Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

10 INFECTION CONTROL WHO's recommendations for 2019-20 flu vaccine: 3 notes By Mackenzie Bean T he World Health Organization finalized its recom- mendations for the composition of the 2019-20 flu vaccine March 21. Three things to know: 1. The WHO shared initial recommendations on what 2019 H1N1 and influenza B components should be included in the vaccine Feb. 21. However, the group postponed its decision on the vaccine's H3N2 composi- tion to conduct further research. 2. The WHO recommended vaccine-makers use an A/ Kansas/14/2017-like virus in the 2019-20 flu shot, which marks a change from the H3N2 component used in the 2018-19 flu vaccine. 3. The postponed recommendation, paired with major changes to vaccine composition, could cause delays in the vaccine manufacturing process, reported CIDRAP News. The WHO said it is working with manufacturers to limit this risk but noted counties should prepare for a potential two- to four-week delay in vaccine supplies. n Undiagnosed, untreated HIV patients responsible for 81% of new transmissions By Mackenzie Bean I ndividuals who didn't know they had HIV or knew but were not receiving care accounted for 81 percent of HIV transmissions in 2016, according to CDC data released March 18. ree takeaways: 1. Of the 1.1 million HIV-positive people living in the U.S. in 2016, 15 percent were unaware of their diagnosis. ese individuals accounted for 38 percent of new transmissions. Another 23 percent knew they had HIV but were not receiving care and accounted for 43 percent of new transmissions. 2. Fiy-one percent of people with HIV were taking medication and virally suppressed in 2016. ey accounted for no new transmissions. 3. CDC released the data in conjunction with the National HIV Prevention Conference, which began March 18 in Atlanta. At the conference, both HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, discussed the Trump administration's plan to cut HIV infections in the U.S. by 90 percent in 10 years. e government's HIV strategy will focus on four pillars: • Early HIV diagnosis • Rapid treatment and sustained viral suppression • Increased protection for people at risk for HIV • Heightened response to growing HIV clusters "A goal that once seemed impossible is within reach. We can put an end to the HIV epidemic in the United States," Dr. Redfield said in a news release. "We have developed the most powerful HIV prevention and treatment tools in history. Now is the time to focus on getting these tools in the hands of the people who need them most." n How Mount Sinai increased hand hygiene compliance by 20% By Mackenzie Bean N ew York City-based Mount Sinai Health System im- proved hand hygiene compliance 20 percent after implementing The Joint Commission's Targeted Solu- tions Tool for Hand Hygiene, according to a blog post on the accrediting body's website. Three things to know: 1. The tool is a web-based application that allows the system's seven hospitals to measure hand hygiene compliance on a monthly basis. Each month, anonymous observers collect hand hygiene data for all types of staff members and shifts across 95 inpatient units. 2. All Mount Sinai employees can also access the compliance data via a hand hygiene dashboard. 3. In 2015, Mount Sinai had an average hand hygiene compli- ance of 69 percent. In 2018, this figure jumped to 89 percent. "Progress in hand hygiene compliance has occurred simulta- neously with a 59 percent decrease in hospital-acquired in- fections between 2015 and 2018," Rebecca Anderson, Mount Sinai's senior director of patient safety initiatives, wrote in the blog post. n

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