Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

6 INFECTION CONTROL The type of virus that may cause the next pandemic By Ashleigh Hollowell W hile some health experts suggest that the next pandemic could be between five and 10 years away, what that pandemic could be caused by and if the U.S. will be ready for it are separate questions. Coronavirus and influenza have been attributed as causes of the last few pandemic, paramyxovirus — which according to the NIH is a family of single-stranded RNA viruses that typically cause infection in vertebrates — could be the next, e Atlantic reported Oct. 29. Paramyxoviruses can lead to infections like Hendra virus, measles, mumps, Nipah virus and parainfluenza according to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. e viral family is one to watch, according to experts, because on Oct. 19 it made the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' list of possible pandemic pathogens to watch. In addition to the well known infections like measles and mumps, NIAID experts note that clinicians should also watch for other infections in the paramyxovirus family including "viruses proposed as prototypes are Cedar virus, canine distemper virus, human parainfluenza virus 1/3, and Menangle virus." Paramyxoviruses spread quickly through the air like influenza and coronaviruses, but the main difference is that paramyxoviruses are usually straightforward to vaccinate against and don't evolve or change as rapidly, e Atlantic reported. Still, there is a lot that experts have to learn about the virus group, especially since it is not watched. "Although the family has been plaguing us for countless generations, researchers still don't know exactly how paramyxoviruses move into new species, or what mutations they would need to become more transmissible among us; they don't know why some paramyxoviruses spark only minor respiratory infections, whereas others run amok through the body until the host is dead," the outlet reported. "Even the paramyxoviruses that feel somewhat familiar are still surprising us." n CDC panel backs looser guidance on hospital masking By Erica Carbajal A CDC advisory committee voted Nov. 3 to finalize a dra of infection control guidelines that recommends healthcare workers wear masks during routine care to prevent the spread of common, endemic respiratory infections — a move National Nurses United has condemned for not going far enough to protect patients and staff from aerosol transmission. e dra guidelines recommend masks be worn to reduce the transmission of "common, oen endemic, respiratory pathogens that spread primarily over short distances," such as the flu and COVID-19. It does recommend N95s and other higher level respirators for "special air precautions," or in cases where patients are infected with a new or emerging respiratory pathogen for which vaccines and treatments are not available. e proposed guidance also recommends N95s be used for "extended air precautions," or when caring for patients with pathogens known to spread through the air over long distances. e nation's largest nursing union says the guidance inappropriately The condition behind 10.8M 'avoidable' deaths a year By Erica Carbajal T he World Health Organization on Sept. 19 published its first-ever report on high blood pressure — a condition behind 10.8 million avoidable deaths every year, according to the report. Hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults globally, though most people with the condition don't receive adequate treatment and are unaware they even have it, which is why it's referred to as the "silent killer," according to the report. From 1990 to 2019, the number of people with hypertension around the world doubled to 1.3 billion. The WHO estimates that if countries scale up efforts to effectively treat hypertension, 76 million deaths could be prevented by 2050, in addition to 12 million strokes and 79 million heart attacks. The report also lays out recommendations to treat hypertension, noting low-cost generic medications are widely available. "Most heart attacks and strokes in the world today can be prevented with affordable, safe, accessible medicines and other interventions, such as sodium reduction," Michael Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, said in a statement. "Treating hypertension through primary health care will save lives, while also saving billions of dollars a year." n

• Cover