In this month's issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter, recapping some of the biggest infection prevention and control news from May, highlights include stories on hepatitis C, hysterectomy and colorectal SSIs, New York legislation, "nightmare bacteria," TB and Ebola.

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Updated Guidance Issued for Management of Hep C — The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America issued updated guidance on the management of hepatitis C, specifically new testing and management recommendations specifically for pregnant women, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men and people who are incarcerated.
 
Hospital Reduces Hysterectomy SSIs With Prevention Bundle — A Connecticut hospital significantly decreased surgical site infections associated with hysterectomies through the use of a multi-step prevention bundle.
 
Study: Statewide Safety Program Sharply Reduces Colorectal SSIs — A Hawaii statewide collaborative for surgical patient safety successfully reduced colorectal surgical site infections (SSIs) and improved patient safety culture.
 
New York State Legislature Considers Bill Requiring Certification — The New York State legislature is moving to consider legislation that would require infection preventionists to be certified in infection prevention and control in order to practice in New York hospitals.
 
Article Examines Surgical Safety Checklist History, Encourages Greater Adoption — A British Journal of Surgery article examined the impact of the surgical safety checklist introduced by the Safe Surgery Saves Lives Study Group at the World Health Organization. The authors conclude that while use of the checklist as part of safe surgical system can support better practices, there remains opportunity for improvement.
 
Automated System Significantly Improves Identification of Patients at Risk for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia — Research revealed that an automated system for identifying patients at risk for complications associated with the use of mechanical ventilators provided significantly more accurate results than did traditional surveillance methods.
 
CDC: With "Nightmare Bacteria" on the Rise, Labs Vital to Containment — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted the critical role labs and laboratory professionals play in protecting the population from antibiotic resistance.
 
Tuberculosis: Pharmacists Develop New Substance to Counteract Antimicrobial Resistance — Pharmacists have now found a way to increase the efficacy of a common tuberculosis agent while, at the same time, reducing resistance to it.
 
Ebola Claims More Than 25 Lives in Congo; Vaccination Campaign Underway — An outbreak of Ebola has claimed the lives of 27 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 
ICYMI: AORN to Revise Surgical Attire Guideline, Raising Questions — In this special report, published in April, ICCS shared the news of AORN announcing plans to revise its "Guideline for Surgical Attire" following a meeting with the American College of Surgeons and several other organizations and the questions this news raises for healthcare facilities, particularly ambulatory surgery centers.
 
ICYMI: Updated ASGE Guideline on Infection Control — A new guideline from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) discusses the latest information to help facilities minimize the risk of infection transmission in environments where endoscopic procedures are performed.

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