HAI/AR Navigator Newsletter - March/April

Virginia Department of Health sent this bulletin at 03/13/2026 10:00 AM EDT

March/April 2026 | Volume 17, Issue 102

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HAI & AR Newsletter

In this Newsletter:

Hot Topics
News in Virginia
National Healthcare Safety Network
Training & Education
Making Connections

📢 Hot Topics

Call for Cases: Multistate Investigation of Novel Pseudomonas species Identified from Cerebrospinal Fluid Cultures

VDH is requesting acute care hospitals notify public health if they identify isolates with features of novel Pseudomonas species from cerebrospinal fluid cultures in patients with indwelling neurologic devices. For details on the specific isolates, notification process, and instructions for forwarding isolates, please refer to the email sent from hai@vdh.virginia.gov on February 5, 2026.

Water-related Healthcare Outbreak Response Tool

CDC has published a new Water-Related Healthcare Outbreak Response Tool which includes key considerations for investigating an outbreak and identifying possible exposures, coordinating with essential partners, and implementing targeted interventions to stop transmission. This tool and related resources can be found on the CDC water in healthcare facilities website.

📢 News in Virginia

Measles in Virginia

As of March 9, 2026, VDH has reported 13 measles cases in 2026, which is more than double the total number reported in 2025. Although VDH has not yet identified a measles outbreak or evidence of community transmission in Virginia, the recent increase in cases both in Virginia and nationally is a good reminder of the importance of vaccines in protecting our communities. Review the latest letter from VDH Health Commissioner Dr. Cameron Webb for more information about VDH vaccine recommendations.

For more information:

Consult the VDH measles information for healthcare providers webpage for more on measles laboratory testing, reporting, infection prevention measures, vaccination, and postexposure prophylaxis.
The VDH measles toolkit has graphics and resources to help educate about measles and vaccination.
Access measles-related healthcare assessment tools and other preparedness and response resources for healthcare settings on the CDC website.

📢 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

Now Available! CDC’s 2024 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Progress Report

This report shows progress in preventing several important HAIs in acute care hospitals compared to 2023 and continues to show decreases in HAIs that align more closely with progress made prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The report also highlights the need for healthcare providers to continue to:

Reinforce infection prevention and control practices in their facilities. 
Regularly review HAI surveillance data to identify areas that need to be improved.
Address any gaps in prevention practices.

📢 Training & Education

Updated Quick Guides for Nursing Home Infection Preventionists – Do you work in a nursing home and need infection prevention resources at your fingertips? Check out our series of quick guides for nursing home IPs! The most recently updated quick guide is on RSV.

An Overview of Surgical Irrigation: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Reducing Risk of Surgical Site Infections: This new guide from the APIC Center for Research, Practice and Innovation summarizes evidence-based guidance on the role of surgical irrigation in reducing surgical site infection risk.

New Sepsis Prevention Assessment Tool (SPAT) for Nursing Homes: The SPAT for Nursing Homes identifies gaps in sepsis policies, training, and practices that can be targeted to improve infection prevention, recognition, and health outcomes. This resource includes instructions to assist with preparing for and using the assessment tool, to analyze and share assessment data, and determining next steps.

CDC Project Firstline: This new Health Professions Infection Control Education Toolkit was created to support faculty teaching future healthcare and public health professionals. It includes interactive activities that can be easily adapted for healthcare workplace training. Visit the new page to explore:

Journal Club: A curated collection of CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs) paired with downloadable discussion guides to support critical thinking and group discussion.
Learning Activities: Ready-to-use, adaptable exercises such as environmental scans, case studies, and job aid design that help learners apply infection control concepts to real-world scenarios.

These resources are designed to supplement existing curricula and can be used across classrooms, clinical training environments, or staff education in a variety of learning formats.

📢 Making Connections

✴️ Cuppa Tea with an IP. Cuppa Tea with an IP is a weekly chance to chat live with a VDH IP and subject matter experts 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 meetings and attend whenever you have questions or need a little IP peer boost.

✴️ Vitamin IPC. Subscribe to the monthly Vitamin IPC bulletin by Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA) for essential resources and access to events to enhance frontline healthcare personnel’s infection prevention and control training.

✴️ Clinician Letter. This emailed letter is sent to all currently licensed healthcare professionals in the Commonwealth to communicate urgent updates. Access archived letters at Clinician Letters - Clinicians (virginia.gov) 

✴️ Healthcare Professional Newsletter. A subscriber-based monthly newsletter for Virginia healthcare professionals with updates on outbreaks, emerging diseases, reporting requirements, resources, and trainings. Subscribe and access archived newsletters at Healthcare Professional Newsletter - Clinicians (virginia.gov) 