Illinois Healthcare Facilities on the Lookout for VRE Infections

Dec. 5, 2011 - PRLog -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every twenty hospital patients acquires an infection while being treated for another illness.  Reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has become a central focus of the CDC in recent years and many healthcare facilities across Illinois have been on the frontline of these efforts.

Healthcare-associated infections have received increasing attention from public health officials and the public media as their frequency has increased in recent years.  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff) have received much of the public’s attention, but increasingly vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has come under the spotlight.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports, “Enteroccocci are bacteria that are normally present in the human intestines and in the female genital tract and are often found in the environment. These bacteria can sometimes cause infections. Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat some drug-resistant infections caused by enterococci. In some instances, enterococci have become resistant to this drug and thus are called vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Most VRE infections occur in hospitals.”

“Appropriate hygiene and adequate cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces and reusable devices can help prevent the spread of VRE,” reported Ed Chambers, the President of EC2, Inc., an Illinois based environmental and infectious disease consulting firm. “Healthcare professionals who touch contaminated surfaces and then come in contact with patients and patients who directly touch these surfaces can result in infections.  Fortunately it is not spread through the air from sick people coughing or sneezing,” he continued.

EC2 recently sponsored a public outreach video on VRE that can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6UqRJmjGqA



Healthcare professionals interested in learning more about environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ) and environmental infectious disease issues can learn more by visiting www.4ec2inc.com, emailing info@4ec2inc.com or calling (815) 703-9000.

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About EC2, Inc.
EC2 is a leading provider of environmental consulting and inspection services for clients across the United States. Based in the Chicago area, the company provides their services to clients ranging from local companies and institutions to international Fortune 500 Corporations.