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Gary S. Marshall, MD; Shanna M. Barton, MD; Theresa M. Fiorito, MD

Patient, Provider, and Caregiver Connection™: Prevention and Control of Meningococcal Disease — Individualizing Vaccine Recommendations in Adolescent Populations

Paul G. Auwaerter, MD, MBA; Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP; Aruna Subramanian, MD

Cases and Conversations™: Applying Best Practices to Prevent Shingles in Your Practice

 COVID-19 page brings readers the latest information and clinical updates on the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, from case counts and hospitalization rates to data on effective treatments for severe disease and the circulating viral variants.  

The CDC HICPAC discussed updates to airborne pathogen guidelines, emphasizing the need for masks in health care. Despite risks, the committee resisted universal masking, highlighting other mitigation strategies


CDC HICPAC Considers New Airborne Pathogen Guidelines Amid Growing Concerns

Clostridioides difficile infections burden US healthcare. Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring (EHHMS) systems remind for soap and water. This study evaluates EHHMS effectiveness by comparing C difficile cases in 10 hospitals with CMS data, linking EHHMS use to reduced cases.


The Importance of Hand Hygiene in Clostridioides difficile Reduction

Masking, clean air, and vaccinations are essential in combating COVID-19 and preventing long-term impacts, as evidence mounts of long COVID's significant economic, cognitive, and behavioral effects.

  Breaking the Cycle: Long COVID's Impact and the Urgent Need for Preventative Measures

A 3-D approach to infection control involves air and surface cleaning, leveraging monitoring, purification, and modeling technologies to reduce respiratory infection risks in health care environments.

The Role Of 3-Dimensional (3-D) Cleaning in Health Care

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending October 27, 2024.

Weekly Rounds: Implementing Enhanced Barrier Precautions, Urgent Findings on Long COVID, and More

Invivyd Presents Data on Pemgarda’s Efficacy Against COVID-19 Variants at IDWeek

Immunocompromised people are the most at risk to severe issues with At IDWeek in Las Angeles, California, 

, a COVID-19 prevention option with FDA Emergency Use Authorization, presented data demonstrating the efficacy of Pemgarda against COVID-19 strains dating back to the Omicron strain for immunocompromised people.

) caught up with Robert Allen, PhD, Invivyd's chief science officer. He explained the main takeaway from his presentation and discussed the 2 posters Invivyd presented at IDWeek.

“The main thing to give them data, empirical underpinnings, so that they can understand that this antibody, which is as an [emergency use authorization] for administration to immunocompromised individuals, right that this antibody has profound efficacy, during the course of canopy, has demonstrated efficacy during times when we saw when we look at the variants that were prevalent at the different time points in those 6 months…[many] different variants that have sort of evolved [to] continue to be susceptible to Pemgarda,” Allen said.

“The takeaway needs to be that when people think about recommending this for use in the context of transplant or individuals [who] are being administered compounds that lead to an immunocompromised state in the context of treatment for other diseases that they might be suffering from, those immunocompromised individuals could benefit from this in the eyes of their positions, and that conversation can be fueled by the confidence they have from seeing this data,” Allen said.

When asked what the IDWeek conference is like, Allen said, “I typically spend a lot of time at research meetings, and [I] was really excited for the opportunity to [go] and talk to health care providers and listen to how the epidemiology groups and others are talking about different pathogens, of course, and there's a lot of enthusiasm around the work that's been done in the clinic. Take, for example, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); there have been [several] approvals for RSV vaccines and an antibody for the treatment of that disease. And then that, you know, things like that, where I can hear the epidemiologists and like the people from CDC talk about how policies are being put in place, and then use that as a context to think about where a company like Invyvid could position value in that context, right? And so that's been really interesting for me.”

At IDWeek, Invivyd highlighted Pemgarda’s effectiveness under FDA Emergency Use Authorization for immunocompromised patients, demonstrating efficacy against evolving COVID-19 variants since the Omicron strain.

