American Journal of Infection Control 42 (2014) 1027
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
American Journal of Infection Control
journal homepage: www.ajicjournal.org
Message from APIC
Infection prevention and you
Performing hand hygiene, appropriately using antimicrobials to
prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms, knowing when
and how to don personal protective equipment, vaccinating, prac-
ticing respiratory etiquette, and performing other infection preven-
tion practices may be second nature to you. But do othersdmainly
the public and other health care professionalsdtruly understand the
importance of infection prevention in reducing health complications
and saving lives? How can we reach them?
International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), October 19-25,
2014, is a platform to promote and disseminate infection preven-
tion information during a focused period of time with hope that the
message reaches more and more people year after year. This year
for IIPW, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology (APIC) is making the appropriate use of antibiotics a
primary focus and contributed to the creation of the infographic
“When it comes to antibiotics, know your ABC’s.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that each
year in the United States at least 2 million people become infected
with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics; at least 23,000 people
die each year as a direct result of these infections; and poor anti-
biotic prescribing practices put patients at unnecessary risk for
preventable allergic reactions, super-resistant infections, and
0196-6553/$36.00 - Ó 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2014.07.010
American Journal of
Infection Control
Clostridium difficile infection (also known as deadly diarrhea). With
each new infection prevention infographic, social media post, and
monthly alert for consumers, we are making progress. But APIC
can’t do it alonedwe need your help. Here are some simple ways
you can help spread the word:
1. Print the new “When it comes to antibiotics, know your ABC’s”
infographic and place it in a patient care area.
2. Share the infographic via your favorite social media network.
APIC is on Facebook (www.facebook.com/APICInfection
PreventionandYou), Twitter (https://twitter.com/APIC), and
LinkedIn. Be sure to use the hashtag [#infectionprevention]
when posting!
3. Simply use any of the information on our “Infection Prevention
and You” campaign website in your infection prevention edu-
cation efforts (www.apic.org/infectionpreventionandyou) to
spread this message year-round to health care professionals
and the public.
We can make a difference. If each of us reached just 1 person, it
could make a world of difference. Thanks for continuing to galva-
nize the infection prevention movement!