Each week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a summary of the state of health in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put it out.
The CDC's new research in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) details the racial and ethnic differences in flu vaccination coverage and hospitalization rates. Researchers looked at hospitalization rates for people from 2009-2010 to 2013-2014, adjusting for age, and comparing those rates across four racial and ethnic groups: American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN), Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White.
This last flu season, people of color were more likely to be hospitalized than Whites. The annual number of cases of illness and hospitalization in the United States is estimated to range from nine million to forty one million by researchers. Minorities of all races and ethnicities are disproportionately affected by serious respiratory disease. Moreover, the mortality rate due to infection is greater.
Rates were determined using information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a statewide telephone survey that gathers data on health risks and behaviors. The number of people who have had an annual flu shot is roughly estimated with the help of this poll. This estimate of vaccination coverage was based on 291,839 completed interviews.
Age-adjusted hospitalization rates during the 2021–2022 flu season were 2.1 times higher among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and AI/AN individuals compared to White adults. Both AI/AN individuals and Black adults had substantially higher rates than the general population (30% and 80%, respectively).
Infections contracted while receiving medical treatment are a major contributor to mortality and disability worldwide. They are preventable and typically happen during patient care. The HHS of the United States government published an Action Plan to Prevent HAIs in 2009. It lays out the nation's targets for preventing HAIs, as well as the most effective measures hospitals can take to meet those targets.
Patients in the United States are at risk due to the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections. The National Healthcare Safety Network reports that each year, about one million patients in the United States contract an illness while receiving medical care. The annual cost to the healthcare system is estimated to be between $28 billion and $33 billion because of this issue.
Despite the prevalence of HAIs as a negative consequence of hospital care, considerable strides have been made in preventing and treating them. Several groups are actively seeking to eradicate HAIs from the world. The National Healthcare Safety Network is a protected online surveillance system established by the CDC enabling hospitals and other healthcare facilities to report HAIs. The ability to monitor trends and gather information to better protect patients relies heavily on surveillance efforts.
Since there has been more research into HAIs, statistics have been collected from all over the country. The optimal use of surveillance information is to inform and direct preventative measures and the identification of effective practices. In addition, HAIs play a significant role in how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services calculate inpatient payments through the Inpatient Prospective Payment System.
If you're looking for health-related news, contact the Morbidity and Mortality Office under the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Recent efforts have included a scheme to facilitate information sharing between state-level agencies. The oh so phloem, among other things, has a shiny new web gateway for facilitating inter-departmental communication.
So, you might be facing a mountain of information about health to process. Whether you work for the state or the federal government, you may be eligible to participate in this statewide program. You will probably make your coworkers' day better, and you might even have some fun in the process. You should take this chance to become a more formidable source of health-related news. Expect a stronger state-based hive of talent in the near future. Health-related news is inevitable until then, so take advantage of it.
