WASHINGTON - VA and DoD reported increasing numbers of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus behind a global pandemic, and rushed to implement plans to limit its spread. In mid-March, the VA also announced its first death from the infectious disease at a facility in...
MEMPHIS, TN—Because biologic therapies prescribed for inflammatory diseases increase the risk of activation of latent tuberculosis infections, some VAMCs recommend baseline testing of veterans starting these agents and annual testing thereafter. Several recent studies...
CHAPEL HILL, NC — The explosive emergence in December 2019 of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, prompted governments around the globe to restrict travel from the affected region in an attempt to limit international spread of the disease. While these efforts focused...
ANN ARBOR, MI—The VA continues to lag behind community hospitals in mandating annual influenza vaccine for all healthcare personal, a new study suggested. The report in JAMA Network Open said requiring HCP vaccination against the flu helps limit disease spread to...
WASHINGTON—A new executive order is aimed at increasing the manufacturing efficiency and effectiveness of flu vaccines. The DoD and Department of Health and Human Services are co-chairing a task force in the process of implementing the order signed in September by...
PITTSBURGH—How effective are N95 respirators and medical masks in preventing healthcare personnel from acquiring workplace viral respiratory infections? A study in JAMA sought to answer that question. Researchers from the National Personal Protective Technology...
A next-generation tetracycline, omadacycline could improve care for veterans with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) and acute skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI).
A study looking at whether taking prescribed opioids increased pneumonia risk in veterans with HIV vs. those without came to a disturbing conclusion: The likelihood is increased in both.
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) has released interim guidance designed to optimize clinical use of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis and reduce variability in access to prophylactic medication.
Thirty years ago, veterans with human immunodeficiency virus and their physicians focused on survival.
The VA is leveraging its position as the country’s largest integrated healthcare system to slow the development and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO).
New research is raising questions about whether the VA is doing enough to promote influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel.
By Annette M. Boyle BOSTON—VA physicians in facilities across New England increasingly turn to infectious disease specialists at the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS) with questions about antibiotic resistance, Lyme disease and other issues, but the rise in demand...
By Brenda L. Mooney BETHESDA, MD—When it comes to treating acute HIV infection, sooner is better, noted a new study led by U.S. military researchers. The study, published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, compared viral load in patients during acute...
In mid-2016, Sanofi Pasteur announced that manufacturing issues could produce a YF-VAX shortage that might last for several months.
Antiretroviral therapy has extended the lives of veterans with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by decades, but a new threat could cut back their longevity.
Over the next year or so, the remarkable transformation of hepatitis C (HCV) treatment at the VA will likely reach some type of equilibrium, a new study suggested.
SALT LAKE CITY — Severe illness caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is now the most common hospital-acquired infection in the United States. A new VA-led study suggests, however, that it is not always being treated appropriately.
