CDC reports decline in hospital infections

Editor's Note

The Centers for Disease Control and infection (CDC) on October 31 reported that the risk of hospital patients having healthcare-associated infections was 16% lower in 2015 than in 2011, largely because of declines in surgical site and urinary tract infections.

The percentage of patients having surgical site and urinary tract infections in 2011 was 0.97% and 0.58%, respectively, compared with 0.56% and 0.32% in 2015.

The data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infections Program, and was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.