Infection Prevention

04/01/2026

Measles Update: South Carolina & Chicago Alert

South Carolina’s measles outbreak may be nearing its end, with cases stabilizing after months of rapid spread. The outbreak—one of the largest in recent U.S. history—has mainly affected unvaccinated populations, highlighting ongoing gaps in community immunity. 

At the same time, Chicago health officials have issued an alert following a potential measles exposure at an airport, underscoring how easily the virus can spread through travel and public settings.

Measles continues to resurge across the U.S., with most cases linked to outbreaks and largely occurring in unvaccinated individuals. 

Key reminder: Vaccination remains the most effective protection against measles and helps prevent future outbreaks.

The largest measles outbreak in the United States seems to be winding down. The South Carolina Department of Public Health says the state has now gone two full weeks without a new infection. Also, no one in the state is in quarantine or isolation for measles at this time, according to Brannon Traxle...

03/30/2026

Infection prevention starts with consistency—every action, every time, for every patient. Small, evidence-based practices create a safer healthcare environment and better outcomes.

“If it dried too fast… it didn’t work.” That’s the part we don’t like to say out loud. In health care, we rely on disinfectants every single day — wipes, sprays, solutions — trusting they’re protecting our patients. But here’s the reality: If the surface doesn’t stay visibly we...

03/27/2026

🦠 Tuberculosis & Infection Prevention — World TB Day 2026 Key Points

• TB remains a major global health threat with ~10.7 million cases and ~1.23 million deaths annually
• Rising concerns due to drug resistance, immunosuppression, global travel, and post-COVID public health gaps

• Transmission is airborne via respiratory droplet nuclei
• High risk in healthcare settings if proper controls are not followed

• Key IPC measures:
• Early identification and prompt isolation of suspected TB patients
• Use of airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR)
• Proper use of N95 respirators or equivalent PPE
• Adequate ventilation systems
• Administrative controls (screening, triage, protocols)

• Healthcare workers are at increased occupational risk
• Ongoing education, training, and compliance monitoring are essential

• TB prevention requires a layered approach:
administrative + environmental + respiratory protection

Tuberculosis affects 10.7 million annually. IPC professionals prevent health care-associated TB through respiratory isolation, staff screening, and contact investigation. World TB Day 2026 affirms TB elimination is achievable through dedicated infection prevention.

03/23/2026

Emerging oral antibiotics are bringing new hope in the treatment of gonorrhea—but they also raise important concerns about antimicrobial resistance.

Recent developments highlight agents like zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, which could make oral treatment a viable alternative to injections, improving access and patient convenience. However, challenges remain. These oral options show lower effectiveness in treating pharyngeal infections and may carry a higher risk of resistance if not used carefully.

Currently, injectable ceftriaxone remains the gold standard due to its strong efficacy, especially as gonorrhea continues to evolve resistance to multiple antibiotics worldwide.

The key takeaway:
While oral therapies could expand access and simplify treatment, careful stewardship is essential to prevent accelerating resistance.

Zoliflodacin and gepotidacin make oral therapy viable again for urogenital gonorrhea, yet lower pharyngeal efficacy and weak resistance surveillance mean clinicians must adopt cautious, targeted use.

03/23/2026

🌬️ From Droplets to “Through the Air”: Why Ventilation & Respirators Matter

A recent Infection Control Today article highlights a major shift in infection prevention—moving beyond the traditional “droplet vs airborne” model to a “through the air” approach that recognizes how pathogens spread across a continuum of particle sizes.

This means infections like COVID-19, influenza, and measles can all spread through the air more than previously emphasized, making environmental controls more critical than ever.

Key insights:
• Everyday activities like breathing, talking, or coughing can generate infectious aerosols
• Smaller particles stay airborne longer and increase exposure risk
• Infection risk depends on the dose of particles inhaled—not just exposure alone

Why ventilation matters:
Improving air exchange (ACH) reduces the concentration of airborne pathogens. It takes multiple air changes to significantly clear contaminants, making ventilation a frontline defense in healthcare settings.

Why respirators matter:
Because many pathogens spread through the air, respirators (e.g., N95s) provide better protection than surgical masks, especially in high-risk environments.

Key takeaway:
Infection prevention is evolving—clean air + proper respiratory protection are just as important as hand hygiene and surface cleaning.

👉 The future of IPC isn’t just about contact precautions—it’s about controlling the air we breathe.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a shift away from droplet-based precautions toward a “through the air” framework that recognizes aerosol transmission across a continuum of particle sizes. As measles, SARS-CoV-2, and influenza circulate simultaneously, this article explains why ventilation,...

03/23/2026

🤖 AI in Infection Prevention: Transforming Healthcare Safety

A recent Infection Control Today article highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping infection prevention and control (IPC)—not by replacing professionals, but by enhancing their impact.

