Infection control benefits everyone.
Infection control prevents the spread of disease in healthcare settings. Following simple, evidence-based practices protects you, your patients and your community.
Stay up to date on best practices. Check out the resources below. We also offer:
- Help with communicable disease and reporting questions.
- Help with outbreak investigation and control.
- Visits from Public Health Consultants who provide public health information and updates.
When transferring a patient, hospitals and long-term care facilities must complete the
Inter-Facility Infection Prevention and Safety Form.
Precautions
- Infection Control Guidelines.
- Standard precautions for all patient care, CDC.
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Basics, CDC
Injection safety
- Safe Injection Practices to Prevent Transmission of Infections to Patients, CDC.
- Preventing Unsafe Injection Practices, CDC.
- Injection Safety Resources for Providers, CDC.
Hand hygiene
Personal protective equipment
Environmental Cleaning
- Quick reference: How to clean equipment and surfaces, when to clean, what to use.
- Disinfection and sterilization guideline, CDC.
Other resources
- Controlling norovirus.
- Influenza information.
- Healthcare-associated infections, CDC.
- Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
- epiTrends, DOH.
Patient materials
Infection Control News
-
03/14/23 Health Advisory: Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigellosis
Requested actions Background Shigellosis is an acute enteric infection. It is an important cause of domestically acquired and travel-associated bacterial diarrhea in the United States. A low infectious dose makes Shigella bacteria easily transmitted from person to person. Consider shigellosis in the differential diagnosis of acute diarrhea, especially in people who: Shigellosis can be a mild,…
-
11/08/22 Health Advisory: Increased Respiratory Virus Activity
Multiple viruses are causing increased respiratory illness, especially among children, straining healthcare systems. Transmission of respiratory illnesses is increased in our communities. Schools report much higher absenteeism than normal for this time of year. Our hospital emergency departments are seeing many patients. This increase in illness early in respiratory illness season highlights the importance of…
-
08/25/22 Health Advisory: Monkeypox and COVID-19 Update for Providers
Requested actions Suspect monkeypox virus (MPV) infection in any patient who presents with 1 or more lesions that suggest MPV, regardless of the patient’s age, social history, gender or sexual identity. Several commercial labs, as well as Washington State Public Health Labs (PHL), now test for MPV. PHL updated its MPV specimen collection guidance: Preferred…