
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 Virginiaâs healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.
Upcoming Events
đPurple Power: Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Together
Get ready to go purple! Antimicrobial Awareness Week is November 18â24, 2025, and this yearâs theme is âFighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us.â Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) isnât just a healthcare issue; itâs a One Health challenge that affects people, pets, and our planet. Every reminder, game, or hallway conversation helps keep antibiotics and antifungals working for everyone.
What to Expect:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention â U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) Find ready-to-use social media posts, fact sheets, and talking points to kickstart awareness activities across your organization.
- World Health Organization â World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) Grab shareable graphics, infographics, and messages to spotlight the global effort against antimicrobial resistance.
- CDC â What Is One Health? See how the health of people, animals, and the environment are all linked and why your daily actions matter beyond the bedside.
How to Use It:
- Go purple! Ask teams to wear purple or decorate breakrooms to spark conversation.
- Host a mini-moment. Share a quick AMR fact in your next huddle or meeting.
- Make it a game. Use ideas from this monthâs Cheers for Peers feature, where Whitney Rice created a microbe-matching challenge about bacterial vs. viral infections.
- Spread the message. Share graphics or stories from the WHO or CDC campaigns on your intranet or social media.
- Recognize Purple Champions. Celebrate strong antimicrobial stewardship by giving a Cheers for Peers certificate.
Target Audience: 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.
APIC: Updated Monkeypox Playbook (11/07/2025)
SHEA: Multisociety Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes (10/20/2025)
SHEA/APIC: Multisociety Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes (10/28/2025)
VDH Clinician Letter: Updates to CDC Immunization Schedule (10/10/2025)
VDH Clinician Letter: COVID-19 Vaccine Update (09/11/2025)
Infection Prevention Made Fun: Creative Ideas for Staff Involvement
This month we are celebrating Reenaba Chudasama and her great infection prevention education at Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center (JCVCC), part of the Department of Veterans Services. Reenaba attended the VDH Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow and loved the creative ideas for education that were shared there. She used some of these ideas at her long-term care and skilled nursing facility to get the frontline staff engaged in activities involving infection prevention and control. Here are some of the fun activities they did:
- âDid You Clean Your Handsâ: Staff used GloGerm to assess the quality of their hand washing skills. Once they successfully removed the GloGerm, they had 30 seconds to fill up a bottle of hand sanitizer and kept however much they were able to fill as a reward.
- âMagic of Memesâ: Staff created infection prevention memes and posted them on their communication channels.
- âWho Let the Bug Outâ: Staff dressed up in germ costumes and paraded around the facility, asking staff members and residents how they would handle them.
- âBasket-Callâ game: Staff were presented with simulated dirty linen, regular trash, and regulated medical waste and had to dispose of it correctly in given time.
- âCause itâs Everyoneâs Businessâ: Each department made a two-to-five-minute video showing how their department contributes to infection prevention. The facilityâs maintenance department did one about plumbing and how they help reduce waterborne diseases!
- âGolden Pen Awardâ: Award given for the best infection prevention notes and nursing assessment. The winner got a shout out on the facilityâs communication channel.
đAwesome job, Reenaba, for all the ways that youâve inspired your staff to take an active role in infection prevention!
đ˘Let the VIPTA Cheers for Peers team know if you decide to follow Reenabaâs lead and try out some of these fun infection prevention education activities in your workplace!
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.