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Turning Explosive Headlines into Practical Prevention

Cyclosporiasis has been making headlines lately. We can use that attention to spark interest in infection prevention. There is no current evidence that Virginia is experiencing an outbreak, but the recent “explosive” headlines are a good chance to remind healthcare staff about foundational infection prevention best practices.

What to Expect:

Virginia Monthly Morbidity Surveillance Report: See how cyclosporiasis and other reportable diseases compare with past years and seasonal trends in Virginia.

CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) – Health Advisory on Cyclosporiasis: The HAN shares updates about urgent public health events. Sign up for HAN alerts to stay up to date on the latest guidance and infection prevention recommendations.

Project Firstline’s How to Read a Disinfectant Label: Learn how to choose and use disinfectants the right way. Follow the label to make sure your cleaning and disinfection work, no matter which germ is making the headlines.

How to use it:

Make local data meaningful. Share the Surveillance Report at your infection prevention committee meeting. Compare current disease activity with the usual baseline. Talk about what any changes could mean for your facility.
Practice before it happens. Use CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) alerts as discussion starters. Ask, “What would we do if this happened here?” Review your plans for reporting, isolation, testing, and communication.
Host a disinfectant scavenger hunt. Place several disinfectant products around the room. Challenge staff to use the Project Firstline “How to Read a Disinfectant Label” infographic to answer questions from each label. The first team to finish with the most correct answers wins.

Target Audience: Foundational & Intermediate 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.

CMS Fiscal Year 2027 Acute Care Hospital and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System Final Rule: CMS-1849-F (8/04/2026)

CMS

Acute Care Hospital

Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)

Quality Improvement

CMS updated Medicare payment and quality requirements for hospitals and LTCHs. The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) will continue. Hospitals with the poorest performance on hospital-acquired conditions may lose 1% of Medicare fee-for-service payment.

CMS Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System Final Rule: (7/31/2026)

CMS

Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)

Quality Improvement

CMS will remove two COVID-19 vaccination measures from the SNF Quality Reporting Program beginning in FY 2028.SNFs will no longer report COVID-19 vaccination coverage for healthcare workers or whether residents are up to date through this program. Facilities should still follow current CDC vaccination guidance and CMS infection control requirements.

Surveillance for Candida auris — United States, 2022–2024 (07/02/2026)

CDC

Acute Care Hospital

Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)

Department of Health

Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)

Surveillance

CDC reported continued growth of Candida auris in U.S. healthcare settings from 2022–2024. Clinical cases increased from 2,882 to 6,197, and screening cases increased from 6,226 to 12,432. CDC emphasizes continued C. auris screening of high-risk patients, appropriate Transmission-Based Precautions, use of disinfectants effective against C. auris, communication of C. auris status during transfers, antifungal susceptibility testing, and strong coordination between healthcare facilities and public health to limit further transmission.

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)

August 10, 2026 August 12, 2026 SHEA

Infection Prevention and Control of Candida auris in Pediatric Settings (6/23/2026) The guidance recommends identifying at-risk pediatric patients through targeted screening, using appropriate isolation and room-placement precautions, and coordinating closely with infection prevention and public health partners when Candida auris is suspected or confirmed. It also emphasizes prevention through meticulous hand hygiene, effective environmental cleaning and disinfection, and careful...

What’s In Your Water?

Hayley Andrews, an infection preventionist in the southwest region of Virginia, used her curious mind and a desire to educate others to help uncover environmental contamination that caused an illness in one of her patients.

Hayley’s facility admitted a patient with sepsis, and blood cultures grew Aeromonas hydrophila. Because Hayley had never heard of this organism, she researched it and learned that it is typically a waterborne organism. Hayley took this information to the nursing unit where the patient was located and the patient’s son heard her educating the nurses about Aeromonas. He joined in and mentioned that his mom had a well and he was concerned that it may be contaminated.

The health department visited the home and tested the water. Sure enough, it was contaminated with Aeromonas and other organisms, and failed potability testing. The health department was able to get the patient an alternate, safe water source upon her discharge to prevent further infection until her well water could be remediated.

Thank you, Hayley! Your diligence prevented this patient from getting sick again, and perhaps prevented other neighbors from a similar outcome!

Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

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