Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

VIPTA is a statewide infection prevention and control education collaborative, led by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group.  Through partnership, VIPTA curates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.

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Image of microbes with word bubbles around it. Word bubbles include: food supply, communities, across the world, water and soil, and healthcare facilties.

Health Equity and Antimicrobial Resistance Resources from CDC

CDC provided a toolkit of resources that incorporate health equity science into antibiotic stewardship program research.   

Ways to Share this Resource  

  • Perfect for sharing during U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (November 18-24). 
  • Resources for different audiences to help you match the right materials for patients, residents, family, administrators, prescribers, and healthcare workers.  

Guidance & Regulation Updates

VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.

The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post.  Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.

Health Update: Prevention Strategies for Mpox, including Vaccinating People at Risk via Sexual Exposure, for U.S. Travelers Visiting Countries with Clade I Mpox Outbreaks (9/23/2024)
CDC
Department of Health
Outbreak Investigation
Surveillance
Provides recommendations for travelers who are going to a country with ongoing human-to-human clade I mpox virus transmission. Provides clinicians and public health practitioners with recommendations to implement during travel health visits to mitigate the risk to travelers visiting countries with ongoing human-to-human clade I mpox virus transmission.
Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence Programs (9/11/2024)
CDC
Acute Care Hospital
Antimicrobial & Diagnostic Stewardship
Describes the key framework and actions that can be implemented to improve diagnoses for hospitalized patients. The guidance includes diagnostic stewardship considerations for urine culture and C. difficile tests which align with infection prevention recommendations.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Antibiotic Use and Resistance (AUR) Reporting Modules
CMS
Acute Care Hospital
Regulatory Compliance
Surveillance
Eligible acute care and critical access hospitals have two module options for reporting AUR data to the NHSN AUR Module to meet the CMS requirements for calendar year 2024. Find more information about these modules in the NHSN Newsletter and AUR Reporting FAQs on the NHSN website. 
Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (9/6/2024)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
Vaccination
Recommendations for the use of 2024–2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in people ages 12 years and older  Updated guidance in the Interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines section and in Appendix B on completion of an initial vaccination series if vaccine doses from different manufacturers are administered in certain circumstance. 
Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) August Public Meeting Recap (9/3/2024)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
Transmission-Based Precautions
During the August 2024 meeting, the committee provided brief updates from three of HICPAC’s workgroups: Isolation Precautions, Dental Unit Waterlines, and Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel. A recap of the meeting and what was specifically covered can be reviewed on the CDC’s Blog.
Photo of Fairfax County Health Department staff celebrating Antimicrobial Awareness Week with purple balloons.

FCHD’s Antibiotic Awareness Week: A Celebration of Health & Education

The Fairfax County Health Department’s Strengthening Antimicrobial Stewardship in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SASS) team put together an amazing educational program for U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) in November 2023! Their team is using CDC funding to focus on improving antimicrobial stewardship in skilled nursing facilities. During USAAW, they rolled out a toolkit for skilled nursing facilities to use for their own facility education.  

We spoke to Samantha Christensen, Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) HAI Epidemiologist to learn more about their Antibiotic Awareness Week toolkit. The FCHD started the week off with a big celebration, beginning with a kickoff breakfast, an antimicrobial stewardship podcast playlist with QR codes for easy access, and a microbe “joke of the day”. They also put up a tri-fold education poster with purple themed balloons and decorations, wore purple for Antimicrobial Awareness Week, had antimicrobial stewardship themed trivia with Starbucks gift cards for prizes, and held a watch party (with snacks, of course) for everyone to view educational infection prevention and control videos!

And because we know you want to hear the jokes…. “What’s the most popular antibiotic in Italy?  Amoxsicilian!”   Here’s another good one… “What’s the opposite of an antibiotic?  An uncle-biotic!”

Congratulations to Samantha and the entire FCHD team for developing this fun and unique education program to ensure smart antibiotic use in skilled nursing facilities! 

IPC Education & Training Library

Search the VIPTA library of curated infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training resources. The IPC Education & Training Resource Library includes state and national resources related to healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and/or IPC. Visit the VIPTA FAQ page to learn more about VIPTA library content.

 

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Last Updated: February 14, 2024