Georgia Ranks Fourth in the Number of Untreated HIV Patients in the United States

/PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that despite being the ninth largest state, Georgia ranks fourth in the number of untreated HIV patients in the United States.

"HIV prevalence is linked to ethnic/racial demographics as well as to urban/rural variations -- Georgia's larger than average black population drives Georgia's high prevalence of HIV," stated Jason LaBonte, Ph.D., vice president of new product development at Decision Resources. "Our epidemiologic model predicts that eight out of 1,000 people in Georgia have the disease versus the national average of five out of 1,000."

The new analytics tool entitled PatientFinder: HIV estimates that this high prevalence is compounded by Georgia's lower than average treatment rate for the disease (ranked 28th in the United States) which leaves a large number of HIV patients without drug therapy. Despite the abundance of untreated patients, however, Georgia remains a difficult target for pharmaceutical companies wishing to grow their patient base. Only 82 percent of the state's population has prescription drug insurance, which ranks 37th in the U.S.

Why Pharmaceutical Companies Need this Information

With the type of information included in PatientFinder, pharmaceutical organizations can identify the local markets that offer the greatest opportunity for their branded drug. Companies can identify markets that are underserved and determine if they should increase direct-to-consumer advertising, work with the local managed care organizations to increase awareness of the disease and benefits of their drug or align sales representatives to maximize market potential.

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CDC Study: Failures to Follow Infection Practices Have Placed More than 60,000 Patients at Risk for Hepatitis B and C

In the last decade, more than 60,000 patients in the United States were asked to get tested for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) because health care personnel in settings outside hospitals failed to follow basic infection control practices, according to a new study by the CDC.

This first full review of all the CDC investigations over the past 10 years of healthcare-associated viral hepatitis outbreaks appears in the January 6th issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

"This report is a wake-up call," said Dr. John Ward, director of CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis. "Thousands of patients are needlessly exposed to viral hepatitis and other preventable diseases in the very places where they should feel protected. No patient should go to their doctor for health care only to leave with a life-threatening disease."

In the United States, transmission of HBV and HCV while receiving health care has been considered uncommon. However, a review of CDC outbreak information revealed a total of 33 identified outbreaks outside of hospitals in 15 states, during the past decade: 12 in outpatient clinics, six in hemodialysis centers and 15 in long-term care facilities, resulting in 450 people acquiring HBV or HCV infection.

Patients were exposed to these potentially deadly diseases because health care personnel failed to follow basic infection control procedures and aseptic technique in injection safety. Reuse of syringes and blood-contamination of medications, equipment and devices were identified as common factors in these outbreaks.

"More and more patients in the United States receive their health care in outpatient settings," said Dr. Denise Cardo, director of CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. "To protect patients, infection control training, professional oversight, licensing, innovative engineering controls and public awareness are needed in these health care settings."

CDC officials say the report shows the need for ongoing professional education for health care providers, as well as consistent state oversight in detecting and preventing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens in health care settings.

CDC assists local health departments by providing routine surveillance, outbreak investigation support, field personnel and lab expertise. CDC also works with key partners to ensure adherence to proper infection control practices.

CDC and its partners are working to address this important patient safety problem through a number of efforts, including:

-- Improving viral hepatitis surveillance, case investigation and
outbreak response, such as support for health departments to
thoroughly investigate all individuals identified to have HBV or HCV
infection;
-- Strengthening the capacity of state and local viral hepatitis
prevention programs;
-- Augmenting the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, the national
surveillance system for tracking health care-associated infections, to
collect outpatient setting information;
-- Partnering with the Hepatitis Outbreaks' National Organization for
Reform (HONOReform), a patient advocacy foundation, to create patient
and provider education materials;
-- Continued improvement of injection safety practices through
educational outreach efforts with professional nursing and
anesthesiology organizations;
-- Working with partners in the dialysis, diabetes and long-term care
communities to promote safe care practices;
-- Working with regulators and professional societies to strengthen
licensure and accreditation processes with emphasis on safe injection
practices;
-- Exploring ways to improve curricula in nursing and medical schools
related to safe health care practices.

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Emory Winship Hosts Day of Celebration for Cancer Patients and Families

Cancer patients, care givers and family members are invited to this year's Celebration of Living, which will be held June, 21, 2008, at the JW Marriott Buckhead.

Celebration of Living, which has been hosted by Emory's Winship Cancer Institute for many years, celebrates and recognizes the daily lives of cancer patients, survivors, their families and their friends. The event is free and open to the public.

The 2008 Celebration begins with registration and breakfast at 8 am. The opening session will feature keynote speaker, Christine Clifford Beckwith, CSP. Beckwith is a cancer survivor and a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Survivor's Soul. Breakout sessions follow the opening session and include topics on community resources, breakthroughs in cancer research, nutrition for cancer patients -- complete with cooking demonstrations -- caring for the caregiver and many more. The event closes with a survivor showcase featuring performances by selected cancer survivors,

For more information, or to register, call 404-778-7777 or log on to www.cancer.emory.edu/events.