Conference

Andrea Thomas, PhD, DVM, MSc, BSC, director of epidemiology at BlueDot, discusses the resurgence of respiratory viruses, risks from avian influenza

Preparing for a Challenging Winter: Insights on Global Infectious Disease Trends

In a recent webinar, Andrea Thomas, PhD, DVM, MSc, BSc, director of epidemiology at BlueDot at BlueDot Global, and her team provided insights into the current landscape of infectious diseases globally, focusing on respiratory pathogens impacting the Northern Hemisphere. To learn more, 

) attended the webinar and then interviewed Thomas about the details.

With seasonal viruses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) resurging alongside the ever-present COVID-19, health care systems are preparing for what could be another challenging winter.

“This is the time of year where, at least in Northern Hemisphere countries, we anticipate the return of seasonal respiratory viruses like seasonal flu and RSV, among a number of others. And BlueDot does a lot of monitoring around the global circulation of these pathogens. And of course, we also keep a close eye on COVID-19, which is not seasonal, but often does have a significant rise in cases in the winter, when we also have flu and RSV and others.”

The Southern Hemisphere’s recent experiences indicate a return to prepandemic patterns, although COVID-19’s year-round presence continues to pressure health care infrastructure.

“[The webinar was] to help get ahead of the Northern Hemisphere season and to look at what we saw in the Southern Hemisphere, which can be informative to understand what we might expect in the Northern Hemisphere,” Thomas said.

The webinar emphasized the importance of monitoring global disease trends to anticipate and manage regional outbreaks effectively. Additionally, Thomas discussed the potential risks posed by avian influenza H5N1, which is now detected in dairy cattle and poses an increased risk of human spillovers in agriculture workers. Although H5N1 currently poses a low risk to the public, it highlights the ongoing need for comprehensive surveillance and vaccination strategies to mitigate potential cross-species transmission.

Thomas explained, “So we touched on that too, to talk about added challenges when it comes to surveillance, when it comes to monitoring closely to understand whether that [H5N1] virus might be changing or potentially, if we had worst case scenario, some spread from human to human, how hard that would be to pick up when we've also got all of these other respiratory diseases at the same time.”

Thomas then addressed the challenges posed by emerging and reemerging vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. These diseases have shown significant spread in regions like Brazil and are now beginning to circulate locally in parts of the US. This increase in cases reinforces the importance of vector control and public health measures to limit local transmission.

Moreover, the discussion touched on the Marburg virus, a highly fatal hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. Although primarily endemic to certain parts of Africa, recent outbreaks have emphasized the need for global vigilance. Thomas highlighted the rapid deployment of trial vaccines in response to the latest outbreaks, underscoring the critical role of proactive research and preparedness in managing viral threats.

Infection preventionists and health care facilities can mitigate the impact of respiratory diseases this season by strengthening preventive measures and significantly enhancing ventilation systems to reduce airborne transmission. As Thomas noted, being proactive, rather than reactive, in infection control will be key to minimizing health care-associated infections and protecting health care workers and patients from severe illnesses during the upcoming high-risk winter season.

Andrea Thomas, PhD, DVM, MSc, BSc, director of epidemiology at BlueDot, discusses the resurgence of respiratory viruses, like COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, and risks from avian influenza, and the importance of proactive infection control to safeguard health care systems this winter.

 Infection Prevention in Veterinary Medicine: A Growing Field with New Challenges

Bluedot Veterinary infection prevention

 has increasingly become a focal point in the conversation about infection prevention. During an interview with 

), Andrea Thomas, DVM, PhD, MSc, BSc, director of epidemiology at BlueDot Global, and Mariana Torres Portillo, MD, infectious disease surveillance manager at BlueDot Global, highlighted how the recent COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of preventing the spread of viruses between humans and animals. The transmission of diseases, such as COVID-19 and mpox, not only among humans but also to pets and wildlife, has opened up a wider discussion about zoonotic diseases that spread between animals and people.

