Category: Infection Prevention

Healthcare Worker Vaccination is Important for Respiratory Virus Season

Healthcare worker rolls up her sleeve to show off bandaid after getting vaccinations

Respiratory virus season is here. As a healthcare worker, you play a critical role in slowing and preventing the spread of viral respiratory infections, including flu and COVID-19. Like hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and environmental cleaning and disinfection, vaccination is a critical tool in our infection control toolbox. Getting recommended vaccines in combination Read More >

Posted on by Janet Glowicz, PhD, RN, Infection Preventionist with Project Firstline in CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion2 CommentsTags ,

Ethiopian Hospitals Use Infection Prevention and Control Practices to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

Two hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are demonstrating that even when access to resources is limited, commitment to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices makes combating antimicrobial resistance (AR) possible. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can cause severe, hard-to-treat infections. They were associated with almost 5 million deaths worldwide in 2019. IPC practices such as proper hand hygiene, Read More >

Posted on by Guest authors: Sophie Jones and Elizabeth Soda4 CommentsTags , , , , ,

Reminder: Infection Control Actions to Take During Respiratory Virus Season

Last year’s considerable respiratory virus season saw spread of COVID-19, flu, and RSV, which led to extra stress on an already overwhelmed healthcare system. When respiratory viruses are spreading in the community, the risk for spread in healthcare settings increases as well. Remember: Regardless of your healthcare setting or which respiratory viruses are spreading in Read More >

Posted on by Mike Bell, MD1 CommentTags ,

Protecting Long-Term Care Residents from Sepsis

Author: Heather Jones, DNP, NP-C

Long-term care (LTC) settings, such as nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities and assisted living, are home to individuals who are unable to live independently and who need a variety of services, including both medical and personal care. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2015, there were 1.5 million residents living in nursing homes/skilled Read More >

Posted on by Heather Jones, DNP, NP-C5 CommentsTags , , , ,

Demonstrating the Ability to Protect Healthcare Personnel from COVID-19 in High-Risk Settings

Project Covered

This content can also be found on the NIOSH Science Blog. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about stresses to the U.S. healthcare workforce never seen before. Since early in the pandemic, reports have abounded of healthcare personnel (HCP) being infected, sometimes resulting in severe outcomes and death. As of July 20, 2022, there have been nearly 1 Read More >

Posted on by L. Clifford McDonald, MD, and David Weissman, MD1 CommentTags , , ,