Policy Updates

The first group of new reports based on the 2022 HAI Rebaseline are now available in the NHSN application. These new reports allow NHSN users to generate SIRs for MRSA Blood LabID data and Complex 30-day SSI data for inpatient adult COLO and HYST procedure categories using the updated 2022 baseline. The NHSN team has … Continued

National Influenza Vaccination Week will be observed December 2-6, 2024. This national awareness week highlights the importance of influenza vaccination and serves as a reminder for everyone 6 months and older to get a seasonal flu vaccine. See influenza resources from CDC.

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to provide information about the first case of clade I mpox diagnosed in the U.S. The individual had recently traveled to areas experiencing clade I mpox virus transmission and sought medical care after experiencing symptoms after return to the U.S. CDC continues to classify the … Continued

The CDC’s NHSN is in the process of updating the national baseline used to calculate HAI standardized infection ratios (SIRs) and standardized utilization ratios (SURs) in the Patient Safety Component. The updated SIR and SUR reports will be released in phases. New SIR reports will be available in NHSN on November 21 for MRSA bacteremia … Continued

The CDC will be co-hosting a webinar to help clinicians access updates on influenza, COVID-19, and RSV, including the latest vaccine recommendations. The webinar will be Thursday, November 21 at 12 – 1 pm ET. Register here.

NIOSH published a new fact sheet, Respirator Selection Guide for the Healthcare Industry. The fact sheet provides industry-specific respirator selection and use information for employers and respiratory protection program managers in healthcare to help minimize the number of healthcare personnel exposed to harmful contaminants. 

Since April 2024, CDC has confirmed avian influenza A(H5) virus infections in 52 people in the U.S. The source of the exposure in one case, which was reported by Missouri, could not be determined; however, all the other cases were associated with exposure to infected poultry or dairy cows. There has been no evidence of … Continued

The CDC released interim recommendations for preventing human exposures to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses and infection prevention and control measures. Recommendations include use of personal protective equipment, testing, antiviral treatment, patient investigations, monitoring of exposed persons, and antiviral chemoprophylaxis of exposed persons. Read more.

The CDC released the 2023 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Progress Report, which shows progress in preventing some HAIs in acute care settings. The report shows decreases in SIRs for MRSA, CLABSI, CDI, CAUTI, and VAE in acute care hospitals from 2022 to 2023. Read more.