This week's coverage in Infection Control Today centered on a common thread: the systems, partnerships, and data that let infection prevention teams catch problems before patients are harmed.
News|Puzzle Quizzes|December 25, 2025
The Merry Microbe: The First Ever ICT Holiday Games Booklet 2025
To celebrate and thank the infection prevention community, Infection Control Today® introduces The Merry Microbe, a festive holiday games booklet filled with quizzes, puzzles, and crosswords designed to educate, engage, and bring a little joy to the vital work of keeping health care environments safe.
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Dear Infection Control Today® Community,
As we come to the close of another extraordinary year in infection prevention and control, I want to pause and say thank you. Truly. Your dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to protecting patients, staff, and communities continue to inspire everything we do at Infection Control Today®.
This year, like so many before it, demanded adaptability, expertise, and perseverance. Infection preventionists balanced competing priorities while responding to evolving threats. Environmental services professionals worked tirelessly to keep frontline spaces clean and safe, often under intense pressure. Sterile processing teams ensured surgical excellence behind the scenes, where precision and consistency make all the difference. Public health professionals pushed for stronger systems, better surveillance, and broader prevention strategies. Across every role in infection prevention and control, your work mattered deeply.
You save lives every single day. Sometimes that impact is visible and immediate. Other times it is quiet and unseen, reflected in infections that never occurred, outbreaks that were contained, and patients who recovered safely. Even when recognition is limited, the value of your work is immense.
At ICT, we see you. We hear your challenges, celebrate your successes, and remain committed to amplifying your voices and expertise. It is a privilege to tell your stories, share your insights, and help advance the science and practice of infection prevention.
As a small token of appreciation, we are excited to share The Merry Microbe: The First Ever ICT Holiday Games Booklet. This special holiday offering is filled with quizzes, puzzles, brainteasers, and crosswords designed just for you. Whether you use it as a team-building activity, an educational tool, or a quiet moment of reflection with a cup of coffee, we hope it brings a bit of joy and levity during a busy season.
The end of the year is also a time for rest and renewal. You have given so much, and you deserve space to recharge. As we look ahead, may the coming year bring renewed energy, continued collaboration, and a safer, healthier future for patients and professionals alike.
Thank you for your passion, your expertise, and your commitment to advancing infection prevention and control. We are honored to be part of your journey.
Warmly,
Tori Whitacre Martonicz
Lead Editor, Infection Control Today®
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Related to this article
What Were the Biggest Infection Prevention Stories This Week? Ebola's Outpaced Response, Lyme Coinfection Data, and Sterile Processing Burnout Explained, and more
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.
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.
Missing instruments and processing delays can strain OR–SPD relationships. At AORN 2026, John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, discusses understanding root causes, exploring off-site reprocessing for ambulatory surgical centers, and using hands-on simulation to help surgical teams see sterile processing from a different perspective.
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.
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