Weekly Rounds with Infection Control Today: APIC’s Mission, Surge Teams, Silent Pandemic
Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending July 9.
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.
APIC Tapped to Help Spread Infection Prevention Message
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology received a grant under the CDC’s Project Firstline program to bolster IP educational opportunities.
White House to Send ‘Surge Teams’ to COVID-19 Hotspots
Federal health professionals will be sent to counties where vaccinations rates are lowest, and Delta variant infections are highest.
Masks: More Use Equals Better Comfort Level
Two obstacles that inhibit the use of face masks among health care professionals include concern about how’ll they’ll affect communication, and perceived discomfort. Attitudes improve greatly with use.
Chlorhexidine Gluconate-Incised Surgical Drapes Seem More Effective
The makeup and application of surgical drapes hasn’t significantly changed in 50 years, a study states. Time for a new look?
Gathering Storm: Future Without Antibiotics Is Coming at UsHeather Saunders MPH, RN, CIC: “I think [infection preventionists] really need to be aware of what the efforts are at their state health departments and how they can collaborate with those efforts. IPs need to also have their own surveillance systems in place. They need to know what they’re looking for.”
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
