ABSTRACT
Infection preventionists at Minnesota hospitals were surveyed to determine whether they had Legionella water management plans. Of 137 hospitals, 84 (61%) responded. Among them, 27% hospitals had a water management plan, 21% regularly sampled for Legionella, and 51% had knowledge of ASHRAE Legionella prevention standards. Significant changes are needed to protect patients from nosocomial infection. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:336-338.
Subject(s)
Cross Infection/prevention & control , Environmental Monitoring , Infection Control , Legionnaires' Disease/prevention & control , Water Microbiology , Cross Infection/microbiology , Environmental Monitoring/standards , Hospitals , Humans , Infection Control/methods , Infection Control/standards , Legionella , Legionellosis/prevention & control , Minnesota , Surveys and Questionnaires , Water Microbiology/standards , Water SupplyABSTRACT
Tracking of infectious diseases is a public health core function essential to disease prevention and control. Each state mandates reporting of certain infectious diseases to public health authorities. These laws vary by state, and the variation could affect the ability to collect critical information. The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic served as a case study to examine the legal authority in the 50 states; Washington, DC; and New York City for mandatory infectious disease reporting, particularly for influenza and new or emerging infectious diseases. Our study showed reporting laws to be generally present and functioning well; nevertheless, jurisdictions should be mindful of their mandated parameters and review the robustness of their laws before they face a new or emerging disease outbreak.