Public Policy Updates

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify clinicians and public health authorities of an increase in Oropouche virus disease in the Americas, originating from endemic areas in the Amazon basin and new areas in South America and the Caribbean. Between January 1 and August 1, 2024, more than 8,000 cases … Continued

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify healthcare providers, public health authorities, and the public about current increases in human parvovirus B19 activity in the U.S. Parvovirus B19 is a highly transmissible seasonal respiratory virus that is transmitted through respiratory droplets by people with symptomatic or asymptomatic infection. In the U.S., there … Continued

Beginning November 1, CMS will require acute care hospitals and critical access hospitals to electronically report information via NHSN about COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. This reporting will have a new standardized format and frequency in order to provide situational awareness of the impact of these respiratory diseases. Please watch for additional information from the NHSN … Continued

CDC is offering a training webinar to help NHSN users learn more about the impact that the 2022 HAI Rebaseline may have on facility or group standardized infection ratios (SIRs). The training webinar will be available twice – August 20 and 21. Participants must register in advance to get a link to the webinar. Register … Continued

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update to alert clinicians about a possible spread of clade I Mpox virus (MPXV) that was first reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in December 2023. In April 2024 a clade I MPXV outbreak was declared in the Republic of Congo and there … Continued

The Secretary of HHS amended the existing determination of significant potential for a public health emergency to extend from avian influenza A (H79N) virus to include pandemic influenza A viruses and influenza A viruses with pandemic potential. Although the risk to human health remains low, this would include the HPAI A(H5N1) influenza virus currently circulating … Continued

The CDC is updating the national baseline that is used to calculate HAI standardized infection ratios (SIRs) and standardized utilization ratios (SURs) in the NHSN Patient Safety Component. The NHSN Rebaseline webpage has been updated with tools and resources, including a fact sheet and a Quick Learn presentation.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued its 12th comprehensive report on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. In these reports, GAO has made 428 recommendations to federal agencies to help them prepare for future disasters. The report categorized recommendations into seven topic areas: Read the most recent GAO report.

The CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to alert healthcare professionals of a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson (BD) BACTEC blood culture media bottles. This shortage has the potential to disrupt patient care by leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or other challenges in the clinical management of patients with certain infectious … Continued