ADVIN.ORG - Association for the Défense of Victims of Nosocomial Infections

ON May 23^rd, 2008, the French Ministry of Health launched a national hand cleanliness campaign targeting health care workers, patients, and the general public. The campaign emphasizes that proper hand hygiene is the key element in preventing and controlling nosocomial infections.

“Our objective is to reduce hospital related infections by 50%” is the slogan summing up the call for action by medical specialists at the National Infectious Diseases Day, Ottawa.

On November 4^th 2008, Quebec scored an important victory in the fight against NI’s when Health Minister Yves Bolduc accepted the recommendation of the Quebec Order of Nurses to create a specialized nursing diploma in the prevention and control of NI’s. The Aucoin Report of 2005 recommended this measure following the C. difficile epidemic of 2002 – 2004 and a C. Difficile outbreak at the Honoré-MercierHospital that infected 70 patients and killed 16

The French Ministry of Health opened eight specialized centers to treat the most complex and serious NI’s. Each center employs specialists in the field. A budget of 900,000 Euros ($1,350,000) has been allotted to set up these centers, and an additional 150,000 Euros will be allotted to each center at a later date. Patrick Mamoudy, Director of Hospital Services:  “Treating and eliminating a NI requires specialized knowledge that many professionals simply don’t have. Specialized biologists are needed to accurately recognize the bacteria in question and to prescribe the appropriate antibiotic.”