Pandemic flu, SARS, MRSA and a resurgence in TB are  concerns for  researchers  studying infection  control.   Increasingly,  scientists are re-examining the role that  airborne transmission plays in  infection.  Recently, several studies in peer reviewed journals have examined this topic, and we have a new White Paper report on their findings.  These studies can help public health administrators decide how to update infection control guidelines to reflect the most recent trends in microbiology, epidemiology and engineering.

The most recent issue of Army Chemical Review discusses how UVGI can harden buildings against attacks by biological agents.  The author says that UVGI can be used in conjunction with HEPA filtration to reduce a structure's vulnerability.  Army Chemical Review is produced by military personnel through Fort Leonard Wood.  Find the article here, or read the entire Chemical Review Issue by clicking here.

A new and compelling way to get a snap shot of avian influenza as it develops is on Google Earth. Researchers have created an excellent map of bird and human outbreaks. In order to view the map, you need to have Google Earth installed on your PC. The map overlays for avian flu are available here.
The map should provide the reader with a new perspective on H5N1 outbreaks.  It is easy to imagine that this tool may help stem the spread of avian influenza.  Best of all it is free and automatically updates each time you open the map from Google Earth.

Starting July 1, 2007, hospitals in New Hampshire will need to report Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) information to their State Health Department. New Hampshire joins 14 other states that have some form of mandatory reporting. The law requires the State Health Department to obtain and analyze the data, and then create a public database that consumers can find on the internet. Health care administrators and lawmakers are working out details on what data is collected and how it will appear on-line for consumers to view. More on the story here.

Massachusetts is hopping on board the mandatory HAI reporting train as well. A bill in the State Senate proposes that Massachusetts hospitals submit infection data, with the goal of having an internet database available in 2008 for public use. As with other states trying to find an equitable approach, Massachusetts is proposing incentives and penalties to help speed participation by hospitals. For more on this story plus Massachusetts' plan for universal health care, click here.

A video released on January 10, 2007 proports to show the loading and firing of chemical rockets by insurgents in Iraq. The minute long video, hosted here, shows masked people 'arming' the rockets by pouring a liquid into warheads. The launch of four rockets is believed to have occurred in Samarra, located 124 kilometers North of Baghdad. According to Iraq Watch.org, Samarra was the prime production facility for Iraqi mustard gas and nerve agents, during the Saddam Hussein regime. The alleged attack targeted troops stationed at US Fort McKenzie. As of this writing, no third party has confirmed the attack or its outcome.  Some bloggers have questioned the efficacy of a liquid substance that is poured into a warhead noting that most chemical weapons are disbursed with aerosolization technology, rather than relying on impact.

As business owners plan for pandemic influenza, they consider issuing surgical and N-95 masks to employees.
But is this a good idea?
This VIGILAIR® White Paper examines the benefits and limitations of masks as protection for the general population should a pandemic strike.

VIGILAIR® CEO Tim Leach is the key speaker for an internet symposium titled, Improving Your Environment of Care-Breaking the Chain of Disease Transmission.
Mr. Leach will discuss the role of airborne transmission in the environment of care. Also on the agenda, is a discussion of innovations in the application of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation. This forum is sponsored by Facility Care Magazine.

Thinking that tuberculosis is eradicated, or even under control is a deadly and false assumption. The WHO says 1.7 million people die each year from TB. A new strain of TB that is appearing globally is virtually untreatable and kills most victims within 16-30 days of onset. Extensively Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB) is particularly acute among HIV positive South Africans.
In one South African hospital, 52 of 53 people infected with XDR-TB died. Experts say some victims are hospitalized when they acquire the disease. Could UVGI play a role in reducing these infections? Find out more.

The image to the left shows researchers attaching a light weight solar powered GPS satellite transmitter to a wild swan. A total of ten whooper swans were outfitted with the devices in August while the birds were in Mongolia.
Scientists are tracking the swans as they migrate across Eurasia to their wintering grounds. Researchers hope the study will shed light on the migratory habits of the birds and the role they play in spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Click here for more information.

According to Dr. Michael Osterholm a flu pandemic is "inevitable." Dr. Osterholm is well positioned to make the claim. As Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and as a consultant to the Department of Homeland Security, Dr. Osterholm is considered one of the top infectious disease scientists in the US.
According to Dr. Osterholm, the history of the last three centuries tells us that pandemics occur approximately every 50 years, so it is a matter of when the pandemic hits, rather than if the pandemic hits.
More information is available here.

The United States Department of Agriculture has just confirmed that low pathogenic sub type of H5N1 has been detected in samples taken from wild swans in Michigan. The same sub type was detected in wild migratory birds by US Dept. of Interior researchers in Alaska.
This sub type differs from the highly pathogenic H5N1 in several ways. The low pathogenic strain does not typically spread quickly and rarely causes severe illness in wild birds. According the USDA, low pathogenic H5N1 is harmless to humans and has been detected in the U.S. before.
Click here for more information.

