Weekly Rounds: Emojitoons, Improper Sterilization at Veterans Affairs Hospital, and More
Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending March 11.
Here are 5 highlights from ICT®’s wide-ranging coverage of the infection prevention and control world. Everything from interviews with known opinion leaders, to the news that infection preventionists and other health care professionals can use on their jobs.
1. Emojitoons: Selling Infection Prevention Compliance With Avatars
Compliance has increased up to 50% on key infection prevention and control practices at a South Carolina health system due to these short emoji-cartoons.
2. Improper Sterilization at Veterans Affairs Hospital Could Have Exposed Thousands to HIV, Hepatitis
A letter has been sent to more than 4500 veterans stating that reusable instruments used in medical procedures may not have been sterilized properly at a Georgia hospital.
3. COVID-19 Brain Changes: New Evidence Details Long-Term Effects of Infection A new study supports the conclusion that the “brain fog” reported by many who have recovered from mild COVID-19 infection is real and has an anatomical basis.
4. To the Next Normal After COVID-19: Leading Health Experts Offer “Roadmap”
A comprehensive blueprint on how to be better prepared for the future as COVID-19 becomes endemic and the world faces future pandemics.
5. COVID-19 Lessons for Infection Prevention: APIC's Recommendations to Be Better Prepared for Next Time
Key recommendations in the report include normalizing mask wearing and avoiding the supply chain failures.
“A Coup Against Science”: Health Groups Decry Kennedy’s Firing of National Vaccine Advisory Panel
June 12th 2025Health leaders are outraged after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, calling it a political purge that threatens public trust and vaccine safety.
AHE Exchange Summit 2025 Brings EVS and Infection Prevention Experts Together in Columbus, Ohio
June 9th 2025The Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE) is set to host its largest event of the year—Exchange Summit 2025—from June 8 to 11 in Columbus, Ohio. With over 600 environmental services (EVS) professionals expected to attend, this year’s conference focuses heavily on infection prevention, interdepartmental collaboration, and education that empowers frontline health care support leaders to improve patient safety and operational efficiency.
