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The rate of Americans contracting potentially fatal Clostridium difficile bacterial infections in hospitals fell between 2011 and 2017, according to a paper published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a roughly 24% reduction in infections between 2011 and 2017, though the number of people who died in hospitals from the infection did not seem to change significantly.

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The paper credits better stewardship programs for a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones — the use of which has been linked to a higher risk of developing C. diff —  and improved local prevention efforts like setting up infection prevention and cleaning checklists.

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