Prevention

3 of 4: How technology, artificial intelligence, automation, and data are reshaping sterile processing leadership

Part 2 of 4: Recruitment may bring people into sterile processing. Development is what determines whether they stay.

Two experts give an update ahead of the first season with a new mRNA vaccine against flu.

Part 1 of 4: How emerging sterile processing leaders are redefining leadership through trust, accountability, psychological safety, and professional development.

France’s first reported human Shamonda virus infection raises questions about transmission and vulnerable patients. Explore what investigators know, what remains uncertain, and why infection preventionists should follow this emerging story.

An analysis of 147 million US hospital admissions identified 875 adults with brucellosis diagnoses, highlighting demographic and regional differences while emphasizing exposure histories and uncertainty about underdiagnosis.

Kenya’s secondary Ebola cases raise urgent questions about hospital readiness. Explore what the response reveals about contact tracing, health care worker protection, and the implementation of infection prevention plans.

An ICU study found that alcohol-based hand rub applied after patient care reduced glove bioburden, while staff raised feasibility concerns. Researchers stress that the practice does not replace glove changes or hand hygiene.

A study of 4,851 nursing home residents linked shared rooms to higher odds of matching MDRO carriage, while universal decolonization was associated with lower concordant carriage across MRSA, ESBL, and VRE.

A retrospective hospital study found no significant differences in mortality or readmissions between infectious disease e-consults and in-person consultations, despite more diagnoses of bacteremia among e-consult patients. Researchers recommend further evaluation across settings.

Presented at IDWeek 2026, a living review of 64 studies found the strongest evidence for dengue prevention from mosquito modification, while highlighting substantial uncertainty and research gaps in other approaches to Aedes vector control.

A 2026 IDWeek poster details how respiratory cultures and whole genome sequencing clarified a NICU MRSA outbreak, with targeted prevention measures followed by at least 6 months without additional bacteremias or related respiratory clusters.

Researchers recovered a carbapenemase-producing organism from the shaft of a hospital drain auger, prompting calls for standardized reprocessing protocols and further investigation into maintenance equipment as a potential source of environmental dissemination.

A poster presented at IDWeek was a systematic review of 35 studies that found rare transmission of viral hemorrhagic fever to health care personnel in high-income countries and highlighted the need for standardized exposure definitions to guide response.

A proposed hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau raises concerns about delaying newborn protection. This commentary examines the ethical obligations of researchers and the consequences of weakening established prevention efforts.

For International Infection Prevention Week, Infection Control Today explores how prevention connects hospital departments with everyday community life and why infection preventionists (IPs), sterile processing department (SPD), professionals, and environmental services (EVS) teams deserve lasting support.