A CDC advisory committee voted Nov. 3 to finalize a draft of infection control guidelines that recommends healthcare workers wear masks during routine care to prevent the spread of common, endemic respiratory infections — a move National Nurses United has condemned for not going far enough to protect patients and staff from aerosol transmission. 

As hospitals nationwide grapple to comply with, and push back on a Biden administration rule that aims to crack down on sepsis deaths nationally or face federal funding losses, ChristianaCare in Newark, Del., claims its sepsis mortality rates are already about half of the national average. 

The nation's largest union of registered nurses is criticizing a CDC committee for planning to vote on updated infection control guidance for healthcare settings without reviewing public comment. 

Payal Patel, MD, an infectious disease physician at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, is the lead researcher behind new recommendations for preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections at acute care hospitals worldwide. Employing these essential practices, Dr. Patel asserts, can save hospitals money and improve patient outcomes.

A new type of vaccine could stimulate the innate immune system to prevent deaths from hospital-acquired infections caused by a variety of bacteria and fungi, according to a recent study.

Children's hospitals scattered around the U.S. are reporting a significant increase in strep throat cases amid a monthslong shortage of amoxicillin, NBC News reported Oct. 28. 

Handwashing in clinical settings prior to putting on gloves may not actually be the best policy for infection prevention, a new study has found.

Nearly one-third of patients in Maryland hospitals were colonized with Acinetobacter baumannii and Candida auris, two pathogens that are becoming growing infection-threats in hospital settings.

An outbreak of colonized C. auris was confirmed at Lexington, Ky.-based Albert B. Chandler Hospital, NBC affiliate WLEX reported Oct. 24.

Six of the nation's leading healthcare associations have penned new recommendations on sepsis care to CMS on behalf of U.S. hospitals, which face the loss of federal funding if they fail to meet new benchmarks.

Having a trained nurse or nurse team present during central line procedures or catheter insertion reduces the chance of infection for patients by 47%, according to new research from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control.

Heart disease, cancer and COVID-19 were responsible for nearly half of U.S. deaths in 2021, according to a report by USA Facts, a nonprofit organization that conducts data analysis.

The U.S. is cracking down on hospitals to improve sepsis care. A rule finalized in August by CMS and the Biden administration will give health systems until 2026 to comply with the new standards. In the meantime, researchers are pushing ahead with techniques and tools aimed at improving outcomes. 

Hospitals and infectious disease physicians contend that CMS' final rule on sepsis care is too rigid and does not allow clinicians flexibility to determine how recommendations should apply to their specific patients.

The nation's 20-year streak of zero locally acquired malaria cases broke in 2023 after four states have reported infections, including the first-ever case in Arkansas. 

Hospital-acquired infections have been on the rise in recent years, but a possible new vaccine developed by researchers could be given to patients upon arrival to help prevent antibiotic-resistant infections. 

Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Mass., has recently treated four patients for tuberculosis. While there are about 10 active cases of the disease among residents in the city, officials maintain they are unrelated and therefore it is not considered an outbreak, The Boston Globe reported Oct. 5. 

All vaccines recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices should be required for healthcare personnel, a coalition of 17 infection prevention and patient safety organizations said in an Oct. 6 letter sent to healthcare employers, as well as state and local government leaders. 

A recent study found evidence of a "long cold" syndrome associated with a variety of common respiratory viruses, including the common cold and influenza.

New Mexico has the highest rate of Clostridium difficile infections, while Alaska has the lowest, federal data shows.