This Month's Highlights:
Uptake of the Influenza Vaccination in Pregnancy
Crosby et al in a study of 504 pregnant mothers found that 197 (39.1%) received the ‘flu vaccine at a mean gestational age 20.9 weeks. The authors discuss strategies that would increase uptake.
A Quality Improvement Approach to Reducing the Caesarean section Surgical Site Infection Rate in a Regional Hospital
O’Hanlon et al introduced a combination of skin antisepsis and antibiotics to reduce caesarean section surgical site infection (SSI). The current SSI rate has decreased to 7.5% (2015) compared with 8.6% (2014).
Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Infection in Ireland
Hickey et al studied the prevalence of hepatitis E among routine blood samples. The anti HEV IgG positive rate was 8% (16/198). The highest rate 43.8% was encountered in the 50-59 year old age group. The authors recommend that all patients with unexplained acute hepatitis should be tested for HEV.
