Nurse recognised for research tackling infection prevention in hospitals

One in 10 patients across Australian hospitals develops an infection during their stay. A major burden, on both patients and the healthcare system, this equates to about 165,000 such infections each year. For the past decade, nurse Brett Mitchell, Professor Health Services Research and Nursing at Avondale University in NSW, has been investigating ways to […]

Antibacterial soaps are fuelling superbugs and should be banned, researchers claim

Soaps claiming to be ‘antimicrobial’ or ‘antibacterial’ are no better than the ordinary variety when it comes to hand hygiene, in fact, they are feeding a growing superbug problem and should be banned, Monash University researchers argue. Researchers suggest demand for household soaps with antimicrobial additives has spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers fooled […]

Using evidence to make a difference in infection control and COVID-19

This year, International Nurses Day and International Day of the Midwife may not have been celebrated as festively as many would wish; COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 has derailed many plans and sadly led to the death of over 300,000 individuals globally, including 102 Australians at the time of report. Unfortunately, these numbers will undoubtedly grow as the pandemic […]

Nurses on the front line against coronavirus

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is ramping up its efforts to support nurses around the world responding to the deadly coronavirus outbreak and has welcomed new mental health and psychosocial support guidelines set to be issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) for people affected by the virus and staff caring for them. ICN […]

WHO declares coronavirus a global health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the deadly coronavirus that broke out in China and is now sweeping the world a public health emergency of international concern. WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus announced the decision on Thursday after the global health authority’s Emergency Committee convened at Geneva headquarters to update its course […]

Australians to be evacuated from Wuhan over coronavirus and quarantined on Christmas Island

The federal government has revealed plans to evacuate “isolated and vulnerable Australians” stuck in the coronavirus-plagued Chinese city of Wuhan and send them to Christmas Island for quarantine. Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement on Wednesday morning, saying young people, especially infants, and the elderly would be prioritised. The operation will involve the Australian […]

Health authorities ramp up efforts to keep out deadly coronavirus

Travellers arriving at Sydney airport from the Chinese city of Wuhan will face additional biosecurity measures as Australian health authorities attempt to prevent the outbreak of a new coronavirus infiltrating the country. The virus, which first broke out at a fish market in Wuhan before spreading across China and to parts of South Korea, Thailand […]

Reducing catheter associated urinary tract infections

One of the most common infections occurring in hospitals are urinary tract infections, with approximately 1% of admitted patients acquiring this infection in Australia- or 71,000 cases per year (Mitchell et al. 2016; Mitchell et al. 2017). A large proportion of these are associated with the insertion, care and or maintenance of urinary catheters – […]

Drug could reverse antibiotic resistance

A drug that was originally designed to help Alzheimer’s and Huntington disease may actually be beneficial in combating antibiotic resistant bacteria. The University of Queensland researchers have been investigating the antibacterial properties of the drug. Professor Mark Walker from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences said the drug PBT2 was designed to disrupt the […]