AI is already being used to automate and improve key infection prevention processes, including continuous hand hygiene monitoring using computer vision and real-time data analytics—far beyond traditional manual observation.

What AI is doing in IPC:
• Continuously monitoring hand hygiene compliance with high accuracy
• Analyzing large volumes of patient data from EMRs in real time
• Detecting healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) faster and more efficiently
• Identifying patterns and risks that may not be visible through manual review

AI-powered tools can also predict infection risks, helping teams intervene earlier and prevent complications before they occur.

Key takeaway:
AI is a powerful decision-support tool, not a replacement for infection preventionists. Human expertise, clinical judgment, and critical thinking remain essential in interpreting data and guiding patient care.

👉 The future of infection prevention is not AI alone—it’s AI + human expertise working together.

AI is transforming hand hygiene monitoring by replacing limited manual observation with continuous, data-driven surveillance. New tools use computer vision and machine learning to detect sanitizer use and identify gaps in adherence.

03/23/2026

🦠 Infection Prevention: A Critical Blind Spot in Healthcare Leadership

A recent Forbes article highlights a major gap in healthcare governance—infection prevention and control (IPC) is often overlooked at the board level, despite being a significant enterprise risk.

Too often, IPC is treated as an operational issue rather than a strategic priority, leaving organizations vulnerable until a crisis—such as an outbreak—forces attention.

Why this matters:
• Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause patient harm and cost hospitals billions annually
• Lack of board visibility can lead to regulatory, financial, and reputational risks
• Delayed attention means missed opportunities for prevention

Key takeaway:
Healthcare boards don’t need to manage infection prevention—but they must ensure it is visible, well-resourced, and governed with the same rigor as other enterprise risks. Asking the right questions before problems arise is one of the most powerful leadership tools.

👉 Infection prevention isn’t just clinical—it’s a leadership responsibility.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) generate direct costs to U.S. hospitals estimated in the tens of billions annually.

03/22/2026

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03/18/2026

Small gaps don’t look serious—until they are. Infection control rarely fails from major events, but from repeated small breakdowns in workflow, access, and accountability. True survey readiness is not documentation—it’s consistent ex*****on in real-world conditions.

Small infection control gaps create big survey problems. Not dramatic failures. Small things. An empty sanitizer dispenser during shift change. PPE stored just far enough away to slow the process. Isolation supplies not immediately accessible. Shared equipment moving between rooms without clear clea...

03/18/2026

Small delays in isolation may seem minor, but they create real exposure risk at the point of care. This is a strong reminder that infection prevention is not just about policies—it’s about how quickly and reliably systems respond in real time. Reliability over compliance.

Isolation delays don’t look serious until surveyors are watching. And by then, it’s already visible. Precautions start late. PPE is gathered after the patient enters. Supplies aren’t within reach. Nothing dramatic. Just seconds lost. Again. And again. Now multiply that by: - Back-to-back admis...

03/16/2026

Surgical irrigation is an intraoperative technique used to rinse the surgical wound before closure to remove debris, tissue fragments, and microorganisms that may increase infection risk. This process helps reduce microbial contamination and supports the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs), one of the most common healthcare-associated complications after surgery. 

Common irrigation solutions include normal saline, antiseptic agents (such as povidone-iodine), and occasionally antibiotic solutions. Studies suggest that antiseptic or antibiotic irrigation may reduce SSI rates compared with saline alone or no irrigation, although the overall evidence remains mixed and further research is needed to determine the most effective approach. 

Despite widespread use—by the majority of surgeons—guidelines from organizations such as the CDC and WHO note that the benefits and risks of antimicrobial irrigation are still being evaluated, and practices vary depending on the surgical procedure and clinical context. 

Key takeaway: Surgical irrigation remains a widely used strategy to help reduce microbial burden in the surgical field and potentially lower the risk of surgical site infections, but optimal solutions and protocols continue to be studied.

Infection preventionists are often asked to advise on surgical irrigation practices as they relate to the reduction of SSI, yet practice varies across organizations and clinical settings. The APIC Center for Research, Practice, and Innovation (CRPI) has released a new evidence-based resource, An Ove...

03/15/2026

🧠 AI-Powered Tool Could Help Detect Hospital Infections Faster

Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a new diagnostic system that combines CRISPR technology and artificial intelligence to quickly detect infections that cause hospital outbreaks, including the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris. 

The platform, called digital SHERLOCK (dSHERLOCK), can identify pathogens and their drug-resistance genes in less than 20 minutes, compared with several days using traditional laboratory testing. 

🔬 Why this matters:
Rapid detection could help hospitals respond faster to outbreaks, guide targeted treatment, and reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections.

During her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, Professor Nicole Weckman (ISTEP, ChemE) developed a new technique to rapidly detect antimicrobial resistant genes in a pathogenic fungus