Korea Announces Major Changes In Wake Of MERS Outbreak

Coronavirus – Credit CDC PHIL

 

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The explosive spread of MERS in South Korea’s medical establishment last May and June was credited to both design deficits in hospital wards and emergency rooms that helped to spread the virus and cultural practices that encouraged family members to stay with hospitalized patients to provide routine care. 

 

The following excerpt comes from the WHO summary Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the Republic of Korea issued 15 June 2015.

 

MERS CoV spread in Korea

Conditions and cultural traditions specific to Korea have likely also played a role in the outbreak’s rapid spread. The accessibility and affordability of health care in Korea encourage “doctor shopping”; patients frequently consult specialists in several facilities before deciding on a first-choice facility.

Moreover, it is customary in Korea for many family members and friends to visit loved ones when they are in the emergency room or admitted to hospital. It is also customary for family members to provide almost constant bedside care often staying in the hospital room overnight, increasing the risk of close exposures in the health care setting.

 

Now that their MERS outbreak is over, hospitals are examining ways to prevent future outbreaks of MERS  . . . or any other infectious disease.

 

The hardest hit hospital in the Korean outbreak was Samsung Hospital in Seoul, which accounted for nearly half (90 of 186) patients.  Today they have announced a 50 Billion Won (42 million USD) renovation plan designed to limit the spread of any future outbreak. 

 

Among the planned changes:

• The hospital will allow only one visitor per patient in the emergency room.  Visitors will be required to book their visits in advance.
• Emergency rooms will have separate areas to treat infections vs. non-infectious patients
• The SMC will enlarge their ER room size by 60%
• SMC will add negative pressure isolation rooms to the ER
• SMC will also partner with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to try to develop a MERS vaccine.

 

Additional details are available via the following Korea Times article.

Samsung hospital announces post-MERS measures

By Kim Se-jeong

Samsung Medical Center (SMC) will refurbish its emergency room and limit the number of visitors for patients in an effort to prevent another infectious disease from spreading there and to ensure the safety of patients.

SMC's director Song Jae-hoon said Wednesday that the hospital will spend almost 50 billion won to build necessary infrastructure and facilities.

(Continue . . . )

 

This move by Samsung Seoul is just part of a much larger nation-wide initiative to prepare Korea’s hospital system to deal with infectious diseases like MERS, Ebola, and avian flu.  Korea’s government has also announced an ambitious  comprehensive `national defense strategy’ against infectious diseases:

Since this statement doesn’t translated particularly well, we’ll turn to a lengthy English language summary carried today by the Asian News Network.  Follow the link to read it in its entirety:

 

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

Seoul announces post-MERS plan for infectious diseases

Claire Lee The Korea Herald

Publication Date : 02-09-2015

All general hospitals with 300 or more patient beds in South Korea will be required to establish negative air pressure rooms to prevent cross-contamination, Seoul announced on Tuesday as part of its post-Middle East respiratory syndrome plan to better deal with contagious diseases.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare also announced that the head of Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be appointed as the ministry’s joint vice minister to strengthen public health sector, and establish an emergency operations center that runs 24-hours a day to readily detect any possible epidemic.

South Korea's shortage of nursing staff and negative pressure rooms had been blamed for the MERS spread earlier this year, which claimed 36 lives. Many Koreans who contracted the virus did so while caring for their family members at MERS-affected hospital rooms.

(Continue . . . )

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Saudi MERS Cluster Grows By 7 Cases

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Based on the limited and cryptic information we have from the Saudi MOH, it isn’t possible to tell exactly what index case sparked the current (largely) nosocomial MERS outbreak in Riyadh.  Based on FluTracker’s Tracking List there were 5 cases reported from the capital city in June, and 14 cases in July, but it wasn’t until early August that the numbers really took off.

Since then, the Saudi MOH has announced 126 additional cases from Riyadh – the vast majority of whom are believed part of this hospital-acquired cluster.

I say `believed’ because specifics, such as who infected who, when, where and how remain largely unknown. 

 

Despite multiple large nosocomial outbreaks (Jeddah, Taif, Hofuf & Riyadh) over the past couple of years, the Saudis have never shared the level of epidemiological detail such as we saw come out of South Korea this past summer. 

Nor have they released the long-promised case-control study on MERS, which is hoped will shed some light on how the virus is sporadically being acquired in the community.

Today things become even more confusing, as the latest MOH update offers conflicting information.   As they map at the top of this blog indicates, the MOH is reporting 7 new cases in Riyadh.

 

Unfortunately, the accompanying chart of cases doesn’t match.  It shows 5 new cases in Riyadh, and 2 in Najran.  (Your guess is as good as mine).

 

Three of the cases are listed as Health Care Workers, and 6 of the 7 are listed as contacts of known cases, with 1 under review.

 

Despite this confusing report, one thing remains apparent. 

 

Three weeks before the start of the Hajj – and after more than a month of trying - the Saudis still haven’t gotten control of this large, high profile MERS outbreak in the nation’s capital.

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#NatlPrep : CPR Skills & AEDs

Source American Heart Association

 

Note: This is day 2 of National Preparedness Month.  Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NatlPrep hash tag.  This month, as part of NPM15, I’ll be rerunning some updated  preparedness essays, along with some new ones.

