Report of the thirdHavemeyer workshop on infection control in equine populations

Veterinary Hospital Surveillance Systems

“…Although there is no definitively correct method, infection control programs are dynamic and should rely upon organized surveillance efforts in their development, implementation, and continued improvement. 5 Active surveillance is conducted with the express purpose of finding outcomes or indicators of interest as part of a formal surveillance program, while passive surveillance uses information and/or samples collected for another purpose (eg, laboratory samples submitted for diagnostic purposes). As such, active surveillance provides a primary source of data, and may be more time consuming and expensive to collect, but typically yields much more complete data than passive surveillance, which depends upon the quality of a secondary data source.…”

“…In fact, there is a recognizable standard of practice with respect to veterinary infection control according to a recent consensus opinion of an international group of experts. 5 Appropriate effort must be given to the prevention of infectious disease transmission through the development and maintenance of an infection control program that is founded on results obtained through organized surveillance efforts. 5 Infection control efforts should strive to minimize the negative impact of HAIs to patients and personnel, and ultimately to the hospital.…”

“…5 Appropriate effort must be given to the prevention of infectious disease transmission through the development and maintenance of an infection control program that is founded on results obtained through organized surveillance efforts. 5 Infection control efforts should strive to minimize the negative impact of HAIs to patients and personnel, and ultimately to the hospital. Although hospital-associated outbreaks tend to garner much attention, the occurrence of epidemic disease really represents a small proportion of HAIs, the proverbial tip of the iceberg, due to unusual circumstances that have resulted in an extraordinary event.…”

Prevention and surveillance of surgical infections: A review

“…In conclusion, veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to consider infection control in daily practice, and this includes managing risk related to the occurrence of SSI. Veterinary infection control is in its infancy, but a recognizable standard of care for infection control is beginning to emerge . Veterinarians must take reasonable precautions to mitigate foreseeable risks associated with infectious disease in patients and hospital personnel, and infection control programs should be tailored to the unique set of structural and operational circumstances at each facility.…”

Hospital biosecurity – how far have we come in the last 10 years?

“…Dr Morley, in collaboration with J. Scott Weese, Josie Traub‐Dargatz, Bradford Smith, Fairfield Bain, Roberta Dwyer, Jeff Bender and many other leaders in biosecurity have ‘changed the game’ when it comes to infection control in large (and small) animal hospitals. Thanks to their tireless efforts and the generous support of the Havemeyer Foundation , we find ourselves in a much different place than 10 years ago, when we had our own personal educational experience with a nosocomial outbreak .…”