C. diff Rates Skyrocket

A new report from the CDC shows that Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, has reached unacceptably high rates. Between 1999 and 2000, only 3,000 C. diff-related deaths were reported. That figure climbed to 14,000 between 2006 and 2007.

C. diff is particularly worrisome for long-term care. Seventy-five percent of facility-acquired cases first show up in nursing homes and more than 90 percent of deaths occur in people 65 and older.

The CDC recommends taking the following six steps to halt the spread of C. diff in your facility:

1. Prescribe and use antibiotics carefully.
2. Test for C. diff when residents have diarrhea while on antibiotics or within several months of taking them.
3. Immediately isolate residents with C. diff.
4. Wear gloves and gowns when treating residents with C. diff. Keep in mind that hand sanitizer does not kill C. diff and handwashing may not be sufficient.
5. Clean room surfaces with bleach or another EPA-approved, spore-killing disinfectant.
6. If the ill resident is transferred, notify the new facility that the resident has C. diff.

To read the CDC report, click here.