Study notes 90 percent increase in MRSA cases

PRINCETON, NJ — A recent study by the Princeton Environmental Institute, in connection with the ecology and evolutionary biology department at Princeton University, reports that the number of cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections has increased by more than 90 percent over the last decade, according to the Daily Princetonian.
The study, which focused on the spread of MRSA infections from 1999 through 2005, found that as many as 17,280 people infected with MRSA died in 2005, more than the number of people who died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the same year, the story stated.
Researchers found that the percentage of hospital outpatients who reported community-associated MRSA infections had jumped drastically from about 10 percent to roughly 50 percent between 1999 and 2005, the story noted.
Eili Klein, co-author of the study that was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, said: "Every time somebody uses an antibiotic, that reduces the number of times the antibiotic can ever be used because it's going to create resistance."
According to the story, hospital-associated MRSA infections have been more common than community-associated MRSA infections, prompting the need for more extensive and effective cleaning regimens in health care facilities.
Klein, along with the other co-author, Ramanan Laxminarayan, stress that MRSA should be "considered a national priority for disease control," the story added.
Click here to read the complete article.

Happy Thanksgiving from Green News 4U

I would like to wish the readers of Green News 4U a Happy Thanksgiving.

You can also follow me on:

Twitter
Technorati
MyBlogLog
Digg
Delicious

_______________________
Mel W.
9JMM6J34B5JE

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global crisis

Recognizing the rapid growth in cases of infection like MRSA and ventilator-associated pneumonia being picked up in hospitals, Kimblery-Clark Healthcare has put together a website called "Not on My Watch" at http://www.haiwatch.com/ to educate patients and healthcare professionals. Their goal is to eliminate these preventable illnesses and their often tragic consequences.

I briefly spoke with Barbra via e-mail and I found this site very useful. I will be pulling some information from this site that will benefit the community. Thanks Again Barbra.

Follow the site here: http://haiwatchnews.com/

Crews clean building after four-day student protest

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Crews spent the earlier part of this week cleaning Kerr Hall at the University of California at Santa Cruz after a four-day student occupation of the building, according to KION-TV.

Numerous demonstrators occupied the building for days to protest a 32 percent increase in University of California fees, an increase that was approved to help California's higher education system recoup losses from the recent budget crisis, the story stated.

The cost of the damage and subsequent cleanup remains unknown and it is unlikely that charges will be brought against any of the students involved in the occupation, the story noted.

At least four truckloads of trash and other refuse have been removed from the building, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.

Bill seeks to limit phosphorus in cleaning products

WASHINGTON — U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak recently introduced legislation seeking to place limitations on cleaning products from containing more than 0.5 percent phosphorus, according to the Michigan News.

According to the article, H.R. 3946 would help protect the Great Lakes by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide the U.S. Congress with recommendations on how to address the problem of high levels of phosphorus in the water system.

Though several states have previously instated similar bans with success, many feel that a national phosphorus limit is necessary, the story stated.

Stupak said: "Healthy Great Lakes ecosystems are vital to the economic and cultural well-being of the state of Michigan. As too many nutrients, including phosphorus, are dumped into our waters, the Great Lakes suffer harmful effects such as algae blooms. This legislation ensures a comprehensive plan to address high levels of phosphorus and protect our Great Lakes for generations to come."

The proposed bill would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to limit cleaning products from containing more than 0.5 percent phosphorus, the story noted.

When too much phosphorus enters the waterways, it causes excessive growth of algae, which, in turn, robs the water of the oxygen aquatic life needs to survive, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.

The city of Fort St. John adopts LEED-certification mandate

FORT ST. JOHN, BC, Canada — The Fort St. John City Council recently voted to adopt a policy that requires all new city-owned buildings to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, according to the Fort St. John News.

According to the article, the policy does not apply to existing buildings and does not require energy-efficient retrofitting.

The city of Fort St. John left some "wiggle room" in not specifying which level of LEED certification each project must obtain, noting that the higher the certification level, the more it would cost, the story stated.

Council members, who voted unanimously to adopt the policy, claim that, because of the energy efficient nature of LEED-certified buildings, extra construction and certification costs will be recovered within a few years of operation, the story noted.

Little attention has been given to green and sustainable features of municipal buildings in the past, something the city of Fort St. John is changing with this new policy, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.

JohnsonDiversey launches infection control website

STURTEVANT, WI — JohnsonDiversey Inc. recently launched www.outbreakcontrol.com, a one-stop resource for managing infection risk in schools, health care settings and other commercial spaces, according to a press release.

According to the release, the website provides comprehensive information regarding infectious diseases as well as best practices to manage outbreaks, reduce risk and minimize the spread of infection.

In addition to prevention tips and disinfection and cleaning procedures, www.outbreakcontrol.com features an interactive, "Ask an Expert" question and answer forum where visitors can have their questions answered by Drs. Dale Grinstead and Jose Ramirez, JohnsonDiversey's infection control experts, the release stated.

JohnsonDiversey President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ed Lonergan said: "The global H1N1 pandemic has raised social and individual consciousness on the importance of visibly maintaining healthy, hygienic public environments. Our understanding of disease, infection and cleaning and hygiene practices needed to minimize their spread makes us uniquely qualified to provide a platform for public awareness and education."

The site will host topic-specific videos to demonstrate the essential elements of infection control and provides links to JohnsonDiversey's infection control information in 14 languages, the release noted.

JohnsonDiversey's infection control team will regularly post the most up-to-date public health information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which will enable visitors to find all updated public health content instantaneously and in one location, the release added.

Click here to read the complete release.