Building on its major educational campaign Infection Prevention and You focusing on hospital infection prevention, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) introduced educational materials for long-term care, home care, and ambulatory care to help patients stay safe from infections. Introduced in concert with International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), Oct. 14-20, 2012, the new Infection Prevention and You campaign materials help guide important conversations patients should hold with their healthcare team to prevent infection. IIPW provides a focal point to empower stakeholders, including patients and their families, in taking an active role to prevent infection. In addition to empowering patients and their families to speak up to prevent infection, it is the first consumer campaign of its kind designed to educate consumers about infection preventionistsdedicated experts who partner with the broader healthcare team and implement evidence-based methods to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Patients often feel intimidated in the healthcare setting and may not know what to say or what do to stay safe, says APIC Communications Committee chair Ann Marie Pettis, RN, BSN, CIC, who assisted in developing the campaign content. Due to the growing need to help patients in non-acute care settings understand the active role they can play to prevent infections, we customized the campaign material for long-term, home, and ambulatory care. We hope that these materials will be used to promote quality and patient safety initiatives. APICs Infection Prevention and You campaign material is available in a variety of formats, including posters, brochures, and fliers. Individual healthcare organizations can also customize the material by adding their logos and the contact information for their infection prevention department. Campaign material is available for free download at: www.apic.org/patientsafety
This week in infection prevention: Kenya’s Bundibugyo virus response shows why execution, not just planning, determines outcomes, and France reported the first known human Shamonda virus infection. Our roundup also covers brucellosis, blood donor screening, and long-acting HIV antibody findings from IDWeek 2026.
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.
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.
Clean Hospitals President Alexandra Peters, PhD, explains how training, meaningful support, and stronger collaboration with infection prevention teams can empower environmental services staff and strengthen patient safety.
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.
This week in infection prevention: Kenya's imported Ebola case showed how fever screening can miss an ill traveler, Florida's dengue outbreak reached 296 local cases, and new guidance underscores that missed surfaces and shared equipment fuel AMR risk. Our weekly roundup covers these stories and more.
Behind every landmark in infection prevention, from antimicrobial stewardship guidelines to the COVID-19 town halls that reached flight attendants and teachers, is a generation of physician-scientists who led SHEA through crises, organizational change, and scientific breakthroughs. Infection Control Today traces 30 years of SHEA presidents and the lasting mark they left on the field.
