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7 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW On Oct. 25, Tom Frieden, MD, director of the CDC, delivered sober- ing news to a crowd gathered at e Atlantic's CityLab conference at the InterContinental Miami hotel, "Here's the plain truth: that Zika and other diseases spread by Aedes aegypti [mosquito species] are really not controllable with current technologies. So we will see this become endemic." As of Oct. 27, the CDC has tallied more than 1,000 Zika infec- tions among pregnant women in the U.S., as local transmission of the virus continues in Miami. Additionally, 25 infants have been born with congenital Zika-related birth defects and five pregnan- cies have been lost due to Zika-related stillbirth, miscarriage or terminations. Drug diversion in hospitals Multiple hospitals across the U.S. were forced this year to notify pa- tients of potential infections from contaminated needles aer hospital employees diverted opioid medications, possibly introducing contami- nated needles to the patient population. Arguably the highest profile case of such an occurrence involved the former surgical technician Rocky Allen, who is HIV positive. In January, Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colo., fired Mr. Allen after he was witnessed stealing a syringe filled with fentanyl and replacing it with one filled with saline solution. The needle-swapping incident spurred the hospital to offer nearly 3,000 patients free testing for HIV and hepatitis B and C. The incident also prompted several other hospitals in Arizona, California and Washington, all former employers of Mr. Allen, to warn patients of possible infection risk. No patient infections related to Mr. Allen have been detected. In July, Mr. Allen pled guilty to charges of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit. As America's rampant rates of opioid abuse persist, drug diver- sion will continue to be an ongoing issue for hospitals. As the country is learning, and as hospitals must learn too, drug addicts can often be difficult to spot. The image of the archetypal drug addict has been subverted by the wide-reaching epidemic. Kim- berly New, JD, BSN, RN, the founder of Diversion Specialists, spoke on the necessity of the implementation of drug diversion programs in hospitals at the AORN Surgical Conference & Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on April 3. "You cannot look at someone and discount [that] they might be di- verting," said Ms. New. "Everyone needs a diversion program… we need to recognize we're all at risk." n 800-344-6424 Zero to One then there is none! Zero to One then you're done! You can't see them or hear them! (GERMS) You are mortied they exist! (GERMS) You can't see it or hear it disinfecting (DisCide Ultra) But you will be glad it's there! (DisCide Ultra) protects YOU! Protection YOU can count on! Kills over 21 deadly pathogens! Kills in 1 minute or less without you even seeing it! Request a free sample http://www.palmerohealth.com/requestSamples Please mention Beckers when requesting a sample