Weekly Summary: Healthcare Quality and Worker Safety Information – March 19, 2026

[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

Healthcare Quality and Worker Safety Information

Healthcare Quality Resources New Project Firstline Resources for Healthcare Workers – CDC’s Project Firstline has released new resources to support frontline healthcare workers in preventing and responding to infectious disease threats in healthcare settings. Together, these resources support early recognition, safe care, and consistent infection prevention practices.  Candida auris in Health Care: Recognize the Risk and Stop the Spread is an infographic that provides a quick overview of how this multidrug-resistant organism spreads, where it can persist in healthcare environments, and the infection control actions that help stop transmission.  New World Screwworm (NWS): What Healthcare Workers Need to Know is an infographic that highlights a re-emerging threat in the United States and explains how infestations occur, who may be at higher risk, and the infection control steps needed when caring for patients with suspected NWS.  New Micro-Learn Trainings: Environmental Services Essentials for Infection Control is a series of guided infection control discussions that provide brief, on-the-job training for environmental services (EVS) workers in healthcare settings. Focusing on specific infection control topics relevant to EVS tasks, the micro-learns explain how and why EVS workers play an essential role in infection control to protect patients and save lives.  Additional Project Firstline infection control resources can be accessed on the website, along with a growing list of other micro-learn trainings.  Bite-Sized Antibiotic Stewardship & Infection Prevention Training for Nursing Homes – Developed by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), this CDC-funded course is a compilation of short modules built specifically for frontline nursing home staff (CNAs, LPNs, RNs, and bedside staff). The course empowers these frontline workers to play an active role in protecting residents, reducing harm, and supporting appropriate antibiotic use. The course features short, focused modules (5-10 minutes each) that can be incorporated into daily huddles by nurse educators or infection preventionists, emphasizing antibiotic stewardship while reinforcing core infection prevention and detection practices. Key topics include recognizing infections and communicating early clinical changes, preventing unnecessary antibiotic use, and managing common infections including urinary tract infections (UTIs), respiratory illnesses, and skin and soft tissue conditions.  Register Today for CDC’s Partner Call on March 24, 2026 (2-3 p.m. ET)! Tools to Tell the Story: New Resources for Communicating about Antimicrobial Resistance – Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is a growing public health threat that impacts more than 2.8 million Americans each year, killing an estimated 35,000. AR happens when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them, resulting in drug-resistant infections that are difficult—if not impossible—to treat. Critically, there are actions everyone can take to prevent the development and spread of AR. In this partner call, CDC will share new resources for partner organizations to support effectively communicating about antimicrobial resistance. Please share the registration link with communications staff from your organization as well! Attendance is limited to the first 1,000 registrants.   McKnight Heroes Prize Nominations Now Open – Together, the Evelyn and Thomas McKnight Family Fund for Patient Safety and the CDC Foundation created The McKnight Prize for Healthcare Outbreak Heroes to encourage and reward those who serve and protect patients from harm related to healthcare outbreaks. Nominations for this year’s prize are now being accepted through Friday, May 1, 2026: McKnight Heroes Prize Online Application  Candidates for the McKnight Heroes Prize can be from a variety of professions including, but not limited to, nurses, physicians, public health professionals, administrators, and patient advocates. The prize criteria focus on a candidate’s contributions to enhancing the response to a healthcare outbreak. For additional information about prize criteria, visit: Evelyn and Thomas McKnight Family Fund for Patient Safety.

Publications New CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Highlights Dramatic Rise in Kaposi Sarcoma–Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) Infections – This report reveals critical findings from investigation into KSHV infections among solid organ transplant recipients in the United States, covering the period from January 2021 to September 2025. It highlights a significant increase in reported cases of KSHV-related complications, underscoring the need for enhanced awareness and screening protocols.  Key findings The number of solid organ donors suspected of transmitting KSHV has risen dramatically, with 46 cases reported during this period compared to just nine cases reported from 2016 to 2020.  A total of 185 organs were transplanted into 153 recipients, with 74 (48%) of these recipients developing a KSHV infection post-transplantation, resulting in 25 deaths.  Among the affected recipients, 29 developed Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and several others experienced various KSHV-related complications, including lymphoproliferative disorders and Kaposi sarcoma inflammatory cytokine syndrome (KICS).  This is one of the most consequential infectious disease outbreaks associated with organ transplantation in the U.S. in the last 20 years. It is important for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for KSHV in transplant recipients, especially when KSHV infection is identified in another recipient or donors have risk factors such as non-medical drug use.  Recommendations  Clinicians caring for solid organ transplant recipients should maintain a high index of suspicion for KSHV and related complications including KICS, symptoms of which might be similar to those of culture-negative sepsis.  Transplant Centers should report any suspected donor-derived KSHV infections to the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN) promptly.  Consider KSHV testing for recipients, particularly when there are known risk factors or when another recipient from the same donor is infected.

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