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Healthcare associated infections

Across the globe, bacterial infections in hospitals and other health care settings (such as residential care homes for the elderly) are a significant and costly concern. Healthcare environments provide a …

Dame Sally Davis TED talk

In 2013 England’s Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davis gives a great overview of the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. You can watch the 11 minute video here. She explains …

Meet the team

The University of East Anglia team consists of Professor Laura Bowater, Dr Caroline Barker and Professor David Livermore Professor Laura Bowater Laura began her career by studying for a BSc …

Why we finish antibiotics

Making sure that we complete our prescribed course of antibiotics is really important. Shorter courses of antibiotics can be just as effective as longer courses for some infections and they …

Safety of vaccines

In this article we explore the potential side effects of vaccines. Although generally safe, vaccines may cause side effects – these are most commonly mild and short lived. Side effects …

Tracking the spread of antibiotic resistant infections

Good surveillance is essential for managing the spread of outbreaks and epidemics caused by infectious agents including antibiotic resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, on a global scale there are still significant gaps …

Active and passive immunity

There are two broad mechanisms by which we can acquire immunity to infections, actively and passively. Passive immunity involves the transfer of pre-formed antibodies from an immune individual to a …

Joseph Lister

Joseph Lister was born in 1827 to a Quaker family. He trained as a surgeon in London before moving to Scotland where he was appointed as Regius Professor of Surgery …

Standard infection prevention and control

Effective infection prevention and control reduces the risk of infection for patients, clients and residents as well as health and care workers. Identifying people who may spread infection is not …

Introduction to Week 3

Previously we focused on how infections including antimicrobial resistant infections can be acquired and spread. We covered the chain of infection, and also considered the risks and hazards that contribute …

Risk and recognition

One of the key steps that we need to consider in order to protect our patients, clients, residents, friends, families and co-workers is to recognise where we are at risk …