This week, the CDC announced an updated plan for healthcare facilities to deal with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can lead to deadly healthcare-acquired infections.
Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told USA Today: "These are nightmare bacteria that present a triple threat. They're resistant to nearly all antibiotics. They have high mortality rates, killing half of people with serious infections. And they can spread their resistance to other bacteria."
As a result of the bacteria’s growing prevalence within healthcare facilities, the CDC has made CRE its March 2013 Vital Signs public health topic.
According to the Vital Signs fact sheet, healthcare providers can take the following steps to help prevent the spread of CRE in their facilities:
• Know if patients in your facility have CRE
• Request immediate alerts when the lab identifies CRE
• Alert the receiving facility when a patient with CRE transfers, and find out when a patient with CRE transfers into your facility
• Follow contact precautions and hand hygiene recommendations when treating patients with CRE
• Dedicate rooms, staff, and equipment to patients with CRE
• Remove temporary medical devices such as catheters and ventilators from patients as soon as possible
• Prescribe antibiotics wisely
Additionally, the CDC has updated its CRE toolkit for healthcare providers.
For consumers, the CDC strongly recommends patients think twice before taking antibiotics for common illnesses such as sinus infections, as the overuse of antibiotics contributes to the bacteria’s resistance and spread.
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