ICT Blog

Kelly M. Pyrek has served as editor in chief of Infection Control Today magazine for the past seven years, and manages a number of ICT-affiliated print and online offerings, including the Infection Control Education Institute, the ICT Conference on Professional Development, the ICT Series of Webinars, and GermStop. Recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists as an award-winning practitioner, she has served as an editorial manager, editor, and writer for newspapers, magazines, wire services, and public information bureaus for 25 years. She is a graduate of the Universityof Southern California.

Holiday Decorations and Infection: Poll Results

January 3, 2012 Comments

Posted in Blog

Happy New Year! By now you may have already taken down the holiday decorations, so it's an appropriate time to announce the results of a recent ICT Poll that asked, "Do you think holiday decorations in hospitals represent an infection risk of any kind?" Here are the results:

Yes: 38.26%

No: 47.65%

Uncertain: 14.09%

Almost anything in the healthcare environment could become a potential reservoir of pathogenic organisms, but it's challenging to determine if something as benign as a Christmas wreath or Hanukkah menorah could serve as a fomite. The majority said they didn't think decorations were a concern, while some individuals seemed to think they might play a role in the chain of infection. If anyone has seen any conclusive evidence on this matter, I invite you to leave an online comment.