Thomas acknowledged that veterinarians often act as generalists, managing everything from surgery to routine checkups, all while trying to prevent the spread of infections. This tall order is why a more specialized focus on veterinary infection prevention is gaining traction. There is a growing recognition of the need to fill knowledge gaps, particularly with emerging diseases, and to create guidelines to help professionals avoid potential outbreaks.

“The current pandemic that we’re still in has brought that to light,” Thomas told 

. We had a new virus spreading between people, but it could also be passed to our pets. That alone has brought a lot of attention to the need to prevent the sharing of viruses and pathogens between animals and humans….

 That’s a tall order, and it is great to know that this is a growing field and [that there is] a growing…recognition of the need to fill those gaps and have people who are dedicated to thinking about this problem, communicating around it, and developing guidelines, because we don’t always have those—especially with emerging infectious diseases—in veterinary health care.

“It’s a lot to stay on top of. You’re already treating the patients in front of you. [Still], you also need to understand what could be coming your way that you need to prepare for. [It] is a tall order, and having professionals who are dedicated to monitoring those trends, getting ahead of them, and developing guidelines before they’re needed, hopefully, is going to be a huge benefit to the field,” Thomas continued.

For instance, zoonotic diseases account for an estimated 75% of emerging infections.

 Recent research from China has identified dozens of animal viruses that could become future public health threats.

 As Torres Portillo emphasizes, professionals dedicated to monitoring these threats and developing proactive guidelines will be essential for keeping both animals and humans safe.

“I think we should first…[improve] the air quality…. [There are] many discussions into airborne pathogens, droplets vs aerosols, that have been concealed to further prevent [pathogens]. [At the] top [of the list will]be handwashing for many pathogens, [as] that is another way of transmission.” Torres Portillo said.

Regarding recommendations for veterinary infection preventionists, the focus is on fundamental actions, such as air filtration, improved hand hygiene, and a One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health. Torres Portillo also highlighted the need to protect veterinary professionals, as they are often in direct contact with animals and their fluids, increasing their risk of exposure.

A key opportunity is a more vital collaboration between human and veterinary infection prevention teams. Learning from human health experiences can help enhance veterinary protocols, bridging gaps across both fields.

“Just like in health care, these are critical resources…. We don’t have enough of them in veterinary medicine, either.” Thomas said. “There is a shortage, and we need to protect their health. That’s absolutely critical…and I do think there are gaps. It is an area that hasn’t had as much focus as it has for human health. It’s also asking a lot for public health to take on that responsibility, too, where there may not be as much expertise. Having a dedicated veterinary infection prevention training, [having] guidelines developed, [and] building that field up would be valuable across multiple fronts.”

Both Thomas and Torres Portillo see opportunities for a stronger collaboration between human and veterinary infection prevention teams. “This whole conversation is how we’re all connected. We can’t have a separation between human and animal health, so I think it will have to be very cross-collaborative,” Thomas said.

Whitacre Martonicz T. Veterinary infection prevention: a discussion with Leslie Kollman, BS, CVT, CIC. 

. June 20, 2024. Accessed October 28, 2024. 

https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/veterinary-infection-prevention-discussion-leslie-kollmann-bs-cvt-cic

’s editorial advisory board member: David Levine, PhD, DPT, MPH, FAPTA. 

. August 21, 2024. Accessed October 28, 2024. 

https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/meet-infection-control-today-s-editorial-advisory-board-member-david-levine-phd-dpt-mph-fapta

Milbank C, Vira B. Wildmeat consumption and zoonotic spillover: contextualising disease emergence and policy responses. 

. 2022;6(5):e439-e448. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00064-X

Zhao, J, et al. Farmed fur animals harbour viruses with zoonotic spillover potential, 

Veterinary medicine's growing focus on infection prevention aims to address zoonotic disease risks, emphasizing specialized training, proactive guidelines, and collaboration between human and veterinary health teams.


 Infection Prevention in Veterinary Medicine: A Growing Field With New Challenges

Meet Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC. Infection Control Today's Editorial Advisory board member

Meet Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC.

