Pioneering a new era in the field of Infection Prevention, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) have collaboratively launched the Healthcare Infection Prevention Advisory Group (HIPAG). This initiative emerges in response to the Trump administration’s dissolution of a federal advisory group on infection prevention, leaving a significant void for health care professionals.
Now, HIPAG aspires to not only fill this gap but provide enhanced, evidence-based advisory expertise and sustain a unified approach towards infection prevention. It aims to deliver more streamlined advice and strategies previously offered by the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), which crafted and reviewed infection prevention and control protocols. Core members of HIPAG encompass experts from various domains, including medical societies, health care organizations, as well as public health and patient advocacy groups.Â
Despite their non-binding nature, the guidelines from the discontinued HICPAC were traditionally adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and set the standards extensively followed in US hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, nursing homes, and other health care settings. Both APIC and SHEA have raised concerning questions regarding the potential inconsistencies in infection prevention, consequent of the abrupt elimination of HICPAC. Contemporary CDC data underscores the urgency of this issue, showing that approximately one out of 31 US hospital patients has a healthcare-associated infection at any given time. This initiative will, therefore, be pivotal to restoring trust and confidence among patients, their families and attending health professionals.Â
In another important stride, CARB-X, the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator, has extended its support to the development of Seres Therapeutics’ novel live biotherapeutic aimed curbing antibiotic-resistant infections in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Intended to decolonize gastrointestinal pathogens and enhance immune tolerance, this revolutionary drug is hoped to avert the transmission of resistant bacteria into the bloodstream.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has identified its first case of a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)–positive deer in Decatur County and emphasizes the importance of continued surveillance and monitoring. In other news, despite claims regarding vaccine-related child mortality, no evidence has been provided thus far. With further measles cases and influenza-like illnesses being recently reported, maintaining strong collaborative efforts and continuous research in infection prevention has never been more important.