HAI Happenings: 2024 Quarter Three Newsletter
This message is being sent to local public health department officers, nurses, and staff; Tribal health directors; infection preventionists; and key DPH staff.
HAI Happenings highlights new and noteworthy topics for all things related to healthcare-associated infections (HAI), including infection prevention and control (IPC), antimicrobial stewardship (AS), antimicrobial resistance (AR), surveillance, and more. You can also find links to helpful guidance and resources and learn more about current Wisconsin HAI Prevention Program activities.
Knowledge check
Test your knowledge. See the end of the newsletter for the answer.
True or false: If a long-term care facility (LTCF) admits a resident who is currently in transmission-based precautions due to COVID-19, does this put the facility in “outbreak?”
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What's new with the HAI Prevention Program?
The Long-Term Care Education Series is evolving. Since 2021, the HAI Prevention Program has hosted the Long-Term Care Education Series. This monthly call series provides education primarily to long-term care staff and partners on infection prevention and control topics. Starting in 2025, this call series will expand to include all health care setting types and cover a wider array of topics. The series will continue to take place on the fourth Thursday of each month from 10:30–11:30 a.m. Please stay tuned for more information in the new year.
A new multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) call series starts in October. On October 9 from 1–1:30 p.m., the HAI Prevention Program will hold its first MDRO office hours. MDRO office hours is a call series staffed by the program’s MDRO Infection Preventionist, Greta Michaelson, and Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network Epidemiologist, Megan Lasure. MDRO office hours will provide partners with the opportunity to connect, ask questions, and learn. Office hours occur the second Wednesday of each month from 1–1:30pm via Zoom. Register for the call series.
 Resources just for local and Tribal health departments (LTHDs) are now available. LTHDs can find educational materials and training resources on HAI and IPC on a new HAI Prevention Program webpage including self-paced training workbooks and facilitated discussion guides.
The Transmission-Based Precautions Reference Guide was recently updated. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Transmission-Based Precautions Reference Guide may be used for common diseases to prevent transmission of infectious agents in health care settings.
Updated state HAI data is now available. The HAI Prevention Program released its 2023 annual data report. The report includes state-level National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data for Wisconsin acute care and critical access hospitals.
In the news
New AR data was released by CDC. The new data emphasize the ongoing public health threat of AR and reinforce the need for continued action. The new data show that six bacterial antimicrobial-resistant hospital-onset infections increased by a combined 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, peaking in 2021, and remaining above pre-pandemic levels in 2022.
Updated 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccines were approved and authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The updated vaccines better protect against currently circulating variants. Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine, including people who have previously received a COVID-19 vaccine and people who have had a previous COVID-19 infection. Additional information on staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations is available on the CDC website.
CDC released several Health Alert Network (HAN) advisories. These included advisories on increasing human parvovirus B19 activity, the ongoing monkeypox virus outbreak, increased risk of dengue virus infection in the United States, and increases in oropouche virus in the Americas region.
Best practice and guidance updates
Updated respiratory guidance is available. Ahead of respiratory season, DHS shared infection prevention and control reminders for health care facilities. Facilities are encouraged to visit the Preventing and Controlling Respiratory Illness outbreaks in Long-Term Care Facilities and Other Health Care Settings webpage for guidance on controlling and responding to acute respiratory illness outbreaks.
Carbapenemase-producing organism (CPO) reporting updates went live in the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS). On September 1, changes in how some MDROs are reported in the WEDSS went live to align with national case definition. All CPOs, including carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CP-CRE), will now be classified under the CPO classification. Additional details on case classification and the procedural steps of reporting CPOs in WEDSS can be found in the updated WEDSS Surveillance and Response for Targeted Multidrug-Resistant Organisms: Wisconsin Protocol for Local and Tribal Health Departments. A streamlined protocol can also be found in the quick reference guide.
Updated setting-specific recommendations for the prevention of MDROs are available. DHS Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms: For Health Care Settings have been updated with new resources and data. Specific recommendations for settings including acute care, long-term acute care facilities, home health, hospice, dialysis, outpatient clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and rehabilitation facilities are also available within the guide. Separate guides for nursing homes and assisted living facilities are also available.
Updated Legionellosis testing and public health recommendations are available. This June, the DHS Legionella team released their 2024 Legionellosis Testing and Public Health Recommendations.
Free COVID-19 test kits will be available to order in late September. The Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance announced that free COVID-19 test kits are available for all regulated health care providers from the Strategic National Stockpile. View the GovD listerv message to learn more about the initiative and how to order.
Project Firstline spotlight
With respiratory season upon us, check out Project Firstline’s infection control guidance for respiratory viruses. You can also find additional resources for more information on respiratory virus such as influenza and COVID-19. Don’t forget to check out Project Firstline’s print materials were you can find masking signs that can be used in your facility.
Notes from the field: respiratory protection in ambulatory care
As the respiratory season ramps up, ambulatory facilities must implement key infection prevention measures to minimize potential exposures to patients, visitors, and staff. Facilities should perform a risk assessment to determine the types of respiratory infections that may be encountered in their facility and the impact they will have on the population served.
Recommendations
Find additional information and resources for ambulatory care settings on the DHS website.
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This year’s theme is “Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us.” Learn more about USAAW and stay on the lookout for additional messaging from the Wisconsin HAI Prevention Program. |
HAI Prevention Program highlights
Did you know that the HAI Prevention Program provides on-site and remote infection prevention support for oral health partners across Wisconsin? The team of infection preventionists (IPs) share best practices and current guidance; help review processes; and make recommendations for improvement. Services are free of charge, confidential, and non-regulatory.
The HAI Prevention Program has recently released a new infection prevention in oral health settings webpage filled with IPC resources for dental and oral health clinics. The webpage provides information on a variety of topics including, dental instrument cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization; personal protective equipment; and safe injection practices.
Earlier this month, the HAI Prevention Program’s dental infection prevention and control certified IP presented on recent on-site findings at the Wisconsin Dental Association's Dental Risk Management Seminar. Key takeaways included treatment and maintenance of dental unit waterlines, transport and reprocessing of dental instruments, and environmental cleaning and disinfection.
Email DHSWIHAIPreventionProgram@dhs.wisconsin.gov to learn more about the IPC support that we can provide!
Knowledge check answer
False: It is crucial to note that admitting a resident who is currently in their isolation period does not constitute an outbreak. LTCFs are well-trained and competent in the use of personal protective equipment, isolation precautions, and infection control measures. Therefore, a resident’s infection status alone should not be a reason to deny admission.
Visit the Preventing and Controlling Respiratory Illness outbreaks in Long-Term Care Facilities and Other Health Care Settings webpage for more information on LTCF admissions. Skilled nursing facilities may also view QSO-20-38 for more information.
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