ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: During the last alarming Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, the French Ministry of Health developed guidelines for the outpatient management of EVD. We aimed to assess family physicians' (FP) knowledge of EVD, to assess their working conditions, and to collect their opinion about the applicability of these guidelines in France. METHODS: Cross-sectional quantitative study (telephone or email) performed (November 2014-June 2015) during the EVD outbreak. Relevant results were further analyzed with a qualitative study (interviews) based on grounded theory (June-September 2016), after the end of the EVD outbreak. RESULTS: Thirty-three FPs out of 100contacted answered our survey (response rate: 33%). We interviewed five FPs. Their knowledge of EVD was good. Information sent by post, especially from the national medical association, was considered the best means of information and was preferred to emails. Compliance with guidelines was based on their ease of understanding and application (common sense). The main difficulty in applying these guidelines was the unusual recommended equipment that seemed unnecessary as the management of these patients was based on their interview (anamnesis) and isolation without examination. EVD had little impact on the FPs' practice, they only trained their secretaries to screen for suspected EVD patients and refer them to the mobile emergency unit. CONCLUSION: FPs had good knowledge of EVD and guidelines. This seemed important to prevent the outbreak in France as they were ready to cope with such a situation, thanks to guidelines they could easily adjust to their practice.
Subject(s)
Ambulatory Care , Family Practice , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/therapy , Adult , Aged , Attitude of Health Personnel , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Guideline Adherence , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Self ReportABSTRACT
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections usually occur in immunocompromised patients but also in immunocompetent patients following invasive procedures, especially for esthetic purposes. Since 2001, 20 episodes (57 cases) of NTM infections, seven of which (43 cases) were related to esthetic care, have been reported to the regional infection control coordinating centers (RICCC), the local health authorities (LHA), and the national institute for public health surveillance. Four notifications (40 cases) were related to non-surgical procedures performed by general practitioners in private settings: mesotherapy, carboxytherapy, and sclerosis of microvaricosities. The three other notifications (three cases) concerned surgical procedures-lifting and mammary prosthesis. Practice evaluations performed by the RICCC and LHA for five notifications showed deficiency of standard hygiene precautions and tap water misuse for injection equipment cleaning, or skin disinfection. Microbiological investigations (national reference center for mycobacteria) demonstrated the similarity of patient and environmental strains: in one episode (16 cases after mesotherapy), M. chelonae isolated from tap water was similar to those isolated from 11 cases. Healthcare-associated NTM infections are rare but have a potentially severe outcome. These cases stress the need of healthcare-associated infection notifications in outpatient settings.
Subject(s)
Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/etiology , Adult , Disease Notification , Disinfection , Equipment Contamination , Female , France/epidemiology , Humans , Hygiene , Male , Mesotherapy/adverse effects , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/epidemiology , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/transmission , Mycobacterium chelonae/isolation & purification , Nontuberculous Mycobacteria/isolation & purification , Population Surveillance , Postoperative Complications/epidemiology , Prosthesis-Related Infections/epidemiology , Prosthesis-Related Infections/etiology , Prosthesis-Related Infections/transmission , Sclerotherapy/adverse effects , Water MicrobiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: An outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) carrying the gene coding for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) skin infections in a primary school was investigated and monitored in the Val-d'Oise region (Greater Paris) in 2006. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Skin infections reported after the beginning of the school year in primary-school teachers, students and their relatives were diagnosed and treated at the local hospital and screening for nasal colonization was implemented. A patient presenting with folliculitis, an abscess or furuncle with a positive-skin test or nasal swab for SA-PV was considered to be a case of infection. Colonization was defined as identification of SA-PVL in a nasal swab in the absence of skin lesions. In addition to recommended control measures, treatment by topical intranasal mupirocin was prescribed to all colonized patients and relatives of infected patients. RESULTS: Over five months, 22 cases of PVL-positive SA skin infections, including a case of simple folliculitis, were confirmed in 15 primary-school students (attack rate=18.5%) and seven relatives. The occurrence of nasal colonization in relatives not attending the same school ranged from 0 to 30% according to the number of cases of skin infection in the family (p<0,01). Two-thirds of patients treated with mupirocin were decolonized. CONCLUSION: Transmission of this SA strain in school and family environments confirms the epidemic potential of PVL-positive isolates; however, screening for nasal colonization should be restricted to cases of skin infection and people in their immediate environment.