's) Editorial Board members—a diverse group of professionals dedicated to advancing infection prevention and control practices. This series highlights each member's unique expertise and contributions to the field.

From groundbreaking research to innovative strategies, these experts are at the forefront of enhancing health care safety. Join us as we learn their insights, experiences, and visions for the future, providing valuable knowledge and inspiration to elevate infection control protocols.

This installment is from Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC, System Program Manager of Ambulatory Infection Prevention for CHRISTUS Health, Irving TX.

My name is Shannon Simmons. I am the program manager of ambulatory infection prevention, and my journey as an infection preventionist began in the microbiology lab. I have always been fascinated by microorganisms and everything they can do in the unseen world of microorganisms. I spent some time as a microbiologist and wanted to expand my knowledge. Getting a master's degree in public health exposed me to different options, and infection prevention sparked my interest. It fused my love for public health and bringing everyone together, structures, standards, and policies. It's not that cool, but it's something that I have an interest in, and I am also bringing in the side of microbiology.

That is where I started, and I got an opportunity to join a very big team of infection preventionists at a large county hospital. So, I got the best experience coming into infection prevention by being a part of that large team because we had nurses and other people who had come from laboratory backgrounds. These people had come from working in health departments. It was a very well-rounded team. Having such a large hospital and seeing so many things, I got the best experience of everything possible. I wish every new infection preventionist could go into a large hospital with a large team and learn from many people how to make infection prevention work for everyone; infection prevention is everyone's responsibility.

Having those different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences molded my career in infection prevention, the kind of things that I didn't think about because I don't have a nursing background; I was able to relate more to speaking with my colleagues and even the coming out of the bedside world, having a different, more epidemiological look at things, and understanding how the microorganism itself is even working to cause these issues that are happening that we physically see with people or in environments. This really brings everything together.

I had the opportunity to be a director of infection prevention during COVID-19. Making those decisions, understanding what's happening, and being that subject matter expert at a time when we were all learning on the fly, so [I have] had a very interesting infection prevention career. Now, taking on the role of focusing primarily on ambulatory care settings also leads me to be more creative with a lot of information because infection prevention has primarily been focused on hospital settings.

Now that much more health care is taking place outside of hospital settings, we realize what that looks like in our clinics and ambulatory surgery centers and how we can still provide the best care. Even though these patients aren't there, as long as they are in hospitals, for the most part, it's still a place where we should be practicing those infection prevention guidelines. Some things may need to be tweaked to meet the needs of those areas.

I like this role of working with smaller spaces that don't necessarily have an infection control practitioner but still need that assistance to ensure they are doing what is best for the patients and the staff. Trends that I am seeing are the emergence of what artificial intelligence (AI) can do in spaces, and it's so new and interesting that even I am trying to understand better options and how to translate those into our ambulatory settings.

 should cover in the next year], I have noticed nothing specific…[except AI] on the cusp of being a big phenomenon. But there's a lot of conversation about how we can use AI in health care in general. So, I'm very interested and excited to see what that looks like in the infection prevention world.

APIC is making a big push for this and will have a conference soon so we can all learn more and have better conversations. Infection prevention is a multidisciplinary part of health care, and just having that extra helps with AI. I'm very excited to see how that can help everyone.

Manufacturer instructions for use… is the hot topic everywhere. The more we talk about it, the closer we're getting to something that works for everyone. I'm very happy with the progress we're making in that area. It seems like such a simple and easy concept. The people who made it tell us how to use it, but there must be some universal language, everyone understanding everyone's role when it comes to not only using a product but also cleaning, sterilizing, and disinfecting it. I'm very interested to see more and hear more about how we can make instructions for use relatable, understandable, and universal in some way because it is such an important aspect of infection prevention.

Meet the experts shaping infection prevention: Infection Control Today's Editorial Board members share insights, experiences, and cutting-edge strategies to enhance health care safety and quality. Meet Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC.

