During the month of December 2011, there were a total of 281 links to news items posted on Daily Updates.

The top news areas included:

• Novel flu cases prompted new CDC guidance
• An HIV trial was named Science magazine's "breakthrough” of 2011
• Citing a terror risk, the United States asked journals to cut flu study information
• The GAO said that drug shortages tripled over the past decade and the United States announced steps to address this problem
• Because many patients see their dentists more often than other healthcare providers, they might benefit from screening for medical conditions in dental offices, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health
• APIC issued support for mandatory influenza vaccination of healthcare workers

Other noteworthy areas of interest include:

• The FDA approved a vaccine for adults age 50 and older to prevent pneumococcal disease
• US flu activity remained low
• A variation of the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) influenza virus that is resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) appears to be spreading in Australia
• Researchers found that by changing from stainless steel to copper fittings for door handles, it could reduce the spread of infections by 40 per cent
• Fusarium fungus found in sinks was identified as a possible cause of serious infections
• Researchers found bacteria, including some that are known to make people sick, in unused paper towels
• Sun's UV rays may stop the spread of chickenpox
• Having diabetes ups hepatitis B risk
• Patients with multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to serve as reservoirs for environmental contamination
• A study was published on the economic burden of hepatitis C-associated diseases in the United States
• The UN reported improved access to safe drinking water, but with the poorest still lagging
• More than two in three Americans (68 percent) worry about global disease outbreaks
• A new study found that two out of three medical students do not know when to clean their hands
• The US demand for infection prevention products is predicted to rise 5.1 percent annually through 2015
• The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert pertaining to healthcare worker fatigue and patient safety
• Only 28% of US HIV patients have their condition under control
• Pertussis cases spiked in Illinois, lack of vaccination is blamed
• US Tox21 began screening 10,000 chemicals
• Children with HIV in Asia are suffering resistance to AIDS drugs

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