Infectious disease

From April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, 95 healthcare facilities participated in the surveillance of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD), for a combined total of 5,233,966 inpatient days. The participating facilities reported 3,797 cases of healthcare-associated (HA) CDAD. The total incidence rate of HA-CDAD was 7.3 cases per 10,000 patient days. This…

From April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, 88 healthcare facilities took part in the surveillance of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections, for a combined total of 5,011,231 patient days. Together, these facilities reported 147 cases of healthcare-associated MRSA bloodstream infections. The incidence rate was 0.29/10,000 …

From April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, 89 healthcare facilities took part in the surveillance of healthcare-associated vancomycin-resistant enterococci (HA-VRE) infections, for a combined total of 5,017,791 patient days. In total, 41 cases of VRE infection were reported among patients who contracted the strain during a current or previous hospital stay in the reporting…

Every year, over 3 million patients, including many cases of transmissible infections, arrive at Québec's emergency departments on foot or by ambulance. In Québec, reference documents are available on emergency department organization and design. However, at present, there are few recommendations for infection prevention and control (IPC) in the literature that focus on practice in…

In 2007, the Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec (CIQ) recommended an extended schedule exclusively for immunization against the human papilloma virus (HPV) starting in grade 4 (0, 6, 60 months); the committee also stated that the third dose should be administered “if judged necessary.” Since the introduction of the Québec HPV immunization program in 2008, similar programs (two doses…

The human papillomavirus (HPV) belongs to the Papillomaviridae family, which includes at least 100 genotypes affecting the skin and mucous membranes. Of these, about 40 affect the anogenital area in particular, and approximately 15 are oncogenic. Genotypes 16 and 18 are responsible for 70-76% of cervical cancer cases worldwide. Genotypes 6 and 11 are non-oncogenic but are…

Divider curtains are often used in health care settings to surround patient’s bed and provide privacy. Many factors contribute to the concern that these curtains are a potential source for the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms: 1) caregivers and patients touch curtains frequently; 2) in some settings, curtains are not often cleaned or changed; 3) health care workers and patients who…

The live attenuated influenza virus vaccine (LAIV), Flumist®, administered by intranasal spray, is approved for people aged 2-59 years. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended in its statement for the 2011-2012 season that, given its efficacy and immunogenicity, LAIV should be used preferentially for healthy children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years…

This collection of 11 case studies extracted from existing documents or research proposals is part of a larger project on ethics during a pandemic currently being undertaken by the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP), and is intended to contribute to one of our larger core objectives, which is to provoke reflection on the use of ethical analysis in public…

Public health ethics (PHE) is a relatively new field of study that encourages interdisciplinary discussion of moral issues related to the theory and practice of public health and preventive medicine. Emerging over the last 15 years out of dissatisfaction with the traditional orientations of biomedical ethics, PHE involves the explicit use of concepts from ethical, social and political…