Policy Updates

The Secretary of HHS amended the existing determination of significant potential for a public health emergency to extend from avian influenza A (H79N) virus to include pandemic influenza A viruses and influenza A viruses with pandemic potential. Although the risk to human health remains low, this would include the HPAI A(H5N1) influenza virus currently circulating … Continued

The CDC is updating the national baseline that is used to calculate HAI standardized infection ratios (SIRs) and standardized utilization ratios (SURs) in the NHSN Patient Safety Component. The NHSN Rebaseline webpage has been updated with tools and resources, including a fact sheet and a Quick Learn presentation.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued its 12th comprehensive report on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. In these reports, GAO has made 428 recommendations to federal agencies to help them prepare for future disasters. The report categorized recommendations into seven topic areas: Read the most recent GAO report.

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to alert healthcare professionals of a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson (BD) BACTEC blood culture media bottles. This shortage has the potential to disrupt patient care by leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or other challenges in the clinical management of patients with certain infectious … Continued

The FDA authorized marketing of DiaSorin Molecular LLC’s Simplexa C. auris Direct, a molecular-based assay intended to detect Candida auris (C. auris) DNA from a skin swab of the armpit or groin from patients suspected of C. auris colonization. The test is intended to help prevent and control C. auris infections in healthcare settings. Read more about FDA’s … Continued

CMS has developed a training course to provide an overview of 2025 quality reporting programs (QRP) in post-acute care (PAC) settings, including home health, inpatient rehab facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term acute care. The web-based training is available on demand and takes about 45 minutes to complete the whole course. Click here to access … Continued

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), released a Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Strategy focused on efforts to support a response to the current Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)H5N1 threat. This strategy is a component of the larger collaborative HHS influenza research strategy, which includes NIH, … Continued

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) published a discussion paper, “Streamlining Regulatory Oversight of Respirators Used in Health Care Settings will Improve Worker Protection,” highlighting continued confusion regarding federal regulations and guidance on the use of air-purifying respirators (APRs) in healthcare settings. Read more in the NIOSH Science Blog.

The CDC used new data to compare the burden of seven antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in 2021-2022 in its most recent Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Threats Report. The new data show a combined 20 percent increase in AR hospital-onset infections, and a nearly five-fold increase in Candida auris from 2019 to 2022. Read the CDC fact sheet.