Personal Protective Equipment

Medline Industries, Inc.s BioMask, the first-ever FDA-cleared antiviral, antimicrobial medical face mask that is shown to inactivate flu viruses, won the 2012 Chicago Innovation Award at a ceremony in Chicago last night featuring Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois governor Pat Quinn.

Infection Control Today spoke with Mary J. Ogg, MSN, RN, CNOR, a perioperative nursing specialist with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), regarding sharps safety-related issues in the operating room.

A strengthened standard from the Joint Commission is adding additional weight to the importance of healthcare worker vaccination against influenza. As of July 1, 2012, the Joint Commission requires that all accredited healthcare organizations establish an annual influenza vaccination program for staff members and licensed independent practitioners. The standard should be very familiar to many infection preventionists, as six years ago the Joint Commission required that hospitals and long-term care facilities seeking accreditation establish an influenza vaccination program which includes educating about and providing influenza vaccination to healthcare professionals.

Public health officials and medical experts practiced what they preach by getting vaccinated against influenza during a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) news conference Sept. 27. Urging the public to follow suit, experts cautioned that influenza is unpredictable and that last years mild season is not necessarily an indication of what can be expected in 2012-2013 and, even during mild seasons, flu takes a serious toll.