<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Boudewijn Catry</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Karl Mertens</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Katrien Latour</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">B, Legiest</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Els Duysburgh</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">T, Papadopoulos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">E, Vandael</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">T, Struyf</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Laure Mortgat</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">N, Benhammadi</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">H De Pauw</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Herman Van Oyen</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Care Infections &amp; Antibiotic Resistance in Belgium</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health Reviews</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">antimicrobial consumption</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Blood stream infection</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Clostridium difficile</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">CPE</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ESBL</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Hand hygiene</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">healthcare associated infections</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ICU</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">MRSA</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">VRE</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2018</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jan-01-2018</style></date></pub-dates></dates><number><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">7</style></number><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">3</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;This activity report provides an overview of the most recent evolutions in healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance in Belgium.&amp;nbsp;The positive downward trend we have been observing for many years in the incidence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in&amp;nbsp;acute care hospitals appears to be stabilizing in 2016. The hand hygiene campaigns held biannually since 2005, which reduce -among many other&amp;nbsp;initiatives- the spread of these bacteria through direct contact, contribute to this evolution. Also in intensive care units hand hygiene compliance&amp;nbsp;increased significantly and the incidence of pneumonia following intubation has reduced remarkably.&lt;br&gt;
Other resistant bacteria, mainly present as a reservoir in the digestive tract (gut), are however on the rise and can cause severe bloodstream&amp;nbsp;infections. In particular, Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) are increasingly being&amp;nbsp;isolated and have caused outbreaks in several hospitals. The number of Clostridium difficile infections (severe enteritis and colitis) also slightly&amp;nbsp;increased since 2014, although its associated mortality decreased. In long-term care facilities (among others nursing homes), similar evolutions&amp;nbsp;are taking place (decrease in MRSA, increase in multi-resistant gut bacteria). Long term monitoring shows a recent slight decrease in antimicrobial&amp;nbsp;consumption in the ambulant sector but alas not in the hospitals. Antimicrobial use should urgently be further optimized in our healthcare facilities&amp;nbsp;in order to control the selection pressure for antimicrobial resistance.&lt;br&gt;
Since 2014 and in collaboration with the inspection services of the competent authorities, assistance is being offered to hospitals and long-term&amp;nbsp;care facilities that suffer from difficult to treat bacteria in the form of an outbreak support team (MDRO – OST; Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms -&amp;nbsp;Outbreak Support Team). In the period 2014-2016, 13 out of 15 reported outbreaks where assistance was granted, containment was achieved within&amp;nbsp;a reasonable time frame.&lt;/p&gt;
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