The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostic professional society, today announced the formation of the AMP COVID Response (ACR) Steering Committee to help coordinate and communicate the organization's continued efforts to guide diagnostic testing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and preparations for future emerging outbreaks.
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ROCKVILLE, Md. - Jan. 26, 2021 - The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostic professional society, today announced the formation of the AMP COVID Response (ACR) Steering Committee to help coordinate and communicate the organization s continued efforts to guide diagnostic testing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and preparations for future emerging outbreaks. Committee members will share expertise and provide recommendations to key stakeholders, including the incoming Biden administration, to help address the many challenges facing healthcare providers and ensure more Americans have timely access to high-quality testing. Timely diagnostic testing is foundational to an effective response to any emerging communicable disease. AMP members have been on the frontlines of this pandemic and have been responsible for managing the ever-increasing demand for testing despite numerous regulatory, reimbursement, supply-chain, logistical,
Clostridioides difficile (
C. diff) infection gives the pathogen a two-fold advantage: by both creating an inhospitable environment for competing bacteria and providing nutrients that enable
C. diff to thrive.
C. diff is a bacterium that causes diarrhea, often with severe or even fatal consequences. As part of its growth cycle,
C. diff produces two toxins which cause inflammation and damage the lining of the gut.
C. diff thrives when other microbes in the gut are absent - which is why it is more prevalent following antibiotic therapy, says Casey Theriot, associate professor of infectious disease at NC State and corresponding author of the research. But when colonizing the gut,
Or how
likely?
The Washington Free Beacon reports a new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests such transference is “extremely rare.”
The collaboration between University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Duke University indicated that, of nearly a dozen school districts boasting almost 100,000 students and faculty, there was a very low incidence of kids passing along the virus to adults.
How low? zero.
In the pre-published paper’s exact words:
We examined 11 school districts with nearly 100,000 students/staff open for 9 weeks of in- person instruction, tracking secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2; within-school infections were extremely rare. Each case was independently adjudicated for community or within-school acquisition by local health departments. … No instances of child-to-adult transmission of SARS-CoV-2 were reported within schools.
Dogwood Health Trust announces new board members
Staff Reports
Dogwood Health Trust has announced the addition of three members to its Board of Directors. The board has confirmed Rear Admiral (ret.) Richard Houck (Transylvania County), Fred Jones (Macon County), and Bishop José McLoughlin (Henderson County), as new members. John Ball, M. D., J.D., rotated off the board, as his term ended in 2020.
“There is a wealth of talented leadership in Western North Carolina from which to select our directors, and these three are all great examples,” said Dogwood Health Trust Board Chair Janice Brumit. “Each of them brings a great deal of community knowledge, innovative thought, and demonstrated service to their roles, and we are delighted to welcome them to Dogwood’s board. We have no doubt that they will eagerly and effectively live into our purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities in Western North Carolina.”