Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)

SHEA has been asked to alert members to ongoing concerns related to West Nile virus (WNV) transmission in the United States and an upcoming webinar to share these concerns and best practices to protect patients. WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease and death in the contiguous United States, yet no medications to treat or licensed vaccines to prevent WNV are currently available. CDC has guidance to support prevention, testing, diagnosis, and clinical care. Each year, WNV cases occur across the United States with periodic outbreaks that are large and unpredictable. This summer and fall, there has been substantial WNV activity in the United States with human disease cases across 45 states and approximately 40% more severe disease cases and deaths than what is typically reported at this time of the year. Furthermore, CDC is currently working with 10 state health departments and clinical teams on possible transfusion, transplantation, or dialysis-related WNV clusters. As temperatures cool across the country, the risk of infection from mosquitoes is decreasing, but the risk to patients receiving solid organ transplants or B-cell depleting monoclonal antibody therapies remains particularly high. On Friday, October 24th, the American Medical Association will be hosting a webinar with CDC experts and clinicians to: • Share important information about the latest epidemiology of WNV; • Discuss a specific case of WNV disease transmitted via organ transplantation; and • Provide guidance for diagnosis and care of specific patient populations at increased risk for severe disease, including those receiving solid organ transplants or B-cell depleting monoclonal antibody therapies. This webinar is designed for clinicians, but all of those interested in WNV prevention and control are welcome. For more information & to register for the webinar: https://bit.ly/3JiDphU

Save the date! IDWeek 2026 will be held October 21-24, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Claim your credits! IDWeek 2025 offers 200 PRA Category 1 Credits™, 200 IPCE, 200 ANCC contact hours, 178 live and on-demand CPE contact hours, 200 MOC points, and 181.5 PACE and CE Broker contact hours. On-demand sessions will be available for viewing through March 31, 2026. Credit can be claimed for CME, CPE, CNE, MOC, PACE and CE Broker until April 24, 2026. *The deadline to claim CPE in-person session credit is December 22, 2025.

Congratulations to the winners of SHEA's 2025 awards at IDWeek! SHEA Senior Scholar: Dr. John Boyce SHEA Mentor Scholar: Dr. Lisa Saiman SHEA Mid-Career Scholarship: Dr. Erica Shenoy Antimicrobial Stewardship Award: Dr. Emily Spivak SHEA Pediatric Scholarship Award: Dr. Charles Huskins Advanced Practice Infection Preventionist Award: Mr. Russell Olmsted International Scholarship Award: Dr. Rajalakshmi Ananthanarayanan ICHE Suzanne Bradley Reviewer Award: Dr. Mohamad Fakih SHEA ASHE Reviewer Award: Dr. Takaaki Kobayashi ICHE Barry Farr Award: Dr. Kerri Thom, “Alcohol-based decontamination of gloved hands: a randomized controlled trial” ICHE's William Jarvis Award: Dr. Andie S. Lee, “Active Surveillance of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales Using Genomic Sequencing for Hospital-Based Infection Control Interventions” ASHE Editorial Award: Dr. Sacha Kuil, “The clinical usefulness of guideline-based strategies with and without the role of nonspecific symptoms to predict urinary tract infections in nursing homes: a decision curve analysis” SHEA Yoshikawa and High Long-Term-Care Abstract Award: Dr. Seongeun Kim, "Universal Decolonization Reduced Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes Participating in the SHIELD Regional Collaborative"

Join Us for a virtual session of the SHEA/PIDS Infection Prevention and Control & Hospital Epidemiology Series on November 6th! This session will focus on IPC considerations in tuberculosis. For more information & to register: https://bit.ly/4nXPVCx

STAND UPPP for IP: Unite. Prevent. Protect. Prevail. Today marks the start of International Infection Prevention Week 2025! This year’s theme — STAND UPPP for IP — is a call to action to Unite, Prevent, Protect, and Prevail together in the fight against infection. Infection preventionists are the defenders of public health — leading the charge to keep patients, families, and communities safe. All week long, we’ll highlight the work of IPs and share interactive activities that celebrate their impact. Let’s stand tall, speak up, and show the world that infection prevention is everyone’s responsibility. 💙 👉 Explore all the ways to get involved: https://lnkd.in/ePEXZ_rN #IIPW2025 #StandUPPPforIP #InfectionPrevention #PublicHealth

For almost 40 years, International Infection Prevention Week has showcased the importance of stopping the spread of infections. Thank you to all our infection preventionist SHEA members for your dedication and leadership in keeping healthcare safe!

We were excited to host the SHEA Business Meeting Breakfast at IDWeek this morning! Thank you to our attendees for the wonderful turnout.