white peers. “Addressing this critical gap for Hispanic individuals in obtaining access to high-quality cancer prevention, early detection and treatment is going to be essential for mitigating the predicted growth in the cancer burden,” wrote Kimberly Miller, an ACS scientist, in the report. “In addition, more research is needed to assess not only the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization of cancer care, but also the impact ...
The term “infectious disease” covers a wide range of harmful illnesses. Influenza, chickenpox, and COVID-19 are some infectious diseases caused by germs or viruses that sicken people and can spread to others. Latinos face a heavier burden than their peers for several infectious diseases, from HIV/AIDS to coronavirus to tuberculosis. Fortunately, we can each do our part to prevent infectious disease — including learning more about them. “Infectious disease may be an unavoidable fact of life, but there are many strategies available to help us protect ourselves from infection and to treat a disease once it has developed,” according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
What is Infectious Disease?
The kinds of organisms that can transmit infectious ...
Have you or someone close to you tested positive for COVID-19? You should have gotten a phone call from a local public health worker─a “case investigator” or “contact tracer”─who would give guidance on monitoring symptoms, quarantining to prevent spread, and more. But some cities don’t have enough people to make these important calls. Also, some people don’t answer or return phone calls from unknown numbers and may be uncomfortable answering questions. That is why, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, cities must invest in extensive contact tracing efforts and encourage the public to answer or return phone calls from the health department. “Case investigation and contact tracing, a core disease control measure employed by local and state health department ...
Clean hands are critical to reduce the spread of infection, particularly coronavirus (COVID-19). However, washing with soap and water isn’t always option. In 1966, nursing student, Lupe Hernandez, realized alcohol in gel form could be an effective way to clean hands when soap and water weren’t available. She called an inventions hotline to learn about patenting hand sanitizer. Over 50 years later, Hernandez's invention is still saving lives against threatening diseases and protecting brave medical professionals. Hand sanitizer sales and wipes has grown steadily. They expanded beyond hospitals and care homes to supermarkets and personal accessories. The U.S. market of hand sanitizer was $28 million in 2002. In 2009, hand sanitizer sales soared in the wake of ...
