Hospitals and other providers in Central New York are working vigorously to fight the spread of Clostridium difficile, which was diagnosed in more than 1,300 people from the region in 2010, according to a Post-Standard report.
Central New York had the highest rate of community onset C. diff cases in the state, with a reported 39 percent above state average. A report showed more than 400 people contracted C. diff in Central New York hospitals in 2010, and almost 600 more were diagnosed with the infection within four weeks after discharge from a hospital, possibly linking these cases to the hospital stays.
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To combat the deadly infection, which annually kills more than 28,000 people in the United States, organizations in Central New York have taken a number of steps, including changing room cleaning practices, hand washing surveillance, cleaning with bleach and focusing more attention on cleaning "high touch" areas in hospitals, according to the Post-Standard report.
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