Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

6 INFECTION CONTROL CHOP warns 'small number' of patients about measles exposure By Erica Carbajal H ealth officials began notifying people Oct. 8 who may have been exposed to measles at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, aer a case of the disease was reported in the facility, e Philadelphia Inquirer reported. e exposure was limited to the facility, and health officials do not believe there is a threat to the general public. "We believe there is no threat to the public associated with this case of measles," Cheryl Bettigole, MD, Philadelphia's acting health commissioner, said in a statement to the news outlet. "But the threat of measles exposure in the United States has been growing over the last decade. We strongly encourage parents to follow the CDC's immunization schedule and get their children fully vaccinated as soon as they are able. As with the COVID vaccine, the MMR vaccine is the best way to avoid serious complications of a vaccine-pre- ventable disease," Dr. Bettigole said. In an Oct. 11 statement sent to Becker's, Em- ily DiTomo, a spokesperson for the hospital, said it had completed contact tracing for a "small number" of people who may have been exposed: "Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has been cooperating with local, state and federal authorities in the management and care of a patient with a positive measles diagnosis. We have completed contact tracing for those involved in direct patient care. While the majority of the CHOP workforce is protected against measles due to natural or vaccine-in- duced immunity, a small number of patients with an identified exposure were contacted by CHOP." Health officials did not provide further details on the measles case. "If you have been properly immunized against measles, your risk of getting the disease is minimal," Denise Johnson, MD, Pennsylvania's acting physician general, said in a statement. As of Oct. 6, 37 measles cases have been report- ed to the CDC since the start of the year. n U of Maryland researchers develop PPE for prolonged use By Cailey Gleeson A team of researchers at the University of Mary- land in College Park is developing a new type of personal protective equipment that is more comfortable for periods of longer use, according to an Oct. 4 news release. Led by Jelena Srebric, PhD, the team is designing a type of PPE in which goggles are fitted with a micro fan supplying a constant, purified air flow while creating an invisible air shield that can block virus particles poten- tially carrying COVID-19. The device also contains a sensor measuring micro pres- sure, CO2, humidity and temperature. It can be sterilized with ultraviolet light at the end of each day of use. The project is being funded by the CDC through a pro- gram supporting research designated to assist commu- nities in public health crises. "One of the major problems with currently available wearables, such as masks, is that they rely on the user's lungs to push air against the filtering surfaces," Dr. Srebric said in the news release. "Over time, this places a lot of strain on the user and leads to discomfort. Our system solves this problem by including a micro fan. It provides a continuous local air flow, and self-monitors to ensure the pressure is at the right level." n Most hospital-acquired COVID-19 cases linked to patients, not staff, UK study suggests By Mackenzie Bean M ost patients who contracted COVID-19 during their stay at a U.K. hospital got it from other patients, not hospital staff, according to a study published Aug. 24 in eLife. Researchers used viral genome sequence data and clinical information to analyze how COVID-19 spread among patients and staff in five units at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge between March and June 2020. Of the 22 patients who contracted COVID-19 during their hospital stay, 20 were infected by other patients, research- ers found. In addition, just 21 percent of patients were responsible for 80 percent of infections, a pattern that is consistent with superspreader events, the researchers said. "The fact that the vast majority of infections were between patients suggests that measures taken by hospital staff to pre- vent staff transmitting the virus to patients, such as the wearing of masks, were likely to have been effective," lead author Chris Illingworth, PhD, a researcher at the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge, said in a news release. The findings also underscore the importance of mask-wear- ing and regularly screening patients for COVID-19, even if they are asymptomatic, Dr. Illingworth said. n

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