Dive Brief:
- Although CRE was considered a public health threat long before the recent outbreaks at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai, there are currently no federal reporting requirements and only 20 states have imposed their own rules.
- CRE can be deadly; since there are few treatment options, for up to half of those infected, it will ultimately be fatal.
- Outbreaks of CRE are not limited to California, so some are calling for mandatory national reporting to stop the spread of the bacteria and to raise public awareness.
Dive Insight:
Hospitals should be on the lookout for possible CRE cases and be ready to take appropriate precautions to protect other patients and staff. They should also begin to develop reporting methods in preparation for mandatory reporting. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) told the LA Times that he plans to introduce legislation soon that would require hospitals to report CRE cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "I don't see how we can combat superbugs if the CDC doesn't even know the full scope of the problem," Lieu said. "We should have uniform national reporting for all hospitals."