The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) held a public meeting August 22, 2024, in Atlanta, GA. Official meeting minutes will be available on the HICPAC website soon. Until then, here is a summary of key issues from the day’s discussion. Watch recording of the live public webcast: HICPAC Meeting – Aug. 22, 2024 (youtube.com) Key Moments During the meeting, the committee heard brief updates from three of HICPAC’s workgroups: Isolation Precautions Workgroup presented a summary update on their recent work. Since the November 2023 HICPAC meeting, 7 new workgroup membe ..read more

As a healthcare worker, clean hands count. Clean hands prevent the spread of illness in healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, the frequent handwashing and sanitizing needed to achieve this all too often results in painful, cracking, or broken skin on the hands. This raises an important question: what can we do to ensure our hands are clean to protect ourselves and patients, and still have healthy and beautiful hands? As dermatologists, hand dermatitis is one of the most common issues we see. Hand dermatitis often comes with redness, dry skin, itching, burning, blisters, and crusts. It is made ..read more

In March 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman.” Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.  Health disparities and inequities in infectious diseases (ID) have existed throughout history, and ongoing inequities became more evident during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Within the subspecialties of healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention and control, and antimicrobial stewardship, there is also ev ..read more

National Poison Prevention Week (March 17-23, 2024) is a good time for parents and caregivers to review how medicines are stored in their homes. While you may keep prescription medicines Up and Away, and out of reach and sight of young children, it’s important to remember that over-the-counter medicines and supplements, such as vitamins and melatonin (including those in gummy form), should also be kept out of reach and sight. Over the past decade, gummy products have become increasingly common on pharmacy shelves, offering a “candy-like” option for vitamins and other supplements such as melato ..read more

When a loved one is hospitalized, the last thing anyone wants is for them to get an infection while receiving care. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on any given day, about 1 in 31 U.S. hospitalized patients has a healthcare-associated infection (HAI). An HAI is an infection that develops during or soon after receiving health care or being in a healthcare setting, such as a hospital, clinic, doctor’s office, surgery center, or nursing home. Common HAIs include bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections ..read more

Experts are working together to bring down rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in low- and middle-income countries, which can be at least 3 times higher than those in high-income countries. Healthcare professionals trained in infection prevention and control (IPC) are critical to reduce HAIs and improve patient and healthcare worker safety, but many healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries lack trained IPC professionals. CDC and ICAP at Columbia University collaborated with partners in Sierra Leone and Ethiopia to develop and establish IPC training programs. These ..read more

  February is Black History Month, a time to reflect on the contributions and experiences of African Americans throughout United States history. This year, CDC’s Project Firstline had the privilege of speaking with Dr. TaRessa Wills, a Black female physician, about what the observance means to her and the importance of advancing health equity to make health care safer for all. Black Americans’ Contributions to Health Care are an Important Part of American History To start the conversation, Dr. Wills emphasized the uniqueness of the African American story and how it has shaped our shared n ..read more

Respiratory infections such as influenza (flu), COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continue to spread within communities and healthcare settings. In a recent webinar with CDC’s Project Firstline and the American Medical Association (AMA), CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen discussed the impacts of the current respiratory virus season, the importance of vaccination, and the importance of effective risk communication to help built trust with the public. As an advanced registered nurse practitioner, I understand the importance of protecting ourselves and our loved ones during these challen ..read more

CDC is now monitoring three new vaccines through V-Safe Vaccine safety monitoring is a top priority for CDC. V-safe is one of several complementary safety systems CDC uses to closely monitor the safety of vaccines in the United States. It lets vaccine recipients self-report how they feel after receiving a vaccine. Healthcare providers can encourage patients to register for a V-safe account and tell CDC how they’re feeling after maternal RSV vaccine, RSV vaccines for older adults, or 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines. V-safe started in December 2020 to monitor the safety of COVID-19 ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the approach we take in healthcare settings to protect healthcare personnel, patients, and others from transmission of respiratory infections. Experimental and observational data show that an important pathway for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is via inhalation of small particles in the air generated by infected individuals. There is widespread recognition that inhalation of infectious particles is a primary pathway of disease transmission occurring over short distances in addition to large droplets and sp ..read more