 

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Although we usually talk about preparedness in terms of having an emergency plan and  the right supplies (First Aid Kit, Emergency Radio, Bottled Water, Full Pantry, etc.), it is also important to have the right skills to deal with an emergency.

 

Basic stuff – like how to use a fire extinguisher, how to turn off the gas supply to your home or business, how to stop bleeding or apply first aid.

 

And one of the most common emergency situations you are likely to encounter is witnessing a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).  More than a thousand of which occur every day across the nation, often in public places like parking lots, shopping malls, and houses of worship.

   

This from the Heart Rhythm Association:

 

• Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 350,000 lives each year.^1,2  
• An estimated 382,800 people experience sudden cardiac arrest in the United States each year.
• Approximately 92% of those who experience sudden cardiac arrest do not survive.
• SCA kills more than 1,000 people a day, or one person every 90 seconds ^1,2 — a number great than the number of deaths each year from breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke or AIDS.

 

What bystanders who do in the first few minutes of a witnessed SCA can mean the difference between life and death for the stricken individual. Luckily, hands-only CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) is easier to do than ever before, and there are thousands of AEDs (automated external defibrillators) stationed in public venues across the nation.

 

With a little bit of training, you can literally save someone’s life.

 

AEDs are designed to be used by laypersons who ideally should have received some AED training.  Like doing CPR, the required skills are relatively simple, but they do require some degree of familiarity.  I would strongly encourage everyone to take a CPR class, and if you already done so – take a refresher course every couple of years.

 

While this blog isn’t a substitute for taking a CPR class, it can help familiarize you with the basics.

 

Witnessing a cardiac arrest, particularly of a loved-one, can be a terrifying and traumatic experience. Far too often, bystanders are paralyzed into doing nothing while they wait for rescuers to arrive. As a paramedic, only rarely did I arrive on scene to find someone attempting to resuscitate a patient.

 

Almost inevitably, however, some kind soul had placed a pillow under the head of the victim to make them more `comfortable’, effectively closing off their airway.

 

Consequently, even with the advanced life support equipment we carried, our success rate in reviving these patients was dismally low.

 

Luckily, the new hands only resuscitation method -  which eliminates the need for mouth-to-mouth ventilation - makes doing CPR easier than ever before. But hand’s on training is still important, if you expect to be able to react properly during an emergency.

 

While it won’t take the place of an actual class, you can watch how it is done on in this brief instructional video from the American Heart Association. Taking a CPR class only takes a few hours, can be fun, and is well worth the effort.

 

To find a local CPR course contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or (usually) your local fire department or EMS can steer you to a class.

 

As far as learning how to use an AED, the following interactive video is particularly well done, and is provided by the Medtronic Foundation in conjunction with the Heart Rescue Project.  First the three steps you should know, then the video.

What to do if you see someone suddenly collapse.

If you see someone collapse suddenly, check if the victim is responsive. If not, remember these three easy steps.

Call 911

Have them send help. Stay on the line and listen for further instructions.

Start Chest Compressions

If the person is not breathing normally, start chest compressions. Push down hard and fast in the center of the chest. Keep your arms straight. Send someone to find an AED.

Use An AED

The AED (automated external defibrillator) is a portable medical device that delivers an electrical shock to restart a person’s heart. It provides voice prompts that tell you exactly what to do and will only administer a shock if needed, so there’s no reason to hesitate.

It only takes a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the operations of an AED by visiting the following website.  

LINK

I should point out that not all cardiac arrests can be corrected by defibrillation, even if conducted in a timely manner. There are non-shockable arrhythmias that an AED cannot convert to sinus rhythm.

Non-shockable cardiac arrest arrhythmias are asystole (flat line) and PEA (Pulseless Electrical Activity) – what we used to call back in the stone age of EMS, electromechanical dissociation.

 

Neither of which respond to defibrillation.

 

Patients can sometimes still be saved with CPR alone, at least until the right cardiac meds can be administered. For more on all of this, we have the press release from the American Heart Association.

Guidelines-based CPR saves more non-shockable cardiac arrest victims

April 02, 2012

Study Highlights:

• CPR can save someone with cardiac arrest even if they don’t respond to a defibrillator.
• People with non-shockable cardiac arrest are more likely to live if they receive CPR based on recent guidelines emphasizing chest compressions.
• The American Heart Association’s CPR guidelines emphasizing chest compressions are saving more lives, according to a new study.

 

Of course, despite your best efforts, many SCA victims will not survive. But early and coordinated action taken by bystanders (calling 911, starting CPR, using AED if available) can substantially improve their chances.

 

For more on heart attacks, and CPR, you may wish to visit some of these earlier blogs.

Deadlier Than For The Male

Survivability Of Non-Shockable Rhythms With New CPR Guidelines

Fear Of Trying

NPM11: Early CPR Saves Lives

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Disted College - Malaysia

Final Call September Diploma & Degree programmes

 RM5,000 fee rebate for all diploma and Staffordshire University (SU) degree programmes except the Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production programme.

      Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production promotion – new students will be entitled to a free NIKON D5300 DSLR camera plus a RM500 fee rebate. 

Last registration date for SU degree programmes is 11 September, so don’t miss our final intake of UK degrees this year.

Intake date for Diploma programme : 28 September 2015

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

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University of South Australia - Australia

Exciting new opportunity for students who want a career in the film industry

Our Bachelor of Media Arts ‘Media Industry Placement’ with Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) is the perfect platform for students who want a career in the film industry. RSP is a world renowned visual effects studio, with major clients including film studios and independent producers from around the world. The Adelaide based studio has created thousands of visual effects for over 100 films. RSP was recently nominated for an Academy Award for their work on the film X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The ‘Media Industry Placement’ with RSP is a full time 18 unit course over a 10 week period, taught by RSP staff. The placement will provide final year students with hands-on training in core skills required by entry level visual effects artists. Students will gain practical insights into career strategies and employment prospects. 

In the placement, students will gain exposure to professional production practices and work with industry standard software tools under the supervision of experienced visual effects artists. The course will comprise a series of lectures, workshops and presentations focusing on core visual effects skills in the software package Houdini, including fluid dynamics, particle simulations, hair and fur simulations, explosions, and fire effects. Students will learn while working in a simulated production environment within RSP's studio.

Students interested in the placement are required to submit a portfolio of relevant work and sit an interview. Assessment for entry is based on their portfolio, GPA and performance in the interview. The process is competitive and the places are limited. 

UniSA Business School named one of world’s best

The University of South Australia Business School has been awarded an overall five star rating in the 2015 QS Stars Business School rankings. The prestigious international rating places the UniSA Business School in the top one per cent of Business Schools in the world.

In addition to the overall five star rating, UniSA Business School also received five stars in the following five categories:

• Teaching and Student Quality
• Internationalisation and Diversity 
• Facilities 
• Engagement
• Program Strength: Master of Business Administration (MBA).

The QS Stars Business School rankings made special mention of the UniSA Business School for showing excellent performance in establishing academic partnerships with other Business Schools around the world and in having a good proportion of international faculty staff.

New 2016 business programs

Two new integrated business programs will be available in 2016 and will provide students with a solid foundation in key business disciplines through industry engagement. The two new programs are as follows:

Bachelor of Business (International Business)

The students will learn how to navigate the business challenges such as operating across different socio-economic and institutional environments, working with state-owned enterprises and many and varied political systems. Students will have the opportunity to embed a student exchange experience, an internship or mentoring in the program.

Bachelor of Business (Information Strategy and Management)

This specialisation equips students with the knowledge and skills to develop strategic information systems and processes that align to an organisation’s business needs. Students will learn how to plan, form and apply IT solutions to respond to business problems and gain expertise in areas such as accounting, economics and marketing. An internship is also available in this program and students will graduate with the knowledge and confidence to succeed as a business professional in IT.

New Master of Engineering specialization for 2016

Starting in 2016, the Master of Engineering LMCL will offer three specializations:

• Civil and Infrastructure - new
• Transport
• Water Resources Management

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

                                                                                                                                   Article is courtesy of  University of South Australia

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Griffith College - Australia

 

QIBT to rename as Griffith College in December 2015

Navitas and Griffith University have successfully collaborated – through QIBT – since 1997, providing pathway courses for both domestic and international students. In that time more than 13,700 students have successfully completed their program at QIBT. 

Griffith College will integrate more closely with the University to enable further growth of international and domestic enrollments across Griffith University campuses in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. 

Griffith College will deliver all the benefits of Navitas’ well-established and successful pathway programs while enabling students to live the Griffith University experience. Navitas Group CEO Rod Jones said that renaming the successful college was just another step in an already successful and strong partnership. “To be able to build on our significant relationship with Griffith University even further by aligning our college name and brand is a great opportunity and will enhance the experience of current and future students,” Mr Jones said. 

Griffith University’s Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Ian O’Connor, said Griffith College would be a formidable extension to Griffith University, providing students with flexible, high quality and relevant pathways into a Griffith University education. “We see this as a strengthening of an already fruitful relationship,” Professor O’Connor said.

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

                                                                                                                                   Article is courtesy of  Griffith College

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Holmesglen Institute of TAFE - Australia

JOIN US THIS OCTOBER!

Don’t wait till 2016 to start your studies! Places are still available for Holmesglen's 2015 October intake!

Apply Now!

The Diploma of Hospitality provides a hands-on, practical learning experience! This course gives students the skills and development required for successful careers within the hospitality industry. Students also enjoy work placement with Holmesglen’s many industry partners. Learn restaurant and bar skills, customer service and front office management skills, marketing techniques and much more!

The Diploma of Accounting provides technical accounting training, preparing students for the essential skills to concur the real world of business accounting! Students learn the crucial financial skills and practical career-orientated training required for the growing companies of today. Learn how to prepare tax returns, manage and forecast budgets, implement and maintain internal procedures and much more!

For more information, please contact/visit your nearest JM Office today

                  

                                                                                                                                   Article is courtesy of  Holmesglen Institute of TAFE

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