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Biomedical subjects

W L Ford

Publications and source records attributed to W L Ford.

87 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

An outbreak of furunculosis among high school athletes.

Furuncles (boils) are common among teenagers; however, few outbreaks have been documented. We investigated an outbreak of furuncles that occurred among male athletes of a Kentucky high school during the 1986 to 1987 school year. The overall attack rate was 25% (31/124). The risk of developing a furuncle increased two to three times in those who had skin injury. Athletes who sustained abrasions more than twice per week (P less than 0.01), who had a cut that required bandaging (P = 0.01), or had an unspecified injury causing a missed practice or game (P = 0.04) were at increased risk. The risk of developing furunculosis did not appear to be related to contact with formites, but rather, to contact with furuncles. Although athletes shared common areas (showers, locker rooms, practice areas, the attack rates for varsity football (36%) and varsity basketball (33%) were four times greater than for nonvarsity teams (P less than 0.01). Players who had a friend with a furuncle were more than twice as likely to also have had a furuncle (P less than 0.01). Exposure to furuncles appeared to increase the risk of furunculosis independently of reported skin injury. Control and prevention should, therefore, focus on both reducing skin injury and reducing exposure to furuncles, rather than attempting to sterilize inanimate objects.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational risk of acquiring HIV infection through needlestick injuries.

Accidental needlestick exposures occur frequently among hospital personnel and account for most incidents of percutaneous injuries. Even if universal precautions were followed routinely, it is unlikely that multiple needlestick exposures could be avoided completely. Despite the likelihood of persons incurring multiple needlestick exposures, relatively little information is available on the cumulative risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection for health care workers attending unrecognized HIV-infected patients. A quantitative method to estimate annual cumulative risk from multiple exposures is offered, and the risk of HIV infection is estimated by use of a probability model for health care workers in both hospital and emergency department settings.

HIV Infections↗