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Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) | Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI)
Virginia Department of Health (VDH) | United States (U.S.)
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) |
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Hot Topics
Locally Acquired Malaria in the United States.
On August 18th, a single case of locally acquired malaria was reported in Maryland in the National Capital Region. In addition to routinely considering malaria as a cause of febrile illness among patients with a history of international travel to areas where malaria is transmitted, clinicians should consider a malaria diagnosis in any person with an unexplained cause of fever, regardless of their travel history. The risk to the U.S. public for locally acquired mosquito-transmitted malaria remains very low. The CDC Health Update issued on August 28th provides additional information on malaria and recommendations for clinicians.
SHEA/IDSA/APIC Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2022 Updates.
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and other partners including the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) have updated their compendium of strategies to prevent HAIs. These concise recommendations provide practical guidance that includes “essential practices” that should be adopted by all acute care hospitals and “additional approaches” that can be considered for use. The latest updated sections of the compendium of strategies to prevent HAIs include:
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Implementing strategies to prevent infections in acute care settings (July 2023)
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Strategies to prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission and infection in acute care hospitals (June 2023)
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The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has launched a scholarship program for critical access hospitals to build infection prevention and control capacity. Awardees will receive resources such as infection prevention consulting services, APIC memberships, assistance with infection prevention certification, and support for APIC conference attendance. Applications will be open through September 2023. Visit the APIC website for more information or to apply.
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News in Virginia
New VDH HAI/AR Program Members.
The VDH HAI/AR Program would like to extend a warm welcome to Alex Minero (Northern), Ann Seidel (Central), Brandon Sutton (Eastern), and Cindy Chaos (Southwest) as our newest Regional Infection Preventionists. We also welcome our HAI Data Validators Kassie Primich, Yassah Bagby, and Yeo-Jin Lee.
VDH Declares Statewide Outbreak of Meningococcal Disease.
Infection Preventionists and healthcare providers are encouraged to review the latest VDH clinician letter (8/30/23) about a statewide outbreak of meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y. The letter includes information about the epidemiology of identified cases and actions to promote early identification and prompt public health follow up. More information about the outbreak response is available on the VDH website.
Influenza.
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Influenza Sentinel Surveillance program: VDH is seeking healthcare providers to participate in the Influenza Sentinel Surveillance program for the 2023-24 flu season. Influenza Sentinel Surveillance Program participants help VDH monitor flu trends and burden over time and provide data for future vaccine formulation decisions. Participation involves collecting specimens from individuals who meet influenza-like illness criteria, which is at no cost to the facility or patients. The specimens are sent to the state public health lab for further testing and subtyping. Please visit the influenza sentinel surveillance website for more information. Contact VDH at flu@vdh.virginia.gov for questions and to sign up.
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Prevent the Flu in Healthcare Settings: Spread of influenza virus can occur among patients, healthcare providers (HCP), and visitors. HCP may acquire influenza from persons in their household or community. Flu Prevention is important and multifactorial. For more information visit Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings.
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Looking for tools and resources to launch a robust vaccine promotion campaign? Check out HQI’s “Your Health Can’t Wait, Vaccinate!” webinar. Slides and recording are available.
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Training & Education
Cuppa Tea with an IP.
Every Wednesday at 2:00pm, join the VDH HAI/AR Team for Cuppa Tea with an IP. Cuppa Tea with an IP is a weekly chance to chat live with an infection preventionist (IP) and subject matter experts (SMEs) about your infection prevention and control questions. We can’t wait to hear your questions and see how we can help. Register once for the Cuppa Tea with an IP weekly meetings and attend whenever you have questions or need a little IP peer boost. |
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New Education Fair Posters Available on HAI/AR Webpage.
Six new posters on core infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies are now available on the HAI/AR Education & Training webpage under “Infection Prevention Resources”. These posters were designed for use during education fairs or other staff training opportunities and are applicable to any healthcare setting. Topics covered include environmental cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene (five key moments, how to use alcohol-based hand rub, how to wash hands with soap and water), and personal protective equipment (donning and doffing).
for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens (CORHA).
CORHA recently published a new webpage that features key resources for preventing and responding to Burkholderia cepacia in healthcare settings.
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Virginia Chapter (APIC VA) – Annual Education Conference.
Registration for the APIC Virginia Annual Education Pre-Conference (10/5/23) and Conference (10/6/23) is now open!
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Pre-conference: Bugs, Drugs and Hugs: Embracing an Expanded Infection Prevention Team to Include Laboratory Services in Your Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
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Conference: Topics include water management, scabies and Group A Strep outbreak investigations, construction and renovation, and health equity in infection prevention and control.
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APIC VA website for more information, including cost and detailed agenda
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Registration link
Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center.
 The Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center is pleased to announce a FREE course on Infection Prevention & Control in Home Health & Hospice! Online and fully on-demand, this course can be accessed immediately after registration. Thanks to funding from VDH, this course is free. CE credit offered. Enroll now or visit the VIPTC website to learn more.
 Looking to strengthen your infection prevention & control program? Want to make your facility even safer? Join VIPTC on September 15 at noon for a FREE webinar on VDH’s Proactive Infection Prevention & Control Assessments. Learn about proactive assessments and hear first-hand accounts of on-site visits. CE credit will be offered for this webinar. Register now or visit the VIPTC website to learn more.
 Are you teaching infection prevention and control (IPC) concepts to a new team member? Do you want to freshen up your knowledge of IPC practices? VIPTC is excited to share new training videos! Featuring fun characters, the videos cover IPC topics important for any infection prevention professional to know. All videos can be found on the VIPTC website and YouTube channel.
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Awareness Events
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September is Sepsis Awareness Month. CDC encourages patients and healthcare professionals to share Get Ahead of Sepsis resources and to learn how to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their patients from sepsis. Additionally, CDC released the first-ever Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements to help all hospitals, regardless of size or location, implement, monitor, and optimize sepsis programs and improve survival rates.
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September 18–22, 2023, is Fungal Disease Awareness Week (FDAW). Each year, CDC and partners dedicate FDAW to activities and outreach that encourage everyone to Think Fungus. Learn more about FDAW at Fungal Disease Awareness Week 2023 | CDC.
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#GlobalHandwashingDay is October 15! Handwashing with soap and water can help protect you, your household, and your community from getting sick from germs. https://bit.ly/3QIvXuv
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International Infection Prevention Week.
October 15-21, 2023. Organized by APIC, the theme for this year’s International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) is “Celebrate the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention” because infection prevention basics are needed now more than ever. Visit the IIPW website for free factsheets, social media posts, and more.
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Making Connections
Regional Infection Prevention Teams in Action. This quarterly newsletter spotlights the essential role and accomplishments of the VDH Regional Infection Preventionists. The second issue was published in August 2023.
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What diseases must be reported to the health department
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Who is required to report
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How the report should be shared
Virginia Long-Term Care Clinician Network (LTC-CN). Join an organized network of medical directors, physicians, and advanced practice providers who work in long-term care facilities and other congregate care settings across Virginia with the purpose of sharing best clinical practices.
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Monthly Newsletter: Receive a monthly newsletter that focuses on updates pertinent to long-term care in Virginia, including infection prevention guidelines, treatment options, and other updates.
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Monthly Forum: Access to monthly virtual forums where issues can be discussed with a group of peers practicing in the same care setting.
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Resources: Access to a central website with free resources.
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We want to hear from you!
Connect with us by visiting our website or email us at hai@vdh.virginia.gov.
We are hiring!
Check out the HAI/AR Program Job Board for current available jobs. Get Updates!
Get Updates!
Sign up for news from the HAI/AR Program, including newsletter publications here!
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