Pertussis is mainly thought to be a disease affecting young children, but it can also affect adults and the elderly. While vaccination has largely reduced the incidence of pertussis compared to the pre-vaccine era, there has been an upswing in the incidence, and outbreaks continue to occur.

Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Masks ; Respiratory Protective Devices

Absenteeism ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; Personnel, Hospital ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Singapore ; epidemiology

INTRODUCTIONThe current avian and human H5N1 influenza epidemic has been in resurgence since 2004. We decided to evaluate published evidence in relation to epidemiology, clinical features and course, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and outcome of human H5N1 influenza, and develop institutional clinical management guidelines.

METHODSA search of PubMed was conducted for all English language articles with search terms "avian", "influenza" and "H5N1". The bibliography of articles was searched for other references of interest.

RESULTSPublished case series from Hong Kong in 1997, and Thailand and Vietnam since 2004 have indicated a rapidly progressive primary viral pneumonia resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome. The majority of human H5N1 infections can be linked to poultry exposure. Hitherto there has been no evidence of efficient human-to-human transmission. Case fatality rates have varied from 71% in Thailand to 100% in Cambodia. Oseltamivir appears to be the only potentially effective antiviral therapy. H5N1 isolates in Vietnam have become resistant to oseltamivir, resulting in persistent viral replication and death. There is as yet no effective human H5N1 vaccine.

CONCLUSIONSNational and international preparedness plans are well advised. Clinical trials to evaluate higher dose oseltamivir therapy and immunomodulatory treatment are urgently needed.

Animals ; Birds ; Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Global Health ; Health Planning ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; Influenza Vaccines ; Influenza in Birds ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; virology ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; virology ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

INTRODUCTIONThe outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) began after the index case was admitted on 1 March 2003. We profile the cases suspected to have acquired the infection in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), focussing on major transmission foci, and also describe and discuss the impact of our outbreak control measures.

MATERIALS AND METHODSUsing the World Health Organization (WHO) case definitions for probable SARS adapted to the local context, we studied all cases documented to have passed through TTSH less than 10 days prior to the onset of fever. Key data were collected in liaison with clinicians and through a team of onsite epidemiologists.

RESULTSThere were 105 secondary cases in TTSH. Healthcare staff (57.1%) formed the majority, followed by visitors (30.5%) and inpatients (12.4%). The earliest case had onset of fever on 4 March 2003, and the last case, on 5 April 2003. Eighty-nine per cent had exposures to 7 wards which had cases of SARS that were not isolated on admission. In 3 of these wards, major outbreaks resulted, each with more than 20 secondary cases. Attack rates amongst ward-based staff ranged from 0% to 32.5%. Of 13 inpatients infected, only 4 (30.8%) had been in the same room or cubicle as the index case for the ward.

CONCLUSIONSThe outbreak of SARS at TTSH showed the challenges of dealing with an emerging infectious disease with efficient nosocomial spread. Super-spreading events and initial delays in outbreak response led to widespread dissemination of the outbreak to multiple wards.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cross Infection ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Isolation ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Singapore ; epidemiology

History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Rheumatology ; history ; Singapore

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Bacteremia ; drug therapy ; Cefazolin ; therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Klebsiella Infections ; drug therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Anesthesia, General ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; prevention & control ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control ; Operating Rooms ; Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Personal Protective Equipment ; classification ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

INTRODUCTIONAntimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASP) can reduce antibiotic use but patient safety concerns exist. We evaluated the safety of prospective carbapenem review and feedback and its impact on carbapenem use and patient outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODSAfter 3 months implementation of our ASP, we compared patients with and without acceptance of ASP recommendations on the use of carbapenems. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included duration of carbapenem use, length of hospitalisation, clinical response, microbiological clearance, 30-day readmission and mortality at discharge.

RESULTSOf 226 recommendations for 183 patients, 59.3% was accepted. De-escalation, switching to oral antibiotics and antibiotic cessation comprised 72% of recommendations. Patients with acceptance of ASP recommendations had lower 30-day mortality and higher end-of-therapy clinical response despite shorter carbapenem duration (P <0.05). Predictors of 30-day mortality were Pitt bacteraemia score (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.74; P = 0.004) and non-acceptance of ASP recommendations (aOR 2.84, 95% CI, 1.21 to 6.64; P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONOur prospective carbapenem review and feedback mainly comprising of reducing carbapenem use is safe.

Carbapenems ; therapeutic use ; Drug Utilization ; standards ; Feedback ; Guideline Adherence ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Patient Safety ; Pharmaceutical Services ; Treatment Outcome

The complete picture regarding transmission modes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unknown. This review summarises the available evidence on its transmission modes, our preliminary research findings and implications for infection control policy, and outlines future research directions. Environmental contamination has been reported in hospital settings occupied by infected patients, and is higher in the first week of illness. Transmission via environmental surfaces or fomites is likely, but decontamination protocols are effective in minimising this risk. The extent of airborne transmission is also unclear. While several studies have detected SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid in air samples, none has isolated viable virus in culture. Transmission likely lies on a spectrum between droplet and airborne transmission, depending on the patient, disease and environmental factors. Singapore's current personal protective equipment and isolation protocols are sufficient to manage this risk.
COVID-19 ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infection Control/methods* ; Personal Protective Equipment ; SARS-CoV-2