HAIs

Knowing the protocol is only the beginning. In The Clean Bite, Sherrie Busby explores how explaining the why, addressing staff concerns, and creating clear procedures can help dental teams make infection control part of everyday practice.

What might infection prevention rounds miss when visible conditions dominate the conversation? Tommy Davis, PhD, CMIP, a member of ICT's executive advisory board, makes the case for structured observations of clinical workflows, shared accountability, and greater attention to environmental services staff’s insights.

A followed procedure can still leave patients at risk if it no longer matches validated requirements. Annetta L. McKnight, MHA, BSN, CRCST, CER, examines how infection prevention and sterile processing can identify process drift, assess disruptions, and strengthen shared oversight of medical device reprocessing.

Turnover pressure can leave critical OR cleaning steps unfinished. Karen deKay, MSN, RN, EBP-C, CNOR, CIC, FAPIC, examines common gaps in environmental hygiene and how shared responsibilities, attention to disinfectant contact time, and ongoing education can help teams strengthen practices between cases.

Infection Control Today celebrates 30 years of covering the people, science, and challenges shaping infection prevention with another milestone: its first digital magazine, featuring outbreak analysis, biosecurity, respiratory testing, sterile processing, professional leadership, conference coverage, and more.

During National EVS Week, appreciation matters, but partnership matters more. Environmental services professionals bring infection prevention expertise and a unique understanding of the health care environment that can help identify barriers, improve cleaning and disinfection practices, and ultimately protect patients.

How do you celebrate an infection that never happened? That's one of the unusual challenges infection preventionists share with teachers. Both can spend their careers changing outcomes they may never see. Both educate people who don't always want to listen. Both are second-guessed. Both face burnout. And both must somehow keep remembering why they started.

Here are the formal rules for the 2026 Winner of the Infection Control Today’s Educator of the Year Award™.

At AHE Exchange26, experts revealed how surprisingly small gaps in linen education can contribute to waste, higher costs, and potential patient safety risks. The solution begins with something simple: helping everyone who touches health care linen understand why their role matters.

Merck has announced that the FDA accepted its supplemental application to expand ENFLONSIA's indication to include children younger than 2 years who remain at increased risk for severe RSV disease during their second RSV season.

Claryx has emerged from stealth with funding and a genomic surveillance platform designed to help hospitals identify hidden transmission chains, trace infection sources, and intervene before outbreaks grow.

New US Ebola travel restrictions require many travelers leaving the DRC to spend 21 days outside the country before returning home, creating logistical, financial, and operational challenges for health care responders.

Reusable lead aprons and thyroid collars are used daily throughout hospitals, but often fall outside standardized cleaning protocols. Infection prevention and perioperative experts discuss contamination risks, ATP testing, operational barriers, and the need for multidisciplinary collaboration to strengthen environmental hygiene and reduce the risk of HAIs.

Environmental testing found bacterial contamination on many lead garments and described what lead garment cleaning technicians routinely encounter during servicing.

Reusable lead aprons and thyroid collars are used daily throughout hospitals, but often fall outside standardized cleaning protocols. Infection prevention and perioperative experts discuss contamination risks, ATP testing, operational barriers, and the need for multidisciplinary collaboration to strengthen environmental hygiene and reduce the risk of HAIs.