CDC Warns of New Bacterial Infection

The CDC recently warned of a new type of bacterial infection that is historically rare for the US and is mostly found in Asia and Australia. Melioidosis, as the disease is known, has been reported in four people thus far, both adults and children, in Georgia, Kansas, Texas, and Minnesota. Two of the patients died in the hospital and had common risk factors, such as COPD and cirrhosis, but the other two have no existing risk factors. Because of the sudden, albeit small, rise of cases, the CDC is asking clinicians to be on the lookout for bacterial infections that don't respond to normal antibiotics. Read more

Spider venom to counter heart attacks? —

Australian researchers have been working on a likely life-saving treatment for individuals with heart attacks and strokes, and it revolves around the venom of an incredibly deadly spider. The Fraser Island funnel web spider produces venom within which a molecule can be found that potentially holds the key to preventing some of the damage caused by heart attacks as well as the decay of cardiac cells during organ transplants. The drug candidate contains a protein called Hi1a that has so far shown marked results with human heart cells in addition to reducing the brain-damaging effects of strokes. Read more

Coronavirus Updates

Poignant nursing perspective at this stage of the pandemic —

Nurses have been through more than a lot during the last year and half. While there have been some moments of victory and respite, like the rollout of the first vaccines, there have been many incredibly difficult ones as well; and unfortunately, these more challenging times seem to be returning in some areas. Mississippi nurse, Nichole Atherton, gives a short but incredibly poignant perspective on her experience throughout the pandemic: she says it feels like we're now fighting an "unwinnable war" as new surges appear. Read more

More hospital systems across the country are requiring the vaccine —

As of this week, nearly 1,500 hospitals and health systems across the US (about a quarter of all facilities), are requiring healthcare staff to get a COVID-19 vaccine. More will fall in line as the more-recent surges in cases continue. The delta variant, along with the significant number of individuals yet to receive a vaccination, is a large reason for these mandates. However, some states have existing legislation preventing this mandate from going through. This is causing worry among hospital leaders, as COVID-19 hospitalizations are hitting numbers not seen since February. In many hospital systems, forgoing the vaccine means weekly testing for staff. Read more

Daily COVID-19 cases on the rise nationally —

Right now, the US is again averaging more than 108,000 COVID-19 cases per day; this is the highest number of daily cases in nearly six months. Moreover, rates of hospitalization and death have doubled nationally in the past two weeks, with nearly 70,000 people hospitalized. In Florida, the hospitalization rate is now triple the national rate, with more than 65 people hospitalized for COVID-19 out of every 100,000 in the state. All this has caused some medical facilities, such as Hunt Regional Medical Center at Commerce in Texas, to temporarily shut their doors "due to a critical Covid surge." If things don't begin to change soon, we may be heading for a similar situation to that which we experienced in January and February. Read more

Upcoming Events

Event Recap - Nursing In The Wild: Basic Survival Skills —

This past Tuesday, Dr. Todd Miner of the WMS, a survival expert, gave us a chance to save ourselves and our friends in a realistic survival situation, followed by a review of the "8 Steps to Survival." Since it's unlikely that you will have an endless supply of Snickers bars to hold you over in a survival situation, there are various skills and principles to have in your back pocket. That's why we partnered with the Wilderness Medical Society to teach nurses basic survival skills. Check out the recording here!