News Release

Common viruses prove dangerous in long-term care facility

Aggressive viral transmission leads to new protocols to protect vulnerable patients

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

NEW YORK (January 9, 2017) - A widespread outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) at a long-term dementia care ward infected 73 percent of patients, demonstrating the serious challenges in mitigating the spread of infectious diseases in such settings. The outbreak led to improved protocols for protecting particularly vulnerable patients, including active screening and more efficient separation of ill and healthy residents and healthcare professionals during cold and flu season, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

"Long-term care facilities have unique challenges. Infection control policies from acute care hospitals cannot simply be mirrored in this setting and expected to work," said S. Schaefer Spires, MD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "RSV and HMPV are viruses that need to be taken as seriously as we take the flu, especially in older adults."

The retrospective study assessed a 16-day outbreak at a Tennessee facility in which 30 of 41 patients contracted at least one of the viruses, 15 had to be hospitalized, and five died. Healthcare personnel attempted various infection control measures including grouping patients and staff, isolation precautions for patients with suspected illness, and stopping group activities. Testing of patients with suspected illness was completed offsite, delaying results and preventing timely adjustments in infection control measures.

The unit's healthcare personnel identified cases through twice-daily assessments, but separation of ill and healthy residents and staff was particularly difficult because of widespread illness among healthcare personnel. This reduction in the work force required available personnel to treat all patients, further hindering infection control efforts.

The patients' underlying comorbid illness of dementia created exceptional challenges. Patients were unable to report symptoms often delaying identification of new cases, and their inability to adhere to recommended restrictions limited the success of infection control precautions. Because of a past case of a patient trying to ingest alcohol-based hand rub, dispensers were not widely available for convenient hand hygiene. By the second week, availability of personal protective equipment became problematic because the need for isolation carts exceeded the number available.

"Early detection of a contagious pathogen and identification of infected patients is important when trying to prevent an outbreak. However, once a certain number of residents were infected, we had almost no chance at preventing further cases from developing," said Spires. "Now that better technology is available to detect viruses other than influenza on a more routine basis, we are recognizing the importance of RSV, HMPV, and other viruses in causing such morbidity in the older adult population. There is a clear need for vaccines and new antivirals to aid our efforts in prevention of these viral infections."

As a result of this outbreak, the facility has improved its culture of safety, including heightened awareness of these pathogens and of the importance of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment. Additionally, to speed identification of pathogens, the facility now has a partnership with a private laboratory to provide respiratory viral testing within 24 to 48 hours.

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Steven Schaeffer Spires, H. Keipp Talbot, Carolyn Pope, Thomas R Talbot. "Paramyxovirus outbreak in a long-term care facility: The challenges of infection control in a congregate setting." Web (January 9, 2017).

About ICHE

Published through a partnership between the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Cambridge University Press, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology provides original, peer reviewed scientific articles for anyone involved with an infection control or epidemiology program in a hospital or healthcare facility. ICHE is ranked 13th out of 158 journals in its discipline in the latest Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports from Thomson Reuters.

SHEA is a professional society representing physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world with expertise and passion in healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship. SHEA's mission is to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections, improve the use of antibiotics in healthcare settings, and advance the field of healthcare epidemiology. SHEA improves patient care and healthcare personnel safety in all healthcare settings through the critical contributions of healthcare epidemiology and improved antibiotic use. The society leads this specialty by promoting science and research, advocating for effective policies, providing high-quality education and training, and developing appropriate guidelines and guidance in practice. Visit SHEA online at http://www.shea-online.org, http://www.facebook.com/SHEApreventingHAIs and @SHEA_Epi.

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