Notice to Readers
National Infection Control Week -- October 18-24, 1998
National Infection Control Week is October 18-24. This week
emphasizes
the importance of protecting patients and health-care workers from
infections acquired in health-care settings. Each year,
approximately 2
million patients develop a hospital-associated infection, and an
estimated
88,000 patients die as a direct or indirect result of such
infections. In
addition, the 6 million health-care workers in the United States
are at
risk for acquiring serious and potentially deadly infections (e.g.,
hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus infection).
During National Infection Control Week, health-care facilities
around
the country will sponsor activities designed to heighten public
awareness
of, and professional commitment to, the importance of preventing
infections
in health-care settings. Health-care workers, patients, and
visitors can
contribute to preventing the spread of infection by using
infection-control
measures such as handwashing. Additional information about
infection
control is available from ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø's Hospital Infections Program,
National
Center for Infectious Diseases, World-Wide Web site
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/hip.htm. A free copy of the 1998
Infection
Control Resource Kit is available from the Association for
Professionals in
Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), telephone (202)
789-1890, or the
World-Wide Web site http://www.apic.org.
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