American Journal of Infection Control

Healthcare environments are a reservoir for several pathogens that can result in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) leading to prolonged length of stay in hospital, long-term disabilities, and increased risk of mortality.1 According to the

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a potent antimicrobial agent formed by the oxidative burst within neutrophils as part of the innate immune system. HOCl has been used since World War I as a disinfectant and antiseptic, although feasibility was limited by

Antibiotics are one of the most crucial lifesaving medications used in treating different types of infections, but unnecessarily prescribing and overusing them lead to the emergence of resistance.1 A 39% global increase in antibiotic consumption

Flushing a toilet can generate aerosolised droplets ranging from 0.3µm - 3µm in size, which can rise to a height of at least 1.52m in the toilet environment1. A pathogenically contaminated toilet will hence produce a significant proportion of

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which first appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative, nonfermentative aerobic bacterium widely found in humid and aqueous environments. There have been a growing number of reports about its contamination in health care settings where contact with water is

The hands of health care workers (HCWs) are the main carriers of nosocomial pathogen transmission during health care.1 Hand hygiene is a feasible and effective intervention to reduce health care associated infections (HAIs),2-4 which is also a cost

SARS-CoV-2 infection poses a particularly acute risk to end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. During the first seven months of the pandemic, it is estimated that excess deaths in this population were 8.7-12.9 per 1000 patients1. In a study of ESRD

Every year, U.S. laundry providers reprocess over 4 billion pounds of healthcare textiles (HCTs), including surgical scrubs, uniforms, bed sheets, blankets, patient gowns, towels, and washcloths.1 When laundered according to guidelines provided by

Infection prevention professionals (IPs) reduce and eliminate hospital associated infections (HAIs) through evidence-based infection control programming within health care systems. IPs come from diverse professional backgrounds (eg, epidemiologists