Contagion® to Report on 5th Annual International C. diff Conference in Las Vegas

In keeping with coverage for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) Infection Awareness Month, Contagion^® will be heading out to Las Vegas, Nevada, this week to report on the 5th Annual International C. diff Awareness Conference & Health Expo, held by the C. diff foundation, one of Contagion^®’s Strategic Alliance Partners.

Contagion^® is no stranger to reporting on the latest news on C. difficile. Some of our recent coverage includes a recent article on tracking C. difficile infections to see how patient movements result in exposures. Another explored how increasing a patient’s involvement in hand hygiene could positively impact whether they contract the infection. Last month we reported on a recent study that found higher rates of C. difficile after implementing a sepsis screening initiative.

Each year, the Annual International C. diff Awareness Conference & Health Expo is dedicated to raising awareness of a disease that caused nearly half a million infections in the United States alone in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A staggering 29,000 of those individuals died 30 days after initial diagnosis. Although the CDC reported an 8% decrease in infections in 2014, the disease still causes a significant burden on patients and the health care system.

“The goal of the conference is to provide an opportunity for health care professionals to learn from leading international topic experts delivering data directed at evidence-based prevention, treatments, and environmental safety in the C. difficile and health care community,” Nancy C. Caralla, executive director of the C. diff Foundation told Contagion^®.

What is on the docket for the conference this year? According to Ms. Caralla, “This conference offers the attendees a 2-day experience with more than 25 presentations from health care, academia, and industry leaders, over 14 exhibitors, who will be showcasing the latest in infection prevention, diagnostics, treatments, environmental safety in the health care community, and more than 12 hours of dedicated networking opportunities. Clinical trials in progress for the prevention and treatment of C. difficile and recurrent C. difficile infections will be particularly interesting to attendees seeking to learn more about products in the FDA pipeline.”

In keeping with our dedication to providing our readership with the most timely and relevant content to support their practice and improve patient outcomes, Contagion^® editors will provide exclusive written coverage and engaging video coverage of the conference, consisting of discussions with several key opinion leaders on important issues surrounding the disease, and advancements being made in the fight to control it.

Some of the “hot button” presentations that cover in the upcoming weeks include Dr. Edmond Hooker’s exploration of mattresses and hospital beds as a vector for spreading C. difficile infection (CDI), Dr. Sahil Khanna’s updates on the semi-controversial topic of fecal microbiota transplantation for CDI, as well as some insight into the role of vaccines for C. difficile prevention, courtesy of Dr. Richard Haupt. The development and commercialization of new antibiotics to treat CDIs will be presented by Contagion^® author, Glenn Tillotson, PhD. All have agreed to sit down for exclusive one-on-one interviews with Contagion^®.

“Raising C. difficile awareness is essential to build upon and advance existing knowledge and necessary for overcoming the challenges our health care communities are faced with today,” the C. diff Foundation stresses on their conference webpage.

“We are excited to have Contagion^® with us during this important, educational 2-day conference. This strategic alliance partnership is greatly appreciated to help raise C. difficile infection awareness worldwide,” Ms. Caralla said.

Going to the C. diff conference? Be sure to swing by to say hello in the hallway outside of the presentation room and grab a publication.

Not going to the C. diff conference? Be sure to sign up for our Conference updates. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for additional coverage.