HPR volume 8 issue 36: news
Updated 23 December 2014
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1. Annual update on voluntarily reported candidaemia published
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the overall rate of Candida species blood infections was three per 100,000 population in 2013, according to the annual report published in the Infection Reports section of this issue of HPR [1].
In 2013, 49% of candidaemia were reported as Candida albicans and 26% as C. glabrata. The rate of candidaemia was highest in those aged 75 years and over, a pattern reflected in the top three reported candida species: C. albicans (4.6/100,000 population), C. glabrata (3.7) and C. parapsilosis (0.7).
Antifungal susceptibility data for 2013 are also included in the report.
1.1 Reference
- “Voluntary surveillance of candidaemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2013”, HPR 8(36): bacteraemia, 19 September 2014.
2. BBVs and healthcare workers: fifth biennial conference 2014
PHE, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, the Infection Protection Society, with support from Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government, are co-organisers of the 5th biennial “POINTERS” conference (Prevention of Occupational Infection, Treatment and Exposure Reporting Strategies) to be held in Cardiff from 11 to 12 December 2014 [1].
The conference is the only UK event dedicated to the theme of prevention and control of Bloodborne Viruses (BBVs) among healthcare workers. The programme focuses not only on the prevention of healthcare worker exposures to BBVs but also on improving the reporting, follow-up and management of exposures and occupationally-acquired BBV infections.
Previous POINTERS events were primarily concerned with the prevention of needlestick injuries in HCWs and the risk of acquiring HIV, hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C. The focus of this year’s event is broader, including a wider range of infections relevant to HCWs and sources of infection other than needlestick injuries.
The 2014 POINTERS programme [2], while including the prevention of needlestick injuries and exposures to BBVs as principal themes, also includes sessions on tuberculosis, influenza and Viral Haemorrhagic Fever. Other presentations will cover the latest data generated by the UK Significant Occupational Exposure Surveillance System, and information on the new UKAP Occupational Monitoring Health Register for Infected Healthcare Workers.