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
- Infection control resources and links.
- Controlling norovirus.
- Influenza information.
- Healthcare-associated infections, CDC.
- Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
- epiTrends, DOH.
Patient materials
Infection Control News
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West Coast Health Alliance, WA DOH, and Leading National Medical Organizations Continue to Recommend Hepatitis B Vaccination for Newborns
WCHA disagrees with CDC’s Advisory Committee’s change to decades-long vaccine recommendation that has reduced pediatric hepatitis B infections by 99 percent. The West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) strongly supports that hepatitis B vaccination continue to be routinely offered to all newborns, with the first dose of the vaccine given within 24 hours of birth for…
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Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Washington
Washington state is experiencing a hepatitis A outbreak in multiple counties in people who are living homeless or who use drugs. Requested actions Give hepatitis A vaccine to unvaccinated patients living homeless or using drugs. Suspect hepatitis A in patients with acute onset of jaundice, vomiting, anorexia and elevated liver function test results—especially those living…

