CDC report: Certain health care-acquired infections decrease

Certain health care-acquired infections continued to decrease, according to an annual progress report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus fell 16%, central line-associated bloodstream infections fell 15%, hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infections fell 13%, catheter-associated urinary tract infections fell 11%, and ventilator-associated events fell 5%. The declines align more closely with progress made before the pandemic in 2020, the CDC said. The report recommends hospitals continue reinforcing prevention practices and review healthcare-acquired infections surveillance data to identify areas for improvement. (CDC report executive summary, 11/6/24)