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Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the CDC / HICPAC Environmental Infection Control Guideline
Expert Contributors and Reviewers Share Their Memories
By Kelly M . Pyrek
2003 was a busy year , epidemiologically speaking . Twenty years ago , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) was first discovered in Asia ; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) responded by providing guidance for surveillance , clinical and laboratory evaluation , and reporting . While the U . S . was not as impacted as other countries in this outbreak , in hindsight it uknowingly helped set the stage for SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 .
Meet the EIC Guideline
2003 also marked the release of the CDC / HICPAC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities ( 2003 ), a compilation of recommendations for the prevention and control of infectious diseases associated with healthcare environments . This document revised multiple sections from previous editions of the CDC ’ s Guideline for Handwashing and Hospital Environmental
Control , and also incorporated discussions of air and water environmental concerns from CDC ’ s Guideline for the Prevention of Nosocomial Pneumonia . It also consolidated relevant environmental infection control measures from other CDC guidelines and included two topics not addressed in previous CDC guidelines — infection control concerns related to animals in healthcare facilities and water quality in hemodialysis settings .
The 2003 EIC guideline was the first to provide a comprehensive review of the scientific literature relating to environmental hygiene and issuing recommendations on engineering and infection control concerns during construction , demolition , renovation , and repairs of healthcare facilities . Importantly , it advocated for use of an infection-control risk assessment before the start of these or any other activities expected to generate dust or water aerosols . The guidance reviewed infection-control measures used to recover
12 june 2023 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com