Meet Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC, ICT's Editorial Advisory Member

Antibiotics, common cold, and how they affect antimicrobial resistance

Antibiotics and the common cold

In a recent survey conducted by Epocrates, a surprising trend emerged regarding people's expectations and perceptions about the common cold. To shed light on these findings and discuss their implications, 

), sits down with Anne Meneghetti, MD, the executive director of medical information at Epocrates. She shares insights from the survey, revealing how misconceptions about the duration and treatment of cold symptoms impact health care decisions.

 that because the media has discussed long COVID so often recently, she suspected that individuals may not understand how long a cold normally lasts. She is speaking of the “typical symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, congestion, and cough.” Epocrates’ recent survey verified her hunch.

“And so we did this survey of 1000 adults to ask them, ‘How long do you think a cold should last? And how long before you get concerned that something's wrong and that you need to seek care, etc?’ And the results were surprising. Typically, a cold should last anywhere up to 10 to 14 days. And yet, most people have a much different impression. Usually, [they believe] cold symptoms will peak around 2 to 3 days, and then the results start getting better and resolving.”

However, Meneghetti said that isn’t correct. “And yet, especially cough, nasal congestion, and runny nose can persist for 10 to 14 days. And I don't think a lot of people realize that. So, as time goes on, many people begin to think something is wrong and [that] they need an antibiotic. When we surveyed these 1000 adults, 43% of them expected that a cold [should] be gone within 5 days, and 35% more expected a cold to maybe last a week. And only 6% believed that cold symptoms should last up to 14 days.”

 and Meneghetti discussed why these misconceptions seem to linger and how prescribing antibiotics when they are not needed affects antimicrobial resistance [AMR]. She believed it is because “I do think that it's quicker to write a prescription than it is to explain all these things. But what this survey shows is that 70% of people are sensitive to the concept that taking an antibiotic unnecessarily might not only harm them in terms of side effects or drug interactions but taking an antibiotic unnecessarily contributes to antimicrobial resistance for their future, their community's future, [and] for their loved ones’ future. And that's really heartening that hearing [about AMR] makes a difference to them. And it does take more time and writing a prescription for sure.”

Anne Meneghetti, MD, highlights the misconceptions that drive individuals to seek antibiotics for common colds sooner than necessary.


Unveiling Misconceptions: The Truth About Antibiotics and the Common Cold 

The appeal of anti-vaccine influencers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Unveiling the Rise of Antivaccine influencers amid COVID-19

The appeal of anti-vaccine influencers during the COVID-19 pandemic is a topic that refers to the influence of people who are against vaccines and how they have gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One key opinion leader, Stephanie Alice Baker, PhD, is a senior lecturer in sociology at City, University of London, London, England, and is conducting research on wellness culture and how online influencers build trust with their audience.

), Baker gave some insights into the factors or strategies that antivaccine influencers have used to gain traction and influence during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they have contributed to vaccine misinformation, disinformation, and vaccine hesitancy.

“We have seen from many studies that…there has been a drop since the pandemic not only and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, but actually across a lot of pediatric vaccines and routine vaccinations,” Baker said. “[This] is obviously very worrying because we already have issues in terms of the MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccination being increasingly popular among the antivaccination movement, and as a result, measles is spreading in many countries where previously it was eradicated.”

Baker also discusses why she thinks antivaccine influencers make incorrect comments. “Influencers, in general, are those who achieve a degree of fame online, primarily commercially, but we shouldn't forget that also, some influencers primarily use their fame for political ends, or also for social plans just for a degree of flavor and clout.”

Baker gives advice on what health care workers can say to combat the misinformation and promote vaccine education. “One is through using the strategies of influencers themselves. And I think this can be achieved in a very sincere way. By using, say, for example, whatever social media platform they're comfortable with or where they feel as though they can reach an audience to share accessible health information and check to basically generate that parasocial relationship that a lot of influencers have with their audience, but as a vehicle to disseminate trustworthy, reliable information.”

