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🎆Purple Power: Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Together

Get ready to go purple! Antimicrobial Awareness Week is November 18–24, 2025, and this year’s theme is “Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us.” Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) isn’t just a healthcare issue; it’s 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 – 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 – World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) Grab shareable graphics, infographics, and messages to spotlight the global effort against antimicrobial resistance.
CDC – 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 month’s 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.

VDH: Clinician Letter – Measles Outbreak Expansion and Back-to-School Immunizations (6/26/2026)

VDH

Acute Care Hospital

Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care

Department of Health

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Pediatric / NICU

Emergency Preparedness & Operations

Vaccination

Clinician Letter: Measles Outbreak Expansion and Back-to-School Immunizations (6/26/2026) The Virginia Department of Health announced that the Buckingham County measles outbreak has expanded to Cumberland County. Review the expanded outbreak vaccination recommendations, encourage patients to stay up to date on immunizations before the school year, and immediately report suspected or confirmed measles cases to your local health department.

VDH: Clinician Letter – Public Health Updates on Measles, Ebola Preparedness, and Travel-Associated Illnesses (6/03/2026)

VDH

Acute Care Hospital

Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care

Department of Health

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Pediatric / NICU

Emergency Preparedness & Operations

Vaccination

Clinician Letter: Public Health Updates on Measles, Ebola Preparedness, and Travel-Associated Illnesses (6/03/2026) This clinician letter provides updates on rising measles activity, Ebola preparedness, and travel-associated illnesses. Protect patients and staff by maintaining a high index of suspicion, assessing travel history, following infection control guidance, ensuring vaccination coverage, and promptly reporting suspected cases to your local health department.

APIC: New Toolkit to Address Problematic Manufacturer Instructions for Use for Non‑Critical Devices (5/08/2026)

APIC

Any Practice Setting

Department of Health

Quality Improvement

Regulatory Compliance

New Toolkit to Address Problematic Manufacturer Instructions for Use for Non‑Critical Devices: This toolkit provides practical strategies and resources to help healthcare professionals address problems with manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs) for non-critical medical devices. It supports infection preventionists in safely reprocessing devices when IFUs are unclear, incomplete, or difficult to follow. *Access this resource with a free APIC account.

Bug of the Month

The infection prevention team at Ballad Health continually seeks new and creative ways to educate more than 13,500 team members across 20 hospitals on important infection prevention topics. Supporting this effort is Krista Hess, an infection preventionist at Russell County Hospital in southwest Virginia, who leads the Bug of the Month Committee.

With full creative control, the committee develops a one-page educational flyer each month that is shared by leaders, highlighted during huddles, and featured in internal communication, such as Ballad Health News. Now celebrating its two-year anniversary, Bug of the Month continues to gain momentum. October’s “Say Boo to the Flu” achieved the highest engagement yet.

Over the past two years, the Bug of the Month Committee has spotlighted topics such as C. difficile, Candida auris, hand hygiene, and environmental cleaning. Congratulations to Krista Hess and the entire Ballad Health team for championing innovative approaches that keep team members informed on vital infection prevention topics!