NEWSWIRE STD rates on the rise


FAST STATS A new Centers for Disease Control and


Prevention (CDC) analyses shine additional light on the mental health of U.S. high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a disproportionate level of threats that some students experienced.


of high school students reported they 37%


experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.


reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.


reported they experienced emotional abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including swearing at, insulting, or putting down the student.


44% 55%


experienced physical abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including hitting, beating, kicking, or physically hurting the student.


11%


reported a parent or other adult in their home lost a job.


of students said they experienced racism before or during the COVID-19 pandemic.


29% 36%


youth who felt connected to adults and peers at school were significantly less likely than those who did not to report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness; that they seriously considered attempting suicide (14% vs. 26%); or attempted suicide (6% vs. 12%).


35% VS. 53%


of youth reported feeling close to people at school during the pandemic.


47%


Source: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0331-youth- mental-health-covid-19.html


Photo credit: 1STunningART | stock.adobe.com


Reported cases of sexually transmitted dis- eases (STDs) in the United States decreased during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but most resurged by the end of that year. Ultimately, reported cases of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syph- ilis surpassed 2019 levels, while chlamydia declined, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data provide the clearest picture yet of COVID-19’s impact on the U.S. STD epidemic. The newly released 2020 STD Surveil- lance Report found that at the end of 2020: Reported cases of gonorrhea and primary & secondary (P&S) syphilis were up 10% and 7%, respectively, compared to 2019. Syphilis among newborns (i.e., congeni- tal syphilis) also increased, with reported cases up nearly 15% from 2019, and 235% from 2016. Early data indicate primary and secondary syphilis and congenital syphilis cases continued to increase in 2021 as well. Reported cases of chlamydia declined 13% from 2019. Chlamydia historically accounts for the


largest proportion of reported STDs in the United States. The decline in reported chlamydia cases is likely due to decreased STD screening and underdiagnosis during the pandemic, rather than a reduction in new infections.


Several factors likely contributed to the initial decline in reported STD cases during the first part of , including •Reduced frequency of in-person healthcare services as routine visits decreased, resulting in less-frequent STD screening;


•Diversion of public health staff from STD work to respond to the COVID- 19pdf icon pandemic;


•STD test and laboratory supply short- ages;


•Lapses in health insurance coverage due to unemployment; and


•Telemedicine practices that led to some infections not being captured in data. While STDs are increasing across many groups, the 2020 STD data show that some racial and ethnic minority groups, gay and bisexual men, and our nation’s youth continue to experience higher rates of STDs. This trend shows that longstanding factors, such as lack of access to regular medical care, discrimination, and stigma, continue to stand in the way of quality sexual health- care for everyone who needs it. There is much to be done to rebuild, innovate, and expand STD prevention and control in the United States—and this will require many groups working together, including local healthcare systems, clinics,


6 May 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


and community-based organizations; pub- lic and private sectors; healthcare providers; and public health workers.


FDA updates scope processing guidelines with disposable recommendations


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is updating the April 2020 Safety Communication to provide new infor- mation supporting the transition to fully disposable duodenoscopes and those with disposable components as well as new information on completed postmarket surveillance studies (also known as 522 studies).


Given the cleaning concerns and con-


tamination data with fied endcap duo- denoscopes and the increasing availability of duodenoscope models that facilitate or eliminate the need for reprocessing, hospitals and endoscopy facilities should complete transition to innovative duode- noscope designs that include disposable components such as disposable endcaps, or to fully disposable duodenoscopes. The use of a removable component to facilitate cleaning leads to significantly less contami- nation; interim results from one duodeno- scope model with a removable component show a contamination rate of just 0.5%, as compared to older duodenoscope models which had contamination rates as high as 6%. Use of the newer models of duode- noscopes can reduce the risk of infection for patients, compared to the older fied endcap duodenoscope models. Duode- noscope manufacturers no longer market fied endcap duodenoscopes in the , and fied endcap duodenoscopes still in use at healthcare facilities should be replaced with newer duodenoscope models. Emerging data summarized below sug- gests that the best solution to reducing the risk of disease transmission by duodeno- scopes is through innovative device designs that make reprocessing easier, more effec- tive, or unnecessary. Duodenoscopes that incorporate dispos- able components can facilitate cleaning, reduce contamination, and reduce disease transmission following reprocessing. Disposable designs may reduce between- patient duodenoscope contamination by half or more as compared to reusable, or fied endcaps.


Duodenoscopes have complex designs that may include reusable hard-to-clean components. Failure to correctly reprocess a duodenoscope could result in tissue or fluid from one patient remaining in a duodenoscope when it is used on a subse- quent patient. In rare cases, this can lead to patient-to-patient disease transmission.


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