Infectious disease

In 2016, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) asked the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) to add the eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and the California serogroup viruses (CSGV) to the West Nile virus (WNV) integrated surveillance. The MSSS also requested surveillance of the Aedes albopictus mosquito.

During 2016, 30 cases of WNV infection and five cases of encephalitis linked to CSGV were reported to the public health…

In 2016, 174 cases of Lyme disease were reported to public health authorities, including 124 cases that were acquired in Québec.

The Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec received 2 158 Ixodes scapularis ticks from Québec, primarily from the regions of Estrie, Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec, Montréal, Laurentides, Lanaudière, Montérégie and the Capitale-Nationale. More than 17% of these ticks were positive for Borrelia burgdorferi.

Active…

From April 1^st, 2013, to March 31^st, 2014, 44 hemodialysis units took part in the surveillance of vascular access–related bloodstream infections (VARBSIs) in hemodialysis (HD) patients, for a combined total of 54,878 patient-periods (Table 1). Participating units reported 157 VARBSIs in 149 patients. Patient-periods involving a fistula accounted for 44.9% of patient-periods. The VARBSI incidence rate was 0.10 cases per…

From April 1^st, 2013, to March 31^st, 2014, 77 healthcare facilities took part on a voluntary basis in the hospital-wide surveillance of bloodstream infections (BSIs), for a combined total of 4,149,763 patient-days (Table 1). Participating facilities reported 2,689 BSIs in 2,495 patients. The total incidence rate was 5.4 cases per 10,000 patient-days. The incidence rate in 2013-2014 was significantly lower compared…

From April 1^st, 2013, to March 31^st, 2014, 70 intensive care units (ICUs) took part in surveillance of central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), for a combined total of 132,376 catheter-days (Table 1). Participating ICUs reported 165 CLABSIs in 149 patients. Incidence rates were 0.65 per 1,000 catheter-days in coronary ICUs, 0.71 in teaching adult ICUs, 0.77 in non-teaching adult ICUs, 2.48 in pediatric ICUs…

From April 1^st, 2015, to March 31^st, 2016, 45 hemodialysis units took part in the surveillance of vascular access–related bloodstream infections (VARBSIs) in hemodialysis (HD) patients, for a combined total of 54,717 patient-periods (Table 1), slightly less than the preceding year. Participating units reported 136 VARBSIs in 129 patients. Patient-periods involving a fistula account for 41.0% of patient-periods. The 2015-2016…

From April 1^st, 2015, to March 31^st, 2016, 66 intensive care units (ICUs) took part in surveillance of central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), for a combined total of 128,035 catheter-days (Table 1). Participating ICUs reported 150 CLABSIs in 139 patients. Incidence rates are 0.70 per 1,000 catheter-days in teaching adult ICUs, 0.42 in non-teaching adult ICUs, 1.95 in pediatric ICUs and 4.15 in neonatal ICUs…

From April 1^st, 2015, to March 31^st, 2016, 87 healthcare facilities took part in the hospital-wide surveillance of bloodstream infections (BSIs), for a combined total of 4,770,053 patient-days (Table 1). Participating facilities reported 3,173 BSIs in 2,948 patients. The total 2015-2016 incidence rate is 5.45 cases per 10,000 patient-days for all facilities participating in 2015-2016, and it is 5.35 for facilities…

From April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016, 95 healthcare facilities participated in the Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD) surveillance program, for a combined total of 5,048,411 inpatient days (Table 1). These participating facilities reported 2,977 cases of healthcare-associated CDAD (HA-CDAD). The incidence rate of HA-CDAD was 5.9 cases per 10,000 patient days. The 2015-2016 incidence rate was significantly lower than……