Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

20 Hand Hygiene & Preventing HAIs FDA Approves New Antibiotic By Heather Punke T he U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new antibi- otic, made by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, for treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections. The antibiotic, called Zerbaxa, is the first new antibiotic approved in the U.S. under the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now Act to treat Gram-negative bacteria. "Today is an important day for patients, and we are very pleased to arm physicians with Zerbaxa in the battle against Gram-negative bacteria, where few treatment options exist," said Robert Perez, president and COO of Cubist. This is the fourth new antibacterial drug approved by the FDA this year, and the second one from Cubist. That makes it the first time this cen- tury a company has delivered two new FDA-approved antibiotics in one year. n Disinfectant Caps Lower CLABSI Cases and Costs By Shannon Barnet U sing disinfectant caps on intravenous needleless connectors led to a 40 percent drop in central line–associated blood- stream infections, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. For the study, a new intervention of using a luer-lock disinfectant cap with 70 percent alcohol was implemented in all IV needleless connec- tors for patients with peripheral and central lines in a trauma center. The new disinfectant caps, along with the use of a standard central line bundle, led to a roughly 40 percent decrease in CLABSIs. In addition to lowering infection rates, the use of the disinfectant caps was associated with an estimated savings of nearly $300,000 a year in the hospital studied. n H alf of the states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C., are ill-equipped to prevent, detect, diagnose and respond to an outbreak of an infec- tious disease, according to a report from Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report scored every state and Washington, D.C., on 10 key indicators of their ability to manage severe infectious disease threats, receiving one point for achieving an indicator and zero points if they did not. The 10 indicators were: • Public health funding commitment: Increased or maintained level of funding for public health services from fiscal year 2012-13 to FY 2013-14 • Incident and information management: Scoring equal to or higher than the national average on the Incident & Information Management domain of the National Health Security Preparedness Index • Childhood vaccinations: Met the Healthy People 2020 target of 90 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving the recommended doses of HBV vaccine • Flu vaccination rates: Vaccinated at least half of their populations for the flu for the 2013-14 season • Climate change and infectious disease: Currently completed climate change adaptation plans, including the impact on human health • HAI control: Performed better than the national SIR for central line-asso- ciated bloodstream infections • HAI control: Reduced the number of central line-associated bloodstream infections between 2011 and 2012 • Public health lab capabilities during emergencies: Public health lab re- ports conducting an exercise or utilizing a real event to evaluate the time for sentinel clinical labs to acknowledge the receipt of an urgent message, from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 • HIV/AIDS surveillance: Requires reporting of all CD4 and HAIV viral load data to their state HIV surveillance program • Food safety: Met national performance target of testing 90 percent of re- ported E. coli 0157 cases within four days While no state received a perfect score and 25 "failed," five states stood out among their peers by receiving eight points. Those states are: • Maryland • Massachusetts • Tennessee • Vermont • Virginia "Infectious disease control requires constant vigilance," the report concludes. "This requires having systems in place and conducting continuous training and practice exercises. The Ebola outbreak is a reminder that we cannot af- ford to let our guard down or grow complacent when it comes to infectious disease threats." n The 5 States Most Prepared for Infectious Disease Outbreaks By Heather Punke

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