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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
💡Call for Cases: Adverse Events Following Ceftriaxone Administration
CDC is working with state and local health departments to investigate reports of serious adverse events, including deaths, following administration of injectable ceftriaxone. So far, no single manufacturer or lot has been linked to these events, and ceftriaxone has not been confirmed as the cause. Most cases have been reported in the southeastern U.S. Reports show that reactions happened when ceftriaxone was given intramuscularly, by an IV push, or an IV piggyback. Events have been reported from inpatient and outpatient settings.
CDC is requesting reports of serious adverse events following the administration of ceftriaxone to assist with the ongoing investigation. Report adverse events to VDH that meet the following criteria, occurring after September 1, 2024:
- Occurred within 6 hours after receipt of injectable* ceftriaxone in a non-ICU setting, and
- Resulted in death or required cardiopulmonary resuscitation**, and
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Not attributed by the treating provider(s) to a cause other than ceftriaxone administration***
*Including both intramuscular and intravenous routes of administration
**Cardiopulmonary resuscitation defined as the use of chest compressions and mechanical ventilation or provision of rescue breaths to maintain circulatory flow and oxygenation during cardiac arrest
***Such as known infection, other underlying medical condition, or exposure to a medication or medical product other than ceftriaxone
As federal, state, and local public health agencies work together to understand the epidemiology of these adverse events and determine the etiology, healthcare providers and healthcare facility administrators are recommended to:
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Use clinical judgment when administering ceftriaxone. At this time, there is no recommendation to withhold ceftriaxone if it is the best agent for a patient’s bacterial infection.
- Limit use of any unnecessary antibiotics, including ceftriaxone, to decrease the likelihood of adverse events.
- Review post-injection monitoring protocols in your setting to verify adverse events are promptly detected and reported.
- Should an event be detected in real time, please keep open ceftriaxone product administered to the patient, if possible. Further instruction may be given by CDC. At this time, there is no recommendation to sequester unused product.
- Report serious adverse events that might be associated with a medical product to FDA’s MedWatch Program and to the product manufacturer.
If practitioners suspect a related case in Virginia, please notify a member of the VDH HAI/AR Program (804-864-8141 or hai@vdh.virginia.gov) for coordination and follow-up.
💡Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
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New: Avian influenza A(H5) has not been found in people or dairy cattle in Virginia but has recently been found in wild birds, commercial poultry, and birds in a zoo collection.
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VDH Recommendations:
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Summarized in a VDH Clinician Letter (1/31/25)
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Follow CDC guidance for evaluating and managing patients who are suspected to have avian influenza.
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Additional Information:
💡Ebola in Uganda
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New: VDH and CDC are notifying healthcare providers about a confirmed outbreak of Ebola disease in Uganda caused by the Sudan virus. To date, there have been no cases of Sudan virus disease (SVD) outside of Uganda.
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VDH Recommendations:
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Additional Information:
📢 News in Virginia
💡Measles
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New: VDH reported a person returning from international travel was in Dulles International Airport (IAD) on March 5, 2025, while infectious with measles. Maryland Department of Health reported additional potential locations of exposure in Maryland. Anyone who might have been exposed and is at risk of developing measles is asked to watch for symptoms until March 26, 2025.
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VDH Recommendations:
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Summarized in a VDH Clinician Letter (3/12/2025)
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Make sure patients are up to date on measles vaccine, especially before international travel, regardless of destination.
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If you suspect measles:
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📢 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
💡Validation of Dialysis Events
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Update: The VDH HAI/AR Program validated Dialysis Events (DE) reported from 3 Virginia hemodialysis facilities (June 1–Dec 31, 2023); findings include:
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Overall accuracy rate of 56%
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11 discrepancies were reported from participating facilities
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Review the Dialysis Event Summary Report for more information
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Additional Information: This marks the end of three phases of NHSN external validation activities. The VDH HAI/AR Program sincerely thanks all participating facilities and staff. Your collaboration has provided valuable insights into Virginia’s HAI tracking efforts.
💡Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccination Annual Data Reporting
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Reminder: Annual influenza vaccination data reporting among healthcare personnel (HCP) is required of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-certified free-standing acute care facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), critical access hospitals, long-term acute care facilities, prospective payment system (PPS)-exempt cancer hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Facilities are required to submit one report at the end of the influenza season that covers the entire season from October 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025. The deadline for reporting is May 15, 2025.
💡NHSN Dialysis Event Surveillance Training
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New: On-demand training session offering users the opportunity to learn at their own pace. Upon completion of the course, users should be able to:
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Describe the scope of the problem of hemodialysis infections.
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Define key terms associated with Dialysis Events.
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Describe how to collect event data using the Dialysis Event form.
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Explain how Dialysis Events rates are calculated to promote performance improvement.
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Describe how interdisciplinary teams work together to handle adverse dialysis events.
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📢 Training & Education
🆕World TB Day 2025
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New: Please join the VDH TB Program on Monday, March 24 from 2-4PM for a webinar recognizing World TB Day 2025.
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The VDH TB Team will be presenting information about TB in Virginia, including programmatic updates, new surveillance data, and changes to recommendations for isolation of TB patients.
🆕New & Updated Resources from the VDH HAI/AR Program
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Updated: – updated with language emphasizing the importance of good infection prevention practices when performing wound care or respiratory care procedures.
🆕Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center
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New Courses:
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Infection Prevention & Control Strategies in Dialysis Settings: Learn best practices for preventing the spread of infection in dialysis patients, vascular access care, environmental cleaning and disinfection, water safety, and antibiotic stewardship in VIPTC’s free mini-course. CE credit offered.
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Long-Term Care Course: Enhance infection prevention in long-term care with VIPTC's expert-led course bundle! Learn best practices for isolation, risk assessment, and antimicrobial stewardship. Free and eligible for CE credit.
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New videos: The most recently published education and training videos include:
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Assisted Blood Glucose Monitoring: This video walks through the steps to ensure patient safety and avoid bloodborne infections when performing assisted blood glucose monitoring.
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Training series for new infection preventionists
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The Amazing Story of Clean Catch: A patient instruction video based on VIPTC’s Untold Stories of Urine Specimens video. This resource takes patients through the proper steps for collecting a urine sample to ensure accuracy and minimize contamination.
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Updated versions of CHG Treatment Step-by-Step Instructions: These videos for patients and the clinical team now emphasize the importance of following your facility’s specific policy regarding line cleaning with CHG wipes.
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📢 Making Connections
✴️ Cuppa Tea with an IP. A weekly live chat with VDH infection preventionists (IPs) and experts to address your infection prevention and control questions. Register once to attend any session as needed.
✴️ Vitamin IPC. Subscribe to the monthly Vitamin IPC bulletin by VIPTA for essential resources and access to events to enhance frontline healthcare personnel’s infection prevention and control training.
✴️ Clinician Letter. This letter is emailed to all currently licensed healthcare professionals in the Commonwealth to communicate important updates. Access archived letters at Clinician Letters - Clinicians (virginia.gov)
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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.
Get Updates!
Sign up for news from the HAI/AR Program, including newsletter publications here!
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