Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

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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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Hand Hygiene with Florence Nightingale. Image of woman emerging from photo frame.

May 5th is World Hand Hygiene Day

Mark your calendars because May 5th is no ordinary day—it’s World Hand Hygiene Day! It’s time to roll up our sleeves and celebrate the power of clean hands in keeping us all healthy. We know it’s not always easy to find the right tools to keep those hands squeaky clean. Fear not, because we’ve got your back with an exciting bundle of resources that’ll make hand hygiene a breeze!

?️ Toolkit: APIC Toolkit for Patient Hand Hygiene

  • About this resource: This toolkit is an all-encompassing resource designed to empower healthcare professionals like you to champion hand hygiene practices among patients and residents.
  • Target Audience: Foundational IPC education

?️ Video: Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center – Hand Hygiene with Florence Nightingale

  • About this resource: Get ready to be entertained and educated when Florence Nightingale comes to life to tell a memorable and short story on how to perform hand hygiene and why it matters in healthcare.
  • Target Audience: Foundational IPC education level

? Technology: Speedy Audit

So, gear up, spread the word, and let’s make this World Hand Hygiene Day the cleanest one yet!

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: Conjunctivitis (09/11/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC recommends excluding healthcare personnel with suspected or confirmed infectious conjunctivitis, including epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), from work for the duration of their symptoms. These recommendations emphasize strict hand hygiene, appropriate cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and shared medical equipment, and prompt identification and management of cases to prevent transmission and healthcare-associated outbreaks.
CDC: Viral Respiratory Infections (09/11/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC provides updated recommendations for managing healthcare personnel exposed to or infected with viral respiratory infections, including work restrictions, symptom monitoring, and source control. Asymptomatic exposed personnel may continue working with source control through at least five days after their last exposure, while infected personnel should be excluded from work for at least three days and meet additional symptom-based return-to-work criteria, followed by source control through at least day seven.
CDC: Preventing Respiratory Infections in the Workplace (08/28/2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
The CDC provides recommendations to help employers prevent and respond to respiratory infections in the workplace through improved ventilation, engineering controls, environmental cleaning and disinfection, and policies that encourage sick employees to stay home.  These recommendations also emphasize using respiratory illness surveillance data to inform workplace prevention strategies, including masking and remote work, to reduce transmission and protect employee health.

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)

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...

Three EMS training participants holding up and interacting with an educational game.

EMS Infection Prevention Training: Expanding Education Across Virginia

Infection prevention is an important part of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) practice. However, many agencies have relaxed some infection control practices since the COVID-19 pandemic. To help address this need, David Keeler of the Tidewater EMS Council has added infection prevention training to their annual and quarterly EMS education programs.

David partnered with Ginger Vanhoozer from the Virginia Department of Health to provide training for EMS professionals. Topics included everyday infection prevention practices, new infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, MRSA, and other drug-resistant organisms. The sessions brought the topic to life with hands-on activities, including glow-in-the-dark demonstrations that showed how contamination can spread. These activities helped make the information easy to understand and remember.

The response from participants has been extremely positive. Attendees reported a 100% satisfaction rating and asked for more training opportunities, including additional foundational infection prevention education opportunities. By strengthening their infection prevention knowledge, EMS professionals can better protect themselves, their patients, and their communities.

Regional EMS councils throughout Virginia offer a great way to bring infection prevention information to providers.

How can I get involved with EMS education in my area?

To bring similar trainings to your area, contact your local EMS council to learn more. These councils can help organize educational events, connect EMS and healthcare partners, and support infection prevention efforts in their communities.

By working together, infection preventionists and EMS professionals can strengthen infection prevention practices across Virginia.

Find your EMS region and connect with your local EMS council.

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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