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
Cheers for Every Infection Prevention Win
This month let’s shine a light on the best practices that add up to big wins. Infection prevention is a team sport, and October is a perfect time to celebrate the everyday wins that keep patients, residents, and staff safe. There’s a new Cheers for Peers award certificate you can download and use right now from VIPTA:
A step-by-step guide to spread “cheer” this month.
- Pick a positive infection prevention accomplishment you want to celebrate.
- Customize and print the new Cheers for Peers certificate (or print a few blank ones to take on rounds).
- Share the certificate with a team member who is doing a great job preventing infections in your healthcare setting. Snap a picture if they’re ok with it.
- Brag on them on a unit board, your intranet, a team huddle, or any space meaningful to the recipient.
- (Optional) Share statewide by submitting to the VIPTA Cheers for Peers nomination form.
Cheers in Action: At Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, Infection Prevention has worked very closely with their equipment cleaning techs on hardwiring the process for cleaning and disinfecting of their neonatal intensive care unit isolettes. Infection Prevention awarded the team a Cheers for Peers certificate for all their hard work and collaboration with the IP team!
Looking for inspiration on what wins to celebrate? Take some of these ideas and tailor to your team’s accomplishments.
- Hand Hygiene Hero: Perfect hand hygiene on a spot audit.
- Infection-Free Milestone: A unit that stayed free of healthcare-associated infections for the month, six months, or a year.
- Oral Care All-Stars: A unit has >90% oral care compliance to lower healthcare-associated pneumonia risk.
- Environmental Services Excellence: Terminal clean passes (checklists or fluorescent-gel checks).
- “Wipe Before We Walk” Award (Facilities/Maintenance): Tools cleaned and disinfected after work in a patient room.
- Breathe-Easy Respiratory Infection Prevention Champions: Proper circuit handling and equipment disinfection across the board.
Try it and tell us how it went: Print a certificate, celebrate a win this month, and share your story. Submit a nomination to VIPTA and let us know what you tried, what worked, and how your team reacted. We cannot wait to cheer with you!