(Quotes have been edited for clarity. Watch the video above for everything Baker discusses on vaccine misinformation.)

Stephanie Alice Baker, PhD, delves into the surge of antivaccine influencers during COVID-19, highlighting their impact on vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

Unveiling the Rise of Antivaccine Influencers Amid COVID-19: Insights From Stephanie Alice Baker, PhD

4 infection preventionists talk about burnout

Round Table on Burnout

In the fight against infectious diseases, infection preventionists (IPs) work on the front lines, showing steadfast dedication to public health. However, the demands of this crucial role pose significant challenges, leading to a troubling issue—burnout among these health care professionals.

) spoke with 4 IPs on how to prevent burnout. In this first installment, the IPs discussed the prevalent issue of burnout among IPs and other professionals, examining the contributing factors and emphasizing the urgent need for effective strategies to alleviate its impact.

The IPs in the Round Table discussion include the following:

Brenna Doran, PhD, MA, ACC, CIC, is currently the system director of hospital epidemiology and infection prevention at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as founder and CEO of Innovative Partners Institute, a coaching and consulting company.

Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, is the manager of infection prevention at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and a member of 

Heather Saunders, MPH, RN, CIC, is the senior nurse program research manager at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Infection Disease in Baltimore, Maryland. She is also the owner of Broad Street Prevention and a member of 

Sharon Ward-Fore, MS, BS, MT(ASCP), CIC, FAPIC, an infection prevention consultant, 

“I think we think we know what [burnout] means or how to recognize this,” Saunders explains during the Round Table. “But we've been constantly redefining this definition and understanding it better than we ever have before, especially in light of all the work stress that we've experienced over the past 4 years. … [Burnout] is chronic stress, leading to an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and cynicism about one's job. And that's what I want our audience to hear today is that chronic stress is not burnout, but chronic stress 

Lamphier explains what managers and coworkers should do when they suspect someone has burnout. “It's also important to know the team that you work with, and looking for signs or symptoms that individuals might be experiencing burnout or stress and addressing them when you notice them is also beneficial. And having those hard discussions as well [is important]. If you know someone who's a lone IP, it can be a very difficult and daunting task to reach out to those IPs who work by themselves because they might not have someone who's in a similar field [who] can check in on them, like an IP [with] a team [does].”

Ward-Fore says she worries about the stigma of burnout. “My husband is a psychiatrist. We talk about stigma all the time. And it's still there, even though we're [as a society] more cognizant of how important our mental wellbeing is, especially coming out of—or maybe not out of—our pandemic. Those are things we need to address; how do we remove that stigma?”

Doran agrees and explains what does not work to get over burnout. “There's a lot of shame around burnout. There is a lot of misconception that burnout is really the responsibility and the problem of the individual. When we're talking about burnout, if you're sharing that with peers, sharing that with your coworkers, there can be this sense again of shame and guilt, and they think, “I should just change my attitude,” I should just go do some meditation classes [or] get an app. What we've learned about burnout is it's so much deeper; you're not going to meditate yourself out of it.”

Saunders says burnout is more than an individual or managerial problem. “We get back to [burnout is] not just an individual-level problem. For us to be able to say we need the soft skills, we need IPs to make the relationships go to the units. In addition to data management, we're saying that we need leadership, and we need systems and organizations that are going to support our IP departments. So we do prevent the snowball into burnout.”

Frontline infection preventionists (IPs) face burnout due to challenges in public health. This Round Table on IP Burnout discusses strategies to prevent and address this critical issue. The IPs emphasize the importance of understanding burnout, recognizing signs, addressing stigma, and implementing multilayered prevention strategies for both individuals and organizations.

Video Series

Infection Control Today's Round Table Focuses on Burnout: Recognition, Stigma, and Prevention

Jill E. Holdsworth,  importance of prioritizing self-care and personal interests.

