In 1994, the public health department was presented with an outbreak of acute preparatory illness among three Ontario nursing facilities. Residents were hospitalized and several deaths occurred. Most residents had not received pneumococcal vaccine. Tests yielded evidence that these illnesses were caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae , previously thought to be a problem only in other settings. Given the frail nature of nursing facility residents, physicians should consider the possibility of Chlamydia pneumoniae when diagnosing a new cough.
Treatment can be effective when the disease is detected.
Preventive measures should also be taken. Wolinsky, Fredric D., John F. Fitzgerald, and Timothy E. Stump. Hip fractures and the resultant change in functional status, higher risk of mortality, and health expenditures are a major concern. About 39 percent were discharged from the hospital to a nursing facility. The one-year postfracture mortality rate was 24 percent.