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.
International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW): October 13–19, 2024
This year’s theme, “Moving the Needle on Infection Prevention,” is all about advancing infection prevention efforts and making infection prevention fun and engaging for your team.
APIC provides activities like the Build a Bug Contest or daily infection prevention Wordles. These interactive events are designed to spark creativity, teamwork, and excitement while reinforcing the best practices that keep everyone safe.
Ways to Use This Resource:
- Build a Bug Contest: Challenge your team to create their own superbug and showcase how they would stop it!
- Daily Wordle: Add some brain-teasing fun to your day with infection prevention-themed Wordles.
- Infection Prevention Challenges: Bring out the competitive spirit with trivia, scavenger hunts, and more.
Target Audience: Essential to Foundational IPC education level
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.
Disruption in Production of IV Fluid Due to Impacts from Hurricane Helene
Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations
Marburg Virus Disease Update
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Pharmacist Influenza Testing
Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda
APIC Virginia Conference
On October 5th and 6th, infection preventionists and public health partners from around the state came together in Richmond, VA for two days of education, networking, and learning about new products from industry partners.
The Virginia chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC Virginia) had their highest attendance ever, with over 100 attendees for the conference on Friday, and approximately 60 pre-conference attendees on Thursday!
Preconference attendees learned the ins and outs of basic microbiology, how specimen collection can impact culture results, how to read susceptibility results and antibiograms, and how they can contribute to antimicrobial stewardship programs by focusing on enhancing their partnership with the laboratory.
Conference attendees brushed up on water management, dialysis, construction, nasal decolonization as a means to prevent infection, and heard about interesting Group A Strep and scabies outbreaks. A social event on Thursday provided great food and drink, and opportunities to network and socialize.
APIC Virginia looks forward to seeing you at next year’s educational conference!
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.