A report in the Journal of Asthma holds good news for young asthma sufferers.  Researchers installed UV lights inside the ventilation ducts of homes where asthmatic children lived.  For 28 weeks researchers monitored this group as well as a group of asthmatic children who did not have UV inside their homes.  The study showed significant benefits for the children who had the UV.  These children experienced a 51% decrease in use of asthma medication.  More on this study can be found here.

VIGILAIR Systems has joined a partnership with the State University at Buffalo to increase air quality within hotel rooms.  UB's Industry University Center for Biosurfaces is conducting the experiments to see how new technologies reduce air pollutants that can trigger allergies.  The complete report will be available in the fall of 2006.  Early data show that some of the tested technologies reduce breathable air particles by 60%.  An excerpt from UB's coverage of this study is available here.

Are we doing enough to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak? What should be done about it? Those are some of the questions answered in the Department of Homeland Security’s just released paper Pandemic Planning Update II. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the DHS wants to appear proactive in its approach to looming natural disasters. This update provides evidence that the U.S. federal government is preparing for the worst by facilitating vaccine development, intra-agency coordination and communication with the public and health care providers.

The state of California is considered a leader in enacting progressive environmental ideas.  A recent report sponsored by the California Energy Commission says that UVGI can play a positive role in the future of K-12 classrooms by lowering energy consumption, cleaning the air  and reducing absenteeism.  If your school district is considering improving classroom indoor air quality, you can learn a lot from this report.

One of the nation's top hospitals for research has chosen to partner with VIGILAIR Systems, Inc.  Henry Ford Health System will use VIGILAIR® to purify air supplied to Operating Rooms.  Click here for more information on this important partnership.

Increasingly hospitals and healthcare systems are on the defensive, facing litigation that involves HAI's.  Click here for more information on two lawsuits in which attorneys say that Hospital Acquired Infections play an important role.  Such litigation is likely to add to urgency to the discussion within the healthcare community on ways to decrease nosocomial infections.

May 2006

DHS Designation Granted

H2H Avian Flu Transmission In Indonesia?

The World Health Organization reports that six members of an Indonesian family have died after becoming infected with the H5N1 virus.  A seventh family member was infected has apparently survived.  The WHO has not explicitly said that the Indonesian outbreak is Human to Human (H2H) transmission.  Instead the WHO issued this statement:

"no evidence that efficient human-to-human transmission has occurred"

Many in the infectious disease community read this as meaning that H2H has definitely occurred with the avian flu, although such transmission has not been "…efficient…"

WHO teams are onsite in the area of this Indonesian outbreak, gathering data and looking for new cases of H5N1.  While experts continue to urge caution as H5N1 spreads, they also note that H2H(and possibly (H2H2H) transmission is another step in the direction that could lead to a pandemic.  The WHO has not changed the pandemic alert level in light of this outbreak and maintains that genetic sequencing of this Indonesian strain has revealed no significant mutations.

So far, H5N1 has infected 218 people in the world and killed 124.  More on this story is available here.   

April 2006

HEPA Filters: Reality v. Myth

HEPA filtration is an effective part of a contamination control system.  However some believe that because they have HEPA, they have no contamination problems.  Is HEPA all you need?  Can HEPA filters become a source for contamination?  You’ll find answers by down loading VIGILAIR® Systems White Paper that examines the "Myth of HEPA Filtration."

Your thoughts on our White Papers are always welcome.  You can post comments about the "Myth of HEPA Filtration" on our Blog by clicking here.

March 2006

MRSA Airborne: More Evidence

A new study suggests that MRSA can be "…dispersed widely by wind currents."   University of Bath (UK) scientists say that a species of amoeba can harbor MRSA, allowing the bacterium to evade countermeasures meant to stop its spread.

Study authors believe their research raises many concerns for infection control professionals.  Click here for more information on this study.

February 2006

Reporting Hospital Infection-Physicians' Perspectives

The state of Pennsylvania is aggressively trying to reduce HAI with an innovative reporting system that publishes indicators of hospital performance in a variety of care areas.  While embracing the new program, some physicians are criticizing the state’s efforts as lacking scientific value.  Click here for more information on the difficulty with reporting HAI.

Airborne Legionnaires Disease Travels For Miles

A just release study documents a deadly strain of Legionella that affected people during the winter of 2003.  Researchers found that virulent Legionella bacteria traveled more than 6 kilometers from their source to infect villagers in the Pas-de-Calais region of France.  Previously, it was believed Legionella could travel only a few hundred meters.  More information and a link to the complete study is available by clicking here.