Setting of Care: Any Practice Setting

CDC: Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance (March 19, 2026)

  • Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance (March 19, 2026)
    • The guidance on Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) emphasizes the importance of implementing prevention strategies, including appropriate antibiotic use, enhanced infection control practices, and patient education to reduce the incidence of C. diff infections in healthcare settings.
    • It highlights the role of the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) in monitoring C. diff cases, promoting research on infection trends, and improving response efforts to effectively manage outbreaks and improve patient care.

CDC: Considerations for Reducing Risk – Water in Healthcare Facilities (2/6/2026)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

  • Considerations for Reducing Risk: Water in Healthcare Facilities (February 6, 2026)
    • CDC recommends establishing a water management program that identifies risk areas in a facility’s water system and implements controls to prevent harmful pathogens like Legionella.
    • The program should be routinely monitored, documented, and adjusted to ensure it remains effective and responsive to changing conditions.

ASHRAE: Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities (2/16/2026)

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 

  • Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities (02/16/2026)  
    • The 2025 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170 outlines minimum ventilation requirements for health care facilities, emphasizing compliance and best practices for HVAC system design. 
    • Key updates include the option for natural ventilation, total outdoor air calculations for combined spaces, and clarified requirements for imaging and outpatient areas. 

APIC: New White Paper on Centralized Health-Associated Infection Surveillance Programs and Micro-Credential to Advance Centralized HAI Surveillance and Patient Safety (1/20/2026)

  • This paper offers guidance and expert perspectives on implementing centralized surveillance programs for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) data within health systems, a key step toward more standardized HAI measurement and prevention. It emphasizes improving surveillance accuracy, data use, and patient safety. 

VDH Clinician Letter: Interim Recommendations for the Management of Healthcare Personnel Exposed to or Infected with COVID-19 or Seasonal Influenza (09/30/2025)

VDH is providing updated recommendations for the management of healthcare personnel (HCP) exposed to or infected with COVID-19 or seasonal influenza. Healthcare facilities should evaluate VDH recommendations and consider updating HCP return to work and management guidance. These recommendations are not regulatory requirements or mandates.

USPHS: • Updated US Public Health Service Guidelines for the Management of Occupational Exposures to Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Recommendations for Postexposure Prophylaxis (09/15/2025)

These recommendations replace the 2013 guidelines. New recommendations include: (1) new antiretroviral drug regimens for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP); (2) a shortened duration of post-exposure follow-up HIV testing; (3) elimination of routine laboratory tests for antiretroviral drug toxicity; and (4) considerations for PEP for healthcare personnel with exposures to source patients with undetectable viral loads.