On October 20, hospitals around the globe will pause to emphasize a crucial truth we all recognize but rarely admit openly: environmental hygiene can save lives. Clean Hospitals Day 2025 provides a platform to bring teams together, honor the environmental services (EVS) professionals who maintain safe care settings, and foster enduring practices that extend beyond this event.

In this conversation with CDC epidemiologist Danielle Rankin, PhD, MPH, CIC, unpacks her study about the urgent rise of NDM-CRE and what infection preventionists need to know now.

Without stable, science-driven leadership at the CDC, patient safety and public trust hang in the balance. Infection preventionists must demand accountability and champion evidence-based guidance now.

Sharps injuries remain a silent but serious threat in health care that infection preventionists are uniquely equipped to confront. With underreporting widespread and safety devices underused, it’s time for IPs to step into a leadership role, using their expertise in systems thinking, education, and policy to build a culture where staff protection is as prioritized as patient care.

APIC’s updated guide shifts the focus from CLABSIs to all catheter-associated bloodstream infections, offering infection preventionists a comprehensive approach to reducing bacteremia and enhancing patient safety.

Working in infection prevention and control (IPC) has traditionally meant focusing on hospitals, surgical centers, and long-term care. But over the past few years, some IPC professionals have been drawn to a very different environment: schools. With young children at home and firsthand experience of how easily illnesses leap from classrooms to living rooms, some infection preventionists see schools as a critical but often overlooked battleground. The COVID-19 pandemic put these issues into stark relief. Mask mandates, classroom closures, and strict hand hygiene protocols briefly pushed infection prevention into the school spotlight. Yet as time passed, many precautions faded, even though the need for strong IPC practices remains. To learn more, Carole W. Kamangu, MPH, RN, CIC, contributing editor for Infection Control Today® (ICT®) spoke with Jordan Bastian, MPH, CIC, infection prevention consultant for MK Infection Solutions, at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control

This is the first in a series from Sherrie Busby, EDDA, CDSO, CDIPC, column author of Clean Bite by Infection Control Today.

David Angulo, MD, infectious disease expert, discusses the alarming rise of drug-resistant fungal infections, the lack of treatment options, and the urgent need for new antifungal therapies.

Reusable health care textiles enhance infection prevention, reduce waste, and strengthen supply chains. Hygienically clean textiles offer a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to disposable PPE, ensuring patient safety and environmental responsibility.

Listen to learn about how reusable PPE offers a cost-effective, sustainable solution for health care, reducing waste and improving supply chain resilience. Overcoming adoption barriers requires education, policy support, and industry-wide collaboration.

A new infection control model highlights 5 key moments for disinfecting high-touch surfaces in patient care, aiming to reduce health care-associated infections and improve patient safety.

Deborah Birx, MD, highlights the global threat of avian flu, emphasizing H5N1’s spread and potential mutations. In an Infection Control Today interview, she urges enhanced surveillance, strict biosecurity, and healthcare preparedness. Her expert insights offer infection preventionists actionable strategies to mitigate risks and safeguard public health from this evolving pathogen.