Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

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Virginia Department of Health flu vaccine promotion that states the best time to get your flu shot is now.

Ready Before the Rush: Respiratory Disease Season Resources

Respiratory disease season is on the way. October is a great time to get prevention messages in front of staff, patients, and residents before respiratory illness activity picks up.

Check out the Guidance, Recommendations, & Regulatory Updates section for new respiratory disease season updates. Learn what’s new for sick or exposed healthcare workers and how to prevent  the spread of respiratory diseases at your workplace.

Then, grab a few ready-to-use training tools to help your team put prevention into action.

What to Expect: 

Put it into Action: 

  • Start early. Add a reminder to your next staff huddle. Post one in a waiting area.
  • Keep it quick. Show a short video at a meeting.
  • Mix it up. Share a new message each week. Cover vaccines, healthy habits, symptoms, or treatment.
  • Know what’s going around. Check Virginia respiratory disease data. Share key updates with your team.

Start now and keep it simple. You’ll have tools ready when you need them.

Target Audience: Foundational & Intermediate IPC Education Level


Guidance, Recommendations, & Regulatory 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.

CDC: Viral Respiratory Pathogens Toolkit for Nursing Homes (09/24/2026)
CDC
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
CDC updated its Viral Respiratory Pathogens Toolkit for Nursing Homes to help facilities strengthen prevention and response to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV through vaccination, testing, early treatment, surveillance, source control, appropriate precautions, and rapid outbreak response. 
CDC: Infection Prevention and Control Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings (09/29/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC recommends that healthcare facilities review the revised seasonal influenza infection prevention and control guidance, which highlights vaccination, early identification and triage, respiratory hygiene, Droplet Precautions, healthcare personnel illness management, and timely outbreak response.   
CDC: Candida auris for Healthcare Providers (10/1/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC updated its Candida auris screening, infection control guidance, and prevention and response recommendations for healthcare providers, emphasizing targeted screening, early detection and reporting, appropriate precautions, environmental and equipment disinfection, staff education, communication of C. auris status during healthcare transfers, and coordinated public health responses to prevent healthcare-associated transmission. 

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (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! 


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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