Eat, Drink and Stay Healthy
Eat, Drink and Stay Healthy It's that time of year when the calendar fills up with banquets, potluck dinners, parties and big family celebrations. Food is such an important part of the holiday season,…
Perspective
Practitioners, researchers and innovators share their experience and views. Perspectives are edited but not peer-reviewed.
Camels, Cattle and Coronavirus: the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Hunt must Continue
The prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in animals may only have begun to be appreciated. The disease is well characterized, but significant zoonotic sources, and thus, routes of transmission of MERS-CoV…
It’s not too Late (to Fight Back Against Infectious Diseases)
Antibiotic resistance is a major threat reaching pandemic levels. Bacterial infections that were once easily treated with the antibiotics are becoming resistant to not only the drugs that were once used to treat these…
Antibiotic Stewardship: Protecting a Precious Resource
Penicillin, one of the world's first antibiotics, was discovered in 1928 by the British scientist, Sir Alexander Fleming. It was further developed for medicinal use by Drs. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain of Oxford…
Superbugs : A Primer
The introduction of antibiotics into modern healthcare has added years onto the average lifespan of humans in developed countries. However, the widespread use and misuse of antibiotics has led to the current problem of…
The Post-Antibiotic Era
In April 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report detailing the serious threat of antibiotic resistance. The ‘post-antibiotic’ era is fast approaching and we need to take action now. Minor injuries and…
Making A Difference: The blog for Virology Down Under
Pan-Access is steadily growing in popularity, and the benefits are already being seen. Researchers from around the world are choosing to provide their findings and progress in real time with no restrictions. By embracing…
6 Factors That Have Caused Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance has become a global threat, and with Antibiotic Awareness Week, it is important to understand the series of events that have led the world to this predicament. Originally touted as a miracle…
Charlie Sheen confirms he is HIV – positive: What You Need to Know
In an interview on NBC's Today Show, the actor Charlie Sheen (best known for his role in the American television sitcom, Two and a Half Men) confirmed that he has tested positive for the…
It May be Disinfected, but, Is It Clean?
Hospitals are a hotspot for acquiring dangerous and life-threatening infections, which are transferred patient to patient when sufficient prevention measures are not in place. Cleaning hospital surfaces is abstract without a verifiable and quantifiable…
Here, There, and Everywhere: How Antibiotic Resistance is Now the Norm
As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasingly urgent global problem, it is important to address how resistance occurs and how it is propagated throughout the general population. Our arsenal of antibiotics that has been routinely used…
Why Antibiotics are not the Answer to your Cold or Flu
Colds and flu are viral infections. If you happen to be very unlucky and get the flu, take a break, rest up, and go to your doctor only if your symptoms persist. Do not…
Global Antibiotic Awareness Week
Antibiotics are sometimes revered as one of humankind’s greatest discoveries. Thanks to antibiotics, the lives of billions of people have been saved. The ubiquity of antibiotics in our everyday lives has resulted in complacency when…
Infection Prevention In Challenging Environments
In non-hospital settings, health care professionals face the challenge of a constantly evolving environment. The specialists at Médecins Sans Frontières /Doctors Without Borders are deployed to areas where clinics and hospitals are not available, or…
Occupational Risk on the Rise: Turning a Blind Eye
In hospitals and health clinics, the goal is to always treat the patients. An emerging concern is the welfare of the health care workers that are involved in the treatment, and their regular exposure…
Infection Prevention & Control: The Art and Pitfalls of Practicing Tough Love
In any human relationship, tough love helps to prevent and control dysfunction. In our co-existence with microbes, we need to use a similar strategy to keep people safe from infection. But microbial tough love…
Probing the Past to Predict the Future: Shigella flexneri from World War I
Infectious diseases are not a new phenomena. Bacteria have evolved over millions of years and have adapted to life with humans. Understanding the history of bacteria, and monitoring how they have evolved have proved…
The “Fatal Warning” Antibiotics Don’t Have
Combating infectious diseases takes a community effort. However, one of the most important messages that the public often hears, but doesn’t understand is “Complete the Course.” Following a car accident, I share my recovery…
Public Health and Emerging Disease Outbreaks: Why Talking to the Community is a Good Idea
The keys to combat infectious diseases are out there. Due to insufficient communication between key players, we still don't know how to compile all this important information. Many infectious diseases can be controlled, but…
Nigerians, Patriotism, Pathogens and Politics: Implications for Infection Prevention & Control
The need for Infection Prevention and Control has become more important than ever, especially in the wake of globalization. In Nigeria the need for Infection Prevention and Control strategies was embraced by different sectors…
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