Policy Updates

OSHA published a new Hazard Alert on protecting at-risk workers from H5N1 Avian Influenza. The alert identifies at-risk workers as those who work with livestock on farms and slaughterhouses, as well as veterinarians who treat birds and livestock. The alert focuses on limiting or preventing worker exposure to H5N1. Read the OSHA Hazard Alert.

The CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) team will host a webinar to update providers on the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) (H5N1) outbreak. Although the risk of infection remains low for the general population, people with job-related exposure to infected animals are at greater risk. The webinar will be held Tuesday, July 16 … Continued

On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that reduced the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer and ruled that courts should rely on their own interpretation of ambiguous laws. Although this ruling will have a broad impact on federal regulations, at the present time it does not impact … Continued

NIOSH has honored a request by several respirator manufacturers to voluntarily rescind NIOSH respirator approvals for different types of respirators. Venus Safety & Health Pvt., Ltd. has requested rescission for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) with NIOSH approval numbers 84A-5634 and 84A-9365. SAS Safety Corporation has requested rescissions for half mask or full facepiece air purifying … Continued

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify healthcare providers, public health authorities and the public of an increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024. Global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for … Continued

CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion offers FREE patient and healthcare professional (HCP) resources for Be Antibiotics Aware, patient and HCP resources for Get Ahead of Sepsis, and educational resources for C. diff to help raise awareness about these important topics. Order free print materials on CDC Publications On Demand by typing “C. Diff,” “Sepsis,” … Continued

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been supporting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in responding to its largest surge of clade I mpox (MPVX) cases ever recorded. Since January 1, 2023, DRC has reported more than 20,000 suspect mpox cases and more than 1,000 deaths. Clade IIb mpox continues to circulate … Continued

On June 27th at 2pm ET join the CDC and the American Medical Association for a panel discussion on preventing widespread measles exposure in healthcare settings. Panelists include experts from the Pediatric Pandemic Network, American Nurses Association and American Academy of Pediatrics. They will share their firsthand experiences and lessons learned in caring for patients … Continued

Pediatric facilities face distinct challenges when it comes to infection prevention and control (IPC) due to the vulnerability of their patients, the nature of pediatric care, and the involvement of family members. CDC’s Project Firstline and the American Medical Association held a webinar to discuss the unique IPC practices implemented in pediatric settings to meet … Continued