Balancing Act: Insights from an Infection Preventionist, Mother, and Volunteer

Juggling the demanding role of an infection preventionist, which can be both strenuous and stressful, while also managing a family requires maintaining mental balance. In an effort to understand how to navigate these challenges, 

) sought insights from someone experienced in this delicate balancing act.

Jill E. Holdsworth, MS, CIC, FAPIC, NREMT, CRCST, is the infection prevention manager at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the Protective Barriers Committee cochair for the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the 2022 Certification Council Chairman at the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA). She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Holdsworth is also a certified emergency medical technician (EMT) and a volunteer EMT with the Emory Emergency Medical Service program in Atlanta. She is a wife and mother to 2 young boys.

During her chat with ICT, Holdsworth also discusses how important it is for her to spend time with her husband and children. “I also want to be able to spend time with them at home and working with [my boys] on their homework doing sixth-grade math, which is really hard. I didn’t know that I was going to survive fourth or fifth-grade math,” she laughs. “It's so different going home and being the mom again because the stuff that we deal with at work is really hard. But the elementary school math has been even harder than anything I do here. But something I learned during COVID-19 was [that] I was missing a lot of family time because we were fielding calls and pages all day long. And this became a 24/7 job for almost 3 years. I had to do a reset and realize what I needed to fuel my fire to fill my cup, and I didn't want to keep missing things with my family and with my kids.”

’s listeners the importance of prioritizing family and personal interests while managing a demanding career. She emphasizes the need for open communication with supervisors about personal priorities, encouraging working parents, including fathers, to advocate for family needs.

Amidst the challenges of balancing work and family, Holdsworth reiterates her commitment to self-care and rediscovering interests during the COVID-19 pandemic. She details her involvement with EMS services, expressing the fulfillment it brings despite the challenges of night shifts. Additionally, she volunteers for organizations like AAMI and APIC, contributing to her profession and finding joy in sharing knowledge with those around her and through her writing.

Jill E. Holdsworth, MS, CIC, FAPIC, NREMT, CRCST, prevention manager, discusses the challenges of balancing work, family, and volunteering, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing self-care and personal interests.

Balancing Act: Insights From an Infection Preventionist, Mother, and Volunteer

Vaccination Insights: Preventing Respiratory Diseases in Pregnancy

In an exclusive interview with NFID Medical Director, Robert H. Hopkins, Jr, MD, 

) examines the crucial role of vaccination in preventing respiratory diseases during pregnancy. With a focus on diseases like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, and seasonal influenza, they discuss the latest updates in vaccination recommendations for expectant mothers. Hopkins shares insights on evolving COVID-19 immunization guidelines for pregnant individuals, the impact of influenza vaccination on maternal and infant health, and the significance of RSV immunization during pregnancy. Additionally, he provides valuable guidance on effectively communicating the importance of vaccination to combat respiratory diseases.

 asked Hopkins: "What do you say to the people who don't want to get [the COVID-19 vaccinations]?"

“I start off by [asking], 'Can we have a conversation? Do you mind if I ask you what concerns you've heard about the COVID-19 vaccine? You tell me what concerns you've had because I want to understand where you're coming from.' And I want to continue to ask that question until I feel like I understand what your concerns are. Then I'm going to turn to 'What are the things that motivate you? What are the things that are important to you and your health? Is it your own personal health? Is it the health of your family? Is it the health of your co-workers?'"

Hopkins continues: “Hopefully, there are still of us [who] are working, a number of us [who] are working with other people and not just working from home. But I come at it from the standpoint of [that] we know that we've lost millions of people across this world, and well over 2 million in the United States to COVID-19. I don't want you or your family to be in that group. I want you to have the COVID-19 vaccine like I have done myself, like my wife, all my children, and my parents have done; I want you to have that same level of protection for you. I want for us to be able to have this conversation and talk about what's important to you and talk about what your concerns are.

Learn about vital vaccination recommendations during pregnancy to prevent respiratory diseases like RSV, COVID-19, and influenza. NFID's Robert H. Hopkins, Jr. MD, offers insights and strategies for effective communication.


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