Elimination of Epidemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a University Hospital and District Institutions, Finland

From August 1991 to October 1992, two successive outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) occurred at a hospital in Finland. During and after these outbreaks, MRSA was diagnosed in 202 persons in our medical district; >100 cases involved epidemic MRSA. When control policies failed to stop the epidemic, more aggressive measures were taken, including continuous staff education, contact isolation for MRSA-positive patients, systematic screening for persons exposed to MRSA, cohort nursing of MRSA-positive and MRSA-exposed patients in epidemic situations, and perception of the 30 medical institutions in that district as one epidemiologic entity brought under surveillance and control of the infection control team of Turku University Hospital. Two major epidemic strains, as well as eight additional strains, were eliminated; we were also able to prevent nosocomial spread of other MRSA strains. Our data show that controlling MRSA is possible if strict measures are taken before the organism becomes endemic. Similar control policies may be successful for dealing with new strains of multiresistant bacteria, such as vancomycin-resistant strains of S. aureus

Teaching that Matters for Migrant Students (TEAMS): Understanding Levers of Integration in Scotland, Finland and Sweden

TEAMS is an international project conducted by teams of researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Jyväskylä, Stockholm, and Turku, led by Dr. Nataša Pantić at the University of Edinburgh and supported by the NordForsk British-Nordic research programme. This three-year project has addressed the need to understand the challenges and opportunities for schools as they respond to the increasing number of migrants in classrooms. The project used mixed methods, including social network analysis and qualitative fieldwork. The project collected new data on teachers’ beliefs, practices and social networks, and the integration experiences of migrant students, including: · Quantitative survey data of teachers’ social networks (n =359 (wave 1) – 416 (w2) – 341 (w3)) · Quantitative survey data on student engagement in schools (n=394 (w1) – 973 (w3)) · Online log data on teacher interaction for migrant student support (n=126(w1) – 78 (w2) – 81 (w3)) · Qualitative interview data on school staff/students’ beliefs (n=44/8(w1)–33/20(w2)–17/19(w3)) · Qualitative observations data on school staff practices and interactions (~120 h of fieldwork notes in total) · Policy review data (~80 documents