Category: Infection Control

CDC's highly anticipated mask guidance: 6 things to know

A CDC advisory committee has been working to update an influential set of infection control guidelines since August 2023. Over the past year, the agency has faced growing pressure from clinicians, who have criticized early versions of the updated guida…

Vaccine hesitancy drives infection rates up

Vaccine hesitancy appears to be driving up infection rates among diseases like whooping cough, measles and COVID-19.

States ranked by C. diff infection rates

New Mexico has the highest rate of Clostridium difficile infections for the second year, while Nevada has the lowest, federal data shows.

Hand hygiene in hospitals: What the latest Leapfrog data shows

Hospitals are ramping up their focus on hand hygiene compliance to prevent infections and improve patient safety, new data from The Leapfrog Group suggests. 

263 hospitals with the lowest MRSA rates

Two hundred and sixty-three hospitals in the U.S. have a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection rate of zero, as based on the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS.

3 settings with high readmission rates for sepsis patients

A recent study found patients with a sepsis diagnosis who were discharged to home health care, skilled nursing facilities or home had higher readmission rates.

5 states with the highest, lowest CLABSI rates

West Virginia has the highest central line-associated bloodstream infection rate in the country, while North Dakota has the lowest, CDC data shows. 

NYC Health + Hospitals taps app to improve antibiotic prescribing

NYC Health + Hospitals is using a new mobile app to promote appropriate antibiotic use among clinicians.

391 hospitals with the lowest C. diff rates

Three hundred ninety-one hospitals in the U.S. have a Clostridioides difficile infection rate of zero, as based on the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS.

COVID deaths fell 69% in 1 year

COVID-19 deaths fell 68.9% from 2022 to 2023 — dropping from the fourth leading cause of death to the tenth, the CDC said.