Thread by @jvipondmd

I think we need to talk about the Infection Prevention and Control- Canada organization (IPAC-Canada). @IPACCanada, who has their annual conference starting Sunday. 1/

Who is IPAC? this is from their "about us" page. 2/
ipac-canada.org/missionvisionv…

I was lucky enough to present at last year's convention at the invite of @BarryHunt008, on environmental impact of masking policies, with a focus on airborne protection.
You can see my presentation here: 3/

They also had Michael Klompas of Bringham Young University speak on "Cøvid-19's challenges to infection control dogma". Excellent keynote address. You can see the slides here: 4/

It seemed, after three years of rejecting airborne transmission as a concern, that IPAC-Canada was going to confront this.

Now a year has passed. the new conference approaches. What have they learned, where are they going? 5/

Although in no way an airborne expert, I thought it'd be worth furthering the discussion by submitting an possible talk on the topic: "Airborne Transmission of Respiratory Disease".

This was the response I got: 6/

Unusual wording. But I"m sure they found someone else, better qualified, to discuss masks, airborne transmission, air quality, etc. So I took a look through their agenda, which you can find here:
(click on "preliminary program"
7/ ipac-canada.org/ipac-canada-an…

I searched for the terms "mask" and "airborne" and found no mentions.

So I guess they didn't find anyone better than me to present.
8/

Then I thought to search for the word "COVID". Maybe there are some specific mentions that will discuss the mitigation of ongoing outbreaks?

I found two mentions.
9/

#1) KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: IPAC is Growing and Evolving

The presenter will discuss the growth of IPAC/ICPs from administrators to medical specialists. She will discuss the future of IPAC as we move away from COVID-19.

Huh. 10/

#2) Reflecting on the Pandemic and its Impact on Vaccine Hesitancy
"help attendees understand lessons learned from the COVID pandemic... become aware of the impact of COVID on vaccine hesitancy and consider the impact of vaccine hesitancy on healthcare."
Sponsored by Pfizer? 11/

Since COVID continues to be a cause of massive ongoing Hospital-Acquired Infections, I find it confusing that IPAC is moving away from its mitigation, and the only prevention being discussed is vaccination (which doesn't prevent infection). 12/

In Alberta alone, right now we have 8 acute care outbreaks causing 74 infections among patients, 22 among HCWs. How many are dying? HOw many are getting longCOVID? Should we be reexamining our IPAC processes? Why or why not? 13/
albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/pp…

Back to the photo about who IPAC says they are.
Are they living up to their values? Their vision?

I think Canadian patients, and HCWs, deserve better.

fin/

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