Infection Control Today Magazine - healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), hospital infections, infection prevention and control, healthcare epidemiology, aseptic technique, environmental hygiene, hand hygiene, disinfection and sterilization, outbreak investigation, surveillance

FEATURES

Link Between Antibiotics and Biofilms

Researchers from USC and the Oak Crest Institute of Science have discovered the link between antibiotics and bacterial biofilm formation leading to ...read more

Fist Bump Beats Handshake

“Fist bumping” transmits significantly fewer bacteria than either handshaking or high-fiving, while still addressing the cultural ...read more

National Immunization Awareness Month

Each year in August, National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) provides an opportunity to highlight the value of immunization across the lifespan. ...read more

Healthcare Reform

Infection prevention's role in quality improvement initiatives is becoming more of an imperative within the overall efforts by healthcare ...read more

Latest Headlines

Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 is Most Prevalent Worldwide

In one of the largest prevalence studies to date, researchers from the U.K. provide national, regional, and global genotype prevalence estimates for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Findings published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver ...More
Yesterday Posted in News
New Oral Drug Regimens Cure Hardest-to-Treat Hepatitis C

Two new pill-only antiviral drug regimens could provide shorter, more effective treatment options with fewer side effects for the majority of patients infected with hepatitis C, even those most difficult to treat, according to the results of two studies published in The ...More
Yesterday Posted in News
1 in 3,000 Blood Donors in England Infected with Hepatitis E

The first systematic analysis of hepatitis E virus (HEV) transmission by blood components indicates that about 1 in 3,000 donors in England have HEV in their plasma. The findings, published in The Lancet, suggest that around 1,200 HEV-containing blood components (e.g., red ...More
Yesterday Posted in News
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa: 96 New Cases, 7 Deaths

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor the evolution of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. The Ebola epidemic trend remains precarious, with community and healthcare facility transmissions of infection still taking ...More
Yesterday Posted in News
Fist Bumping Beats Germ-Spreading Handshake, Study Reports

“Fist bumping” transmits significantly fewer bacteria than either handshaking or high-fiving, while still addressing the cultural expectation of hand-to-hand contact between patients and clinicians, according to a study published in the August issue of the ...More
2 days ago Posted in News, Hand Hygiene
ASA Launches National Perioperative Surgical Home Learning Collaborative

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) announces the launch of its ASA Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) Learning Collaborative, a national initiative designed to improve the patient experience before, during and after surgery. More than 40 leading health care ...More
4 days ago Posted in News
Antimicrobial Hard Surfaces: What the Infection Preventionist Should Know

This report briefly looks at antimicrobial-embedded plastic and polymer surfaces that can help healthcare facilities in the fight against healthcare-acquired infections that are transmitted from environmental surfaces. ...More
4 days ago Posted in Reports, Environmental Hygiene
IOM to Hold Workshop on Powered Air-Purifying Respirators

The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) is supporting the Institute of Medicine (IOM)’s public workshop on powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). This workshop will be held Aug. 7-8, 2014 at the Keck Center of the National Academies ...More
4 days ago Posted in News
First CDC Lab Resumes Transfer of Inactivated Materials Out of High-Containment Laboratory

After intensive review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s internal Laboratory Safety Improvement Working Group (internal working group), CDC director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, has lifted the moratorium on a specific type of material transfer for the ...More
4 days ago Posted in News
CDC Announces Formation of an External Laboratory Safety Workgroup

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the formation of an external laboratory safety workgroup of the Advisory Committee to the Director of CDC. This group will provide advice and guidance to the CDC director and CDC’s new director of ...More
4 days ago Posted in News