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.
Time to Fall in Love with Measles Prevention
This Valentine’s season is a good time to revisit one of infection prevention’s most reliable love stories: the partnership between measles vaccination and early public health response.
In 2025, the United States saw the highest number of measles cases in more than 30 years, with more than 2,200 people sickened and three deaths reported. After decades of progress, measles is once again reminding us why consistent prevention efforts still matter.
What to Expect:
- CDC Measles Cases and Outbreaks: Up-to-date national data on measles cases, outbreaks, and trends.
- MMR Vaccination Coverage Gaps Map: New mapping tools that show where vaccination coverage is lower and where outbreaks are more likely.
- JAMA Patient Page: What Is Measles? A clear, visual overview of measles symptoms and transmission, including images that show how measles rash can appear on different skin tones, supporting inclusive education.
- Measles Myths and Facts Factsheet: A simple, evidence-based handout that helps staff and patients separate common measles myths from facts.
How to use it:
- Build a microlearning moment.
Choose one resource per week to review briefly during staff meetings, huddles, or shift change to reinforce key prevention concepts without adding time burden. - Strengthen onboarding and refreshers.
Incorporate these resources into onboarding or annual education to reinforce measles prevention, vaccination importance, and early response expectations. - Practice vaccine conversations.
Pair the Measles Myths and Facts factsheet with role-play or discussion to help staff practice responding to common questions or misconceptions with clear, evidence-based messages.
This Valentine’s Day, fall back in love with measles prevention and the tools that help keep everyone safer.
Target Audience: Essential IPC Education Level
Taking Antimicrobial Stewardship Beyond Hospital Walls: Community Outreach for Smarter Antibiotic Use
In an innovative effort to extend antimicrobial stewardship beyond the hospital setting, Carilion Clinic’s Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) team launched a community outreach initiative aimed at educating families about appropriate antibiotic use. Patient expectations play a key role in outpatient antibiotic prescribing. Meaningful conversations between patients and providers around antibiotic necessity are needed.
Carilion aimed to deliver accessible messaging through visually engaging billboards across southwest Virginia, reinforcing public health messages such as “Antibiotics don’t work on viruses” and “Antibiotics aren’t always the answer when you are sick.” Complementary posters in clinic waiting rooms provided patients and families with quick education, addressing common misconceptions about antibiotics for viral infections and raising awareness about potential antibiotic harms.
To further support their youngest patients, the AMS team partnered with a large pediatric practice to distribute “fever care kits” to improve at-home temperature tracking and symptom relief. Each kit contained a thermometer, simple symptom relief items, and an educational bookmark on fever and infections. These tangible resources helped empower caregivers to manage mild illnesses confidently at home and understand when antibiotics and healthcare visits might be unnecessary.
Early feedback from clinicians has been overwhelmingly positive, many of whom reported that these initiatives facilitated more productive conversations with patients about antibiotics. By bringing stewardship principles directly into the community, this is one more way Carilion’s AMS team is helping to reduce antibiotic misuse, slow the development of resistance, and preserve antibiotics’ effectiveness for future generations.
