offers assistance to those interested in improving infection control in health care and community settings:
- Phone assistance with communicable disease and reporting questions.
- Assistance with outbreak investigation and control issues; call phone number.
- Consultations to provide public health information.
Inter-Facility Infection Prevention and Safety Form
- Guidelines and Precautions
- Injection Safety
- Hand Hygiene
- Environmental Cleaning
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Assisted Living and Long-term Care
- External Resources
Precautions
- Infection Control Guidelines: Standard, Contact, Airborne and Droplet Precautions
- CDC Standard Precautions Page
- MRSA and soft tissue infection guide for medical assistants and nurses.
Guidelines
Injection Safety
Hand Hygiene
- Hand Hygiene information for Healthcare Providers
- Six-Step Hand-Washing Technique Found Most Effective for Reducing Bacteria (Study to Compare CDC and WHO methods)
- Wash Your Handsington Campaign
Environmental Cleaning
- Quick Reference Information for Healthcare Providers
- Guide to Sterilization and Disinfection of Instruments, Equipment Surfaces
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- How to Use Personal Protective Equipment
- How to Properly Put on and Take Off PPE (CDC)
- Do’s & Don’ts for Wearing Gloves in the Healthcare Environment (APIC)
Assisted living and long-term care
- Norovirus/vomiting/diarrhea outbreaks—Know your facility’s normal gastrointestinal illness rate. This will help you quickly identify outbreaks. Use this toolkit if you suspect an outbreak.
- Flu outbreaks—Monitor flu-like illness Oct. 1 through April 30. Use this tool to promptly and effectively respond to an outbreak.
- Assisted living flu outbreaks—Congregate living facilities must provide a safe living environment. Use this tool to quickly identify and control flu outbreaks.
Patient materials
Surveillance
Resources
- Infection control resources and links.
- Healthcare associated infections (CDC)
- Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)
Infection Control News
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05/19/22 Health Advisory: Severe Hepatitis of Unknown Cause in Children
Actions Requested Be aware of severe cases of hepatitis in children that are occurring in the U.S. and worldwide. Consider adenovirus testing in pediatric patients with hepatitis of unknown cause (see preferred samples below). Report suspect cases in children to Whatcom County Health Department. A suspect case is a child with elevated AST or ALT…
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Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Washington
Washington state is experiencing a hepatitis A outbreak in multiple counties in people who are living homeless or who use drugs. Requested actions Give hepatitis A vaccine to unvaccinated patients living homeless or using drugs. Suspect hepatitis A in patients with acute onset of jaundice, vomiting, anorexia and elevated liver function test results—especially those living…
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Caring for Infants Born to Hepatitis B-Infected Mothers
Adapted from the Georgia Department of Public Health Immunize and Test On Time Age Single-antigen hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix-B® or Recombivax HB®) Combination hepatitis B vaccine (Pediarix®) Birth1 (Within 12 hours) Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) AND Hepatitis B vaccine dose #1 Combination vaccine is not approved for the birth dose. See single-antigen guidance. 1– 2 Months2 Hepatitis…