Common viruses prove dangerous in long-term care facility

(Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America) A widespread outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus at a long-term dementia care ward infected 73 percent of patients, demonstrating the challenges in mitigating the spread of infectious diseases in such settings. The outbreak led to improved protocols for protecting vulnerable patients during cold and flu season, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Socie...