Reducing the Spread of Infection

Infections place an enormous burden on the healthcare system and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Comprehensive infection prevention and control practices can help mitigate the impact of infections, and include:

• Prevention: Certain infections are avoidable through proper prevention practices and techniques. Appropriate use of antibiotics, safety-engineered injection devices and basic contact precautions can help prevent transmission of infection as well as associated human and financial costs.
• Detection and Diagnosis: Rapid, accurate detection and/or diagnosis are critical to helping improve patient management and outcomes, as well as lowering healthcare costs.
• Reporting: Standardized reporting and tracking of infections can help healthcare facilities and governments gather necessary data to continue to improve infection prevention practices.

BD’s Contributions

BD applies its core products and services — medical devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products — to play fundamental roles in infection prevention and control.

Information about...

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Injection Safety
Immunization
Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Infectious Disease

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)

Millions of the life-threatening, costly HAIs that occur each year are preventable.

BD recognized the threat posed by HAIs early on and made strategic investments to build an innovative portfolio of technologies designed to prevent, detect, diagnose and report these infections. BD’s family of products includes:

• Molecular diagnostic tests for rapid and accurate detection of common HAIs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and C. difficile.
• Automated infection surveillance systems to help healthcare facilities set priorities and track effectiveness of HAI prevention programs.
• Innovative IV catheter systems and associated products designed to minimize the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections.
• Blood culturing and bacterial identification/ antibiotic susceptibility testing systems for detection of common antimicrobial resistant HAI-causing pathogens to actionable results.
  

Through collaborations with healthcare institutions, quality organizations, professional societies and government agencies, BD continues to build awareness and educate about the benefits of new technologies to help diagnose and prevent HAIs. The Company’s approach to preventing HAIs is well aligned with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Injection Safety

Needlesticks and unsafe injection practices needlessly expose patients and healthcare workers to bloodborne pathogens such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C.

BD pioneered the development of safety-engineered medical devices and has been at the forefront of this field for more than two decades. No other company has invested more capital, human resources or technological know-how in reducing needlestick and other sharps injuries.

BD shares best practices for improving healthcare worker safety with providers across the country, by educating healthcare workers on basic safety issues. These include how to minimize exposure to bloodborne pathogens, and providing on-site training on correct product use.

Immunization

Vaccinating children and adults helps keep them healthy and prevents the spread of infection.

BD is a leading manufacturer of injection products, with a rich history of supporting worldwide immunization efforts by offering a broad array of safe immunization solutions and services to help further disease prevention. In 1954, BD produced the first completely disposable syringe for use in a large-scale field test of the polio vaccine. More recently, BD supported the American Red Cross’ Measles Initiative, which has been recognized as one of the world’s most successful public health partnerships.

Today, BD flow cytometry systems and reagents help scientists understand the intricacies of human immune function. The human immune system’s response to infectious agents is key to understanding the mechanisms of infection, which is of intense interest to clinical researchers striving to develop new vaccines and immunization strategies.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Proper infection control practices can help save lives and mitigate the economic impact of public health crises such as pandemic influenza.

The U.S. government has engaged with BD on pandemic influenza planning since 2005, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) selected BD as the primary provider for syringes used in the 2009 H1N1 vaccination campaign.

BD shipped more than 140 million safety-engineered products to the government during the 2009 flu season. To carry out these efforts, BD ramped up production of flu-related products and added capacity at three U.S. manufacturing sites.

Infectious Disease

Diseases such as HIV/AIDS and TB claim millions of lives each year worldwide.

BD has made its most powerful impact on TB through the introduction of its liquid culture diagnostics, which are particularly valuable in their ability to detect drug-resistant forms of bacteria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed liquid cultures as the “standard of care” for TB diagnosis and patient management.

To help individuals living with HIV/AIDS, BD has developed and launched two systems now recognized as “gold standards” for CD4 testing. BD partners with organizations such as the William J. Clinton Foundation to help make these CD4 technologies available in the developing world on a highly discounted basis.

The lack of healthcare infrastructure — which includes hospitals, clinics and well-trained healthcare workers — is one of the biggest barriers to fighting the spread of infectious disease in developing countries. BD regularly engages with organizations to support safer blood collection, develop training capabilities for lab personnel, and extend the reach of immunization